DNS, email and security
Transfer lock
A transfer lock is a setting at the registrar that stops a domain from being moved to another registrar without the owner's approval.
What Transfer lock means in practice
In registry data it appears as the status clientTransferProhibited. The owner turns the lock off to start a transfer and usually needs an authorisation code from the registrar.
A domain also cannot be transferred for a period after it is first registered or after a previous transfer.
Why it matters
A transfer lock is a basic protection against domain theft. A name for sale that is unlocked, or a name you own with no lock, deserves a closer look.
Try it
- Domain Health Check Expiry date, transfer lock, DNS, SPF and DMARC email security, and blocklists for a .com.
Related terms
- Registrar A registrar is a company accredited to sell domain names and manage them for you, such as GoDaddy or Namecheap. You register and renew a domain through one.
- RDAP RDAP, the Registration Data Access Protocol, is the standard way to look up whether a domain is registered and its status. It replaced WHOIS.
- Expired domain An expired domain is a name whose registration period ended without being renewed. It is not released at once: it passes through several grace periods first.