Renewing Shopify-managed domains

If you have a Shopify-managed domain, then you can automatically renew your domain subscription in your Shopify admin. Automatically renewing your domain ensures that your ownership doesn't expire. You don't need to renew your myshopify.com URL.

You can choose whether to activate automatic renewal when you buy a domain through Shopify, or at any time from your Shopify admin. If your domain isn't set to renew automatically, then you need to activate automatic renewal or manually renew your domain before the end of the registration period to prevent it from expiring.

You can also manually renew your domain from your Shopify admin starting 30 days before the expiration date.

If you want to cancel a Shopify-managed domain, then you can deactivate automatic renewal so that it expires at the end of the registration period. If you want to stop the domain from pointing to your store before it expires, then you can park the domain by updating its DNS settings.

By default, the Shopify store owner's email address and information are used to purchase and renew domains. Make sure that your email address is up to date so that you receive notifications about your domain subscription.

Activate automatic renewal

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Domains.

2. Click the domain that you want to configure.

3. In the Renewal section, select Auto-renew this domain every year.

Your domain renewal is charged automatically on the date listed. To ensure that your domain subscription is successful, the renewal date is 14 days before the end of the registration period. Domain renewals are charged separately from your Shopify plan subscription fees.

Deactivate automatic renewal

If you don't want your domain subscription to renew automatically, or if you want to cancel your Shopify-managed domain, then you can deactivate automatic renewal in your Shopify admin.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Domains.

2. Click the domain that you want to configure.

3. In the Auto-renew section, deselect Auto-renew this domain every year.

After you deactivate automatic renewal, your domain expires at the end of the registration period. If you don't want your domain to expire, then you need to activate automatic renewal before the expiry date.

Deactivate automatic renewal for .de and .at domains

Due to German and Austrian regulations, .de and .at domain renewals can't be deactivated from your Shopify admin. If you purchase a .de or .at domain through Shopify, then your domain continues to renew automatically until the corresponding compliance form is processed by Shopify Support.

The form must be completed in full and must exactly match the contact information for your domain to prevent any delays in the deactivation process. You can find your domain contact information in your Shopify admin by following the steps to edit your domain contact information. If you have already cancelled your Shopify subscription, then contact Shopify Support to help confirm your domain's current contact information.

After automatic renewal has been deactivated, your ownership of the domain continues until the end of the current registration period. If you change your mind and want to reactivate automatic renewal, or make any other changes to the domain, then you can during that time.

Deactivate automatic renewal for your .de domain

To deactivate automatic renewal for a .de domain, you need to complete a Domain Termination/Deletion form. The following table shows you how the contact information is displayed in the Shopify admin, corresponding with the fields you'll complete in the form.

Steps:

1. Open the Domain Termination/Deletion form.
2. In the Domain Names for Deletion section, enter the .de root domain(s) you want to deactivate automatic renewal for. Only enter domains with identical contact information. If you want to deactivate automatic renewal for multiple .de domains with different contact information, then you need to complete a separate form for each domain.
3. In the Current Registrant/Holder section, enter the current contact information for the domain(s).
4. In the Confirmation section, read the agreement, and enter your signatory details.
   • In the City, Date field, enter the name of the city you're currently in, and then the day, month, and year for when you're signing the form. Separate the city and date with a ,.
   • In the Name of Signatory field, enter your name as the person who is signing the form.
   • In the Signature and company stamp field, add your handwritten signature. If the domain's ownership is registered to a company with a stamp, then stamp the field as well.
5. Save your completed form in an unmodifiable .pdf or .jpg format.
6. Contact Shopify Support to make your request to deactivate the domain's automatic renewal, and share a copy of your completed form. Shopify Support will review the form to ensure it matches the domain's current ownership, has been properly signed, is in an accepted file format, and cannot be edited.
   • If the form doesn't meet the requirements, then you'll be asked to make the appropriate corrections before re-submitting your request.
   • If the form does meet the requirements, then Shopify Support will begin to process your request, and follow up to notify you when the automatic renewal has been deactivated.

Deactivate automatic renewal for your .at domain

To deactivate automatic renewal for a .at domain, you'll need to complete a Cancellation form. The following table shows you how the contact information is displayed in the Shopify admin, corresponding with the fields you'll complete in the form.

Steps:

1. Open the Cancellation form.
2. In the section at the top of the form, enter the .at root domain you want to deactivate automatic renewal for. If you have multiple domains you want to deactivate automatic renewal for, then you need to complete a separate form for each domain.
3. In the domain holder section, enter the current contact information for the domain.
   • If your domain's contact information has a Store name, then check the box next to organisation. Only check the box next to private person if you have previously changed the domain's holder type with Shopify Support's assistance.
   • If the domain's ownership is registered to a company with a stamp, then stamp the Company chop box.
4. Below the domain holder section, check the box next to at the end of the current service period.
5. In the signature section, read the agreement, and enter your signature details.
   • In the Name of the signing person (block capitals) field, enter your name in capital letters.
   • In the City, date field, enter the name of the city you're currently in, and then the day, month, and year for when you're signing the form. Separate the city and date with a ,.
   • In the Signature of the Domain Holder or a person authorised to sign for the company field, add your handwritten signature.
6. Save your completed form in an unmodifiable .pdf or .jpg format.
7. Contact Shopify Support to make your request to deactivate the domain's automatic renewal, and share a copy of your completed form. Shopify Support will review the form to ensure it matches the domain's current ownership, has been properly signed, is in an accepted file format, and cannot be edited.
   • If the form doesn't meet the requirements, then you'll be asked to make the appropriate corrections before re-submitting your request.
   • If the form does meet the requirements, then Shopify Support will begin to process your request, and follow up to notify you when the automatic renewal has been deactivated.

Immediate cancellation requests for .de and .at domains

OpenSRS's policies for processing requests to immediately delete ownership of .de and .at domains require that the domain be in violation of either policies that govern domain management or local legislation. If your domain is currently active and in good standing, then a request to immediately cancel domain ownership instead of deactivating automatic renewal will be declined by Shopify Support.

If you have found a .de and .at domain that is in violation of Shopify's Policies, then you can find next steps for reporting the violation in our compliance instructions. If the domain is in violation of third-party policies, then you can use IANA's WHOIS Service to find the appropriate abuse contact.

Renew an expired domain

If your domain subscription expires, and you want to keep using your domain, then you have a 40 day grace period for most domains to renew it.

If you don't renew an expired domain during the grace period, then you might still be able to renew it during the redemption period. The redemption period lasts up to 30 days after the grace period. There are additional costs associated with renewing a domain during the redemption period.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Domains.

2. Click the domain that you want to renew.

3. If the domain is eligible to be renewed during grace or redemption period, then a Renew now button is displayed next to the domain. If the Renew now button isn't displayed, then you can't renew that domain.

If your domain isn't renewed by the end of the redemption period, then it's deleted from the registry. Your domain might be available to buy again through Shopify or from a third-party domain provider, but there is no guarantee that the domain will be available for purchase. If you want to keep the domain, then review your domain expirations dates and ensure that you're renewing your domains ahead of those expiration dates. You can also activate automatic renewal.

Manually renew an expiring domain

If you don't want your domain subscription to renew automatically but also don’t want it to expire, you can manually renew it from your Shopify admin starting 30 days before the expiration date.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Domains.

2. Click the domain that you want to renew.

3. In the Renewal section, click Renew now.

Troubleshooting domain renewal issues

If you're experiencing issues with domain renewal, then use the following troubleshooting steps to resolve common problems.

Step 1: General troubleshooting

Try the following general troubleshooting steps before addressing specific errors:

• Verify that your domain is Shopify-managed and not a third-party domain.
• Verify that auto-renewal is activated at least 14 days before your domain's expiry date.
• Verify that your payment method is valid, not expired, and has sufficient funds.
• Review your recent invoices in Settings > Billing for any failed payment attempts.
• Verify that your billing address matches your payment method information.
• Verify that your Shopify account was active during the renewal period because domains on inactive accounts don't auto-renew.

Step 2: Select the domain renewal issue

If you're experiencing a specific error, then select the appropriate troubleshooting section:

Step 3: Contact Support about domain renewal

If you complete the troubleshooting steps and your domain renewal is still failing, then contact Shopify Support. If you believe auto-renewal should have worked but didn't, then provide details about when auto-renewal was activated and your payment method status when contacting support.