How to Delete a Squarespace Website (Cancel First)

By Umair Ali Sadaqat · Updated November 6, 2026 · Editorial policy

How to delete a Squarespace website: cancel the subscription, deal with your domain, export your content, then delete the site. Steps and what to expect.

Short answer: To delete a Squarespace website, first cancel its paid subscription in the site's Billing panel, then cancel or transfer any Squarespace domain and add-ons attached to it. Once nothing is active, open your account dashboard, choose the menu beside the site, and select Delete. Deletion is permanent, so export what you need before the last step.

Most people get stuck because the Delete option is missing. That is almost always a billing or domain problem, not a bug. This guide goes in the order that avoids dead ends. Squarespace's interface changes, so treat the menu names as a map and check them against what you see on screen.

Before you delete: decide what you are keeping

Deleting a site and getting rid of the things around it are different jobs. Use this table to decide what each item needs.

Item	What to do	Why it matters
Site subscription	Cancel in Billing	Squarespace requires a paid site to be canceled before it can be deleted
Squarespace domain	Transfer away or cancel	An attached Squarespace domain blocks deletion
Google Workspace, Email Campaigns, Acuity Scheduling	Cancel each one	Active add-ons block deletion
Content (pages, posts, images)	Export and download	Deletion permanently removes it
Your Squarespace account	Delete last, optional	Separate from deleting the site

Step 1: Export your content

Do this before you cancel anything, because Squarespace's export tool works only on a published site with public availability, and you cannot export from a trial site.

Squarespace exports to a WordPress-format .xml file. Be realistic about what that file contains, per Squarespace's help center:

Included: layout pages, one blog page with its posts, text blocks, and image blocks.
Not included: most other page types, extra blog pages, dropdowns, audio, product and video blocks, drafts, style settings, and custom CSS.
Design: layout, design, and fonts do not transfer to WordPress.
Multiple blogs: only one blog page exports, so you pick a primary blog before exporting.

Two practical consequences:

Images. Squarespace says importing into a self-hosted WordPress site with the WordPress Importer plugin may leave images linking back to Squarespace, and those links stop working after you cancel. Importing into WordPress.com copies the images instead. There is no bulk image download, so for anything not covered by the export, download files one at a time from the Asset library.
Everything else. Screenshot or copy out product details, form submissions, custom code, and anything else the export skips. If you sell products, export or record those separately.

Step 2: Handle your domain

The domain is the part you can least afford to get wrong, because it controls your email and your web address. You have two options.

Transfer it to another registrar

From the Domains dashboard you turn off the domain lock, request a transfer code (it is emailed to the contact details on the domain), and give the code to your new provider. Squarespace says the process can take up to 15 days. Squarespace also places a 60-day lock on newly registered and newly transferred domains, so a recent domain may be refused by the new provider until the lock ends.

Cancel it

Squarespace says that for most .com- and .net-style domains registered within the past five days, you can cancel immediately for a full refund. For older domains, you turn off auto-renew so the domain expires on its next renewal date. Country-code domains such as .eu or .ca do not get the five-day grace period. If you bought the domain through a reseller, cancel it through that reseller account.

If your domain is registered somewhere else and only connected to Squarespace, there is nothing to cancel on the Squarespace side. Disconnect it from the site, then point it at its new home.

Step 3: Cancel the site subscription

Open the site's dashboard and go to the Billing panel.
Find the website subscription and choose to cancel it.
Confirm. Your plan keeps running until the end of the billing cycle, so the site may stay live until then.
Cancel any add-ons (Google Workspace, Email Campaigns, Acuity Scheduling) from their own settings.

If you are inside a refund window, Squarespace's cancellation article describes canceling immediately for a refund. Read it before you click, because the window and conditions are Squarespace's to define. Trial sites are simpler: you can cancel the trial from Billing or delete it from the account dashboard.

Step 4: Delete the site

Go to your account dashboard, where all your sites are listed.
Open the menu beside the site you want to remove.
Choose Delete and confirm.

If Delete is greyed out or absent, run the checklist below. On a monthly plan, you may simply need to wait for the current cycle to end.

Copyable checklist

`` [ ] Exported the site to .xml (published site, primary blog selected) [ ] Downloaded images from the Asset library one by one [ ] Saved products, form responses, custom code, and anything the export skips [ ] Domain transferred out, canceled, or set to not auto-renew [ ] Email moved off Google Workspace (if it was bought through Squarespace) and subscription canceled [ ] Email Campaigns / Acuity Scheduling canceled [ ] Site subscription canceled in Billing [ ] Billing cycle has ended (monthly plans) [ ] Site deleted from the account dashboard [ ] Account deleted (optional, after all subscriptions are canceled) ``

What happens after you delete

Squarespace says deleting a site permanently removes its data and content from its system. That means the pages, posts, and settings are gone, and so is the live site. If you delete by accident, contact support quickly; depending on how much time has passed, they may be able to restore it, but that is not a promise.

Your domain keeps its own life. If you transferred it, it now lives with your new provider. If you canceled it or turned off auto-renew, it expires and eventually becomes available for others to register, so do not let a domain you care about lapse by accident.

Deleting your account is separate. Squarespace says you can do it from Account and security settings once every active subscription is canceled.

Should you delete, or just cancel and walk away?

If you are unsure, cancel the subscription and keep the export file rather than deleting immediately. Cancellation stops the billing; deletion is the irreversible part. If you are leaving because of cost, see how much a Squarespace website really costs before you decide it is the price and not the plan. If you are leaving because of the platform, Squarespace alternatives and the Squarespace vs. WordPress and Wix vs. Squarespace comparisons show what you give up and gain by moving.

If you are rebuilding somewhere else

Do not delete the old site until the new one is live and the domain points at it. A short overlap costs one more billing cycle; a gap costs you traffic and email. If the replacement is a We.Inc site, We.Inc's free plan lets you publish up to three sites from ready-made templates; the AI builder that drafts a site from a prompt starts on the Starter plan at $20 a month.

Whichever platform you choose, keep your exported .xml file and downloaded images in a folder somewhere safe. They are the only copy of your content once the site is deleted.

Frequently asked questions

Can I delete a Squarespace site without canceling my subscription?

No. Squarespace's help center says a paid site has to be canceled before it can be deleted, and the Delete option does not appear while the site has active subscriptions. A site on a monthly billing cycle cannot be deleted until the current cycle ends, even after you cancel.

Why is there no Delete option next to my site?

Usually something is still active on the site. Squarespace says a connected Squarespace domain, or add-on subscriptions such as Google Workspace, Email Campaigns, or Acuity Scheduling, block deletion until you cancel or transfer them. Check the Billing panel and your Domains dashboard first.

Can I get a deleted Squarespace site back?

Squarespace says deleting a site permanently removes its data and content from its system. If you deleted one by mistake, contact Squarespace support right away; depending on how much time has passed, they may be able to restore it. Do not count on it, and export first.

Does deleting my site cancel my domain?

No. A Squarespace domain is its own subscription. You can transfer it to another registrar (Squarespace says a transfer can take up to 15 days) or cancel it. Squarespace notes that transferring a domain does not cancel your website, so you handle each separately.

Is deleting my Squarespace site the same as deleting my account?

No. Deleting a site removes that site. Deleting your account is a separate step that Squarespace says you can do from your Account and security settings after all active subscriptions are canceled.

Can I export my whole Squarespace site before deleting it?

Only partly. Squarespace exports to a WordPress-format .xml file, which covers layout pages, one blog page with its posts, and text and image blocks. Products, drafts, style settings, custom CSS, and most other page types do not come through, and there is no bulk image download.

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