My web developer disappeared. How do I get back into my own website?
You can almost always get your website back, even when the person who built it has stopped answering. Start with your domain name, because whoever controls the domain controls where your website lives.
the short answer
- first step
- look up your domain at lookup.icann.org
- what you need
- proof the business is yours
- domain transfer
- usually about 5 to 7 days
- our first call
- free, 15 minutes
Who owns my website?
In practice, your website belongs to whoever is named on the domain account and the hosting account. If those accounts are in your developer's name, you paid for the site but you don't control it.
This happens a lot. In 43% of our rescues, the owner didn't control their domain, didn't know how to get into it, or was using the wrong one.
How do I find out who owns my domain?
Type your web address into the free lookup tool at lookup.icann.org. It tells you which company your domain is registered with and when it runs out, even when the owner's name is hidden for privacy.
- Search your web address at lookup.icann.org.
- Write down the registrar (the company holding the domain) and the expiry date.
- Contact that registrar's support team and explain that you own the business.
- Have your proof ready: business papers, invoices for the website, and emails sent from your domain.
My developer ghosted me. What should I do first?
Make a list of every account you know about: the domain company, the hosting company, and any logins you were ever sent. Then send your developer one short, dated message asking for those logins, so you have a written record.
You are not the only one this happens to. 62% of the sites we rebuild were more than ten years old, and the owner could no longer reach whoever built it.
If your web designer stopped answering or you simply can't reach your web guy, the steps are the same. Nobody needs their permission to prove what is yours.
I lost access to my domain. Can I get it back?
Yes, if you can show the domain belongs to your business. The registrar can move it into your name after checking your proof, and moving it to a new registrar usually takes about five to seven days.
Keep an eye on the expiry date while you do this. Once a domain expires, many registrars hold it for only about a month before anyone else can buy it.
My web company went out of business. What happens to my website?
Your site keeps running only while someone keeps paying for the hosting and the domain. When a web company closes, those payments often stop, and the site can go dark without warning.
Move the domain into your own account first. Then save a copy of every page while the site is still online.
I can't edit my own website. How do I get admin access?
Ask for an admin login in your own name, not a shared password that belongs to someone else. If nobody can give you one, the site can be rebuilt on a setup where you hold the main login from the first day.
Every rescue we finish puts the code, the domain and every password in your name. You also get a certificate of ownership that says so in writing.
I can't log into my website. Was I hacked, or am I just locked out?
Try the password reset first, and check which email address the reset link goes to. If it goes to your old developer's inbox, you are locked out rather than hacked, and the fix is moving that account to you.