To take your Squarespace 5 site offline, there are a few options:
- Make your site private - Disable all pages on your site to temporarily unpublish or hide them without canceling your subscription.
- Cancel your site - Your site will go offline at the end of the current billing cycle.
- Remove your site - After canceling, you can remove the site to take it offline immediately.
This guide goes over the steps for canceling and removing your site.
Tip: You can also remove individual pages or posts.
Before you begin
While you can cancel your subscription at any time, we recommend these steps for a smooth transition:
- If you're moving to Squarespace 7, wait until your Squarespace 7 site is live and you've moved any custom domains before you cancel your Squarespace 5 site.
- If you're not moving to Squarespace 7, export your content so you can import it to a new site.
- We recommend you cancel or unlink any sub-accounts before canceling or removing a master account.
- If your site has one or more custom domains, review the following section.
Custom domains
Before canceling, review any custom domains connected to your site.
If you're moving to Squarespace 7, ensure you move the domain before canceling your Squarespace 5 site.
If you have a free domain that you registered through your Squarespace 5 website:
- It will be free for as long as your Squarespace 5 site is active and has a paid subscription.
- You can keep the free domain if you move to Squarespace 7.
- If you're not moving to Squarespace 7 and want to keep the domain, transfer it to another provider. Open a ticket and we’ll unlock it from our system and provide you with a transfer key.
- For more help, visit Registering a domain through Squarespace and Squarespace domains FAQ.
If you have a third-party domain, unlink it before canceling.
Step 1 - Cancel the subscription
To cancel the subscription:
- Log into your Squarespace 5 site and click Website Management, then click Account Center under Billing & Support.
- In the Account Center, click Cancel Account.
- Enter your password and click Proceed. This takes you to a page with a secure connection.
- Select a reason for leaving, and type any comments in the feedback field. Then click Cancel Account.
At the end of the current billing cycle, your site will go offline and be marked for deletion.
To take your site offline immediately and receive a refund (annual and bi-annual plans only), proceed to the next step.
Step 2 - Remove account (optional)
After canceling, click Remove Account in your Account Center and type DEACTIVATE into the form field to close your account immediately.
Keep in mind:
- If you have an annual or bi-annual plan, you'll receive a prorated refund for unused time. The refund will apply to the card that was charged.
- We don't offer refunds for monthly plans.
When you've successfully canceled, an "account is not available" message will display when you visit the domain.
Deleting specific content from your site
Click the links below for help removing individual components on your site.
What happens to deleted and expired content?
Canceled or removed sites
Once your site goes offline:
- It's no longer available to visitors.
- Its content is marked for permanent deletion.
- It may take more than 30 days for us to permanently delete the site from our system.
- You can log in, but only to make billing changes.
Deleted pages or posts
When you delete select content from a live site, like a page:
- Visitors can no longer find or visit the content.
- The deleted content moves to a recycle bin, where it's accessible for about three days if you want to recover it.
- When you delete a page, a "Page Not Found" message will appear to visitors when they visit its URL. To prevent this from happening, set up a URL redirect or use the same URL for a replacement page.
Request to delete your account
After preparing to delete your account, you can email us at privacy@squarespace.com to request account removal. To help with the removal process:
- Use the subject line - Squarespace 5 - Delete my account.
- Send the email from your account email address.
After you receive a reply to your request, respond to that message to confirm and complete your account removal request.
Logging in after your account closes
Once your account closes, a "not available" screen will display when you go to your direct login URL.
Click Login in the top-right corner to access your billing panel. Here you can:
Tip: The Login button may not be available for roughly two days after you remove your site. If it's been more than two days and you don't see the Login button, ensure you're logging in at the direct URL, and that the URL starts with http: instead of https:
FAQ
Will my site appear in search engine search results after I cancel?
After your site goes offline, it isn't public and won't be indexed anymore. If you don't move your site to another provider, it will eventually disappear from search results. Note that this takes time, and timing can vary based on each search engine’s indexing activity. Squarespace has no control over removing your site from any search engine’s search results after you cancel your subscription.
If you move your site to another provider, search engines might index the new content once the site is active.
Will Squarespace keep my site content in case I come back?
Once your account is closed, your site will be offline. However, we won’t immediately mark your site for permanent deletion. If you recently canceled your site or if it recently expired, you may be able to recover its content.
What happens if I cancel my site without removing my account?
Your site will be live until the date your subscription ends. At that point, your site will go offline.
Can I reactivate my site after I cancel my subscription?
Yes. To reactivate your site, follow this guide.