Request
-
I have a client who accidentally closed his wordpress.com account. He is not able to recover the account and now he doesn’t have acces to neither domain nor website. We need at least wordpress.com to release the domain in order to be used from his godady account.
How can we do this? -
Only the owner of the closed account is able to reopen his account but only within 30 days after deletion. After 30 days, the account and all of its associated data are purged from our system and cannot be recovered.
He can do so by following the instructions at https://wordpress.com/support/close-account/#restore-a-closed-account
Once he has restored his account, he’ll be able to move his custom domain elsewhere
-
Really sorry to hear this, let’s work through it carefully because there are a couple of things that can still be done here.
First priority — Try to reactivate the account
WordPress.com allows recently closed accounts to be reactivated within a short window. Your client should:
- Go to wordpress.com/log-in and attempt to log in with the original email and password
- If the closed account message appears, look for a Reactivate option on that screen
- If nothing comes up, contact WordPress.com support immediately at wordpress.com/help/contact — select “Account” and explain it was closed accidentally
The sooner this is done the better, this window doesn’t stay open long.
If reactivation isn’t possible — Request domain release
Your client needs to reach out to WordPress.com support directly and ask for the domain to be released. When submitting the request, include:
- The email address the account was registered under
- The exact domain name they need released
- Any proof of ownership — billing emails, purchase receipts, or any WordPress.com confirmation emails
- A clear explanation that the closure was accidental
WordPress.com support can process domain releases in verified cases like this — it’s not something we’re able to action from the community forum, but their team handles it regularly.
Once the domain is released — GoDaddy transfer
When WordPress.com releases the domain, they’ll provide an authorization/EPP code. Your client can then use that code to initiate the transfer on the GoDaddy side. Just make sure transfer locks are disabled on GoDaddy before starting.
Time is critical here, please reach out to WordPress.com support today.
-
Thank you for your answers. He managed to restore the account, and now he is able to log in, but the problem is that the domain and the website are no longer there.
In the billing info, we can see the recent payment he made to buy the domain. What is going wrong? -
Hello there, In order for staff to be able to help, please share your client’s username if it isn’t either of the ones you’ve used so far. Alternatively, the domain name involved or the underlying WordPress.com subdomain involved.
Also, if the domain is registered at GoDaddy, then the domain must be managed there. That is where the DNS pointers must be set to point to where the site is hosted.
-
Giving it further thought, it would be best if your client posted here in this thread with their recovered username.
-
Hi @kesmeth
Great news that the account is restored! The next step is straightforward, as @justjennifer mentioned, having your client post here directly with their WordPress.com username will allow the staff team to look into the missing domain and site on the backend.
While you wait, here are a couple of things your client can check on their end right now:
1. Check if the site still exists under a different view After restoration, sometimes the dashboard doesn’t immediately show all associated content. Ask your client to go to wordpress.com/sites and see if the site appears there, occasionally it shows up there before it’s fully visible in the main dashboard.
2. Confirm the domain status Since the billing record shows a recent domain payment, the domain should still be associated with the account. Ask your client to go to My Site → Upgrades → Domains — if it appears there, it’s still attached to the account and just needs the site reconnected.
3. Don’t make any changes yet It’s important your client doesn’t attempt to repurchase the domain or make any DNS changes before the staff team has had a chance to review, acting too quickly could complicate the recovery.
The billing proof is a strong indicator that the domain is still tied to the account. Once your client posts their username here, the team will be able to confirm exactly what’s going on.
-
Hello again @relaxingmusic4yoursoul Staff can only assist the actual account owner, so have them post here soonest possible if they still need help with this.
WordPress.com Forums 
