The exact steps to cancel a Squarespace website subscription, what the refund policy covers, how to transfer your domain away, what you can export first, and how to rebuild the site somewhere else. Based on Squarespace's own help centre, checked September 2026.
<p class="lead text-xl text-[#3a3a3a] mb-8"> You can cancel a Squarespace website subscription yourself from the Billing panel in a few minutes. The part people get wrong is the order: export what you can and sort out the domain <em>before</em> the site goes dark, because the site subscription, the domain and any Google Workspace email are billed and cancelled separately. Everything below follows Squarespace's own help articles as of September 2026; links are in the sources list at the end. </p>
<h2>Short answer</h2> <ol> <li>Export your content and save your images (Settings, then Advanced, then Import & Export).</li> <li>Decide what happens to your domain: keep it at Squarespace, point it elsewhere, or transfer it out.</li> <li>Open the Billing panel, pick the website subscription and click <strong>Cancel subscription</strong>.</li> <li>Cancel or keep the separate subscriptions (domain, Google Workspace, Acuity, Email Campaigns) one by one.</li> </ol>
<h2>Before you cancel: a 10-minute checklist</h2> <table> <thead><tr><th>Item</th><th>Why it matters</th><th>What to do</th></tr></thead> <tbody> <tr><td>Page text and blog posts</td><td>Once cancelled, the site shows "Website expired" and is no longer visible (<a href="https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/205810508-Cancel-your-website-subscription" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Squarespace</a>).</td><td>Run the export below, and copy any page type that does not export.</td></tr> <tr><td>Images</td><td>Squarespace notes an export may only carry links to images, which stop working after the site closes.</td><td>Download your original photos, or save them from the live pages.</td></tr> <tr><td>Domain</td><td>Domain billing continues separately after the site is cancelled.</td><td>Transfer it or update its DNS so it points to your new site.</td></tr> <tr><td>Email on your domain</td><td>Google Workspace stays active and is billed on its own.</td><td>Keep it, or move mail before you cancel it.</td></tr> <tr><td>Customers, orders, mailing list</td><td>You keep access to Contacts, order history and the Email Campaigns dashboard after cancelling.</td><td>Export the lists anyway so you have your own copy.</td></tr> </tbody> </table>
<h2>Step 1: Export what Squarespace lets you export</h2> <p>Go to <strong>Settings → Advanced → Import & Export</strong>, click <strong>Export</strong> and choose the WordPress icon. You get an .xml file (<a href="https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/206566687-Exporting-your-site" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Exporting your site</a>).</p> <p>According to that article, the export includes layout pages, <strong>one</strong> blog page with its posts (and up to 1,000 comments per post), text blocks, image blocks, and gallery pages. It does <strong>not</strong> include store pages, portfolio pages, index pages, album, cover, calendar or info pages, product, video and audio blocks, dropdowns, drafts, style settings or custom CSS, or content in page-specific headers, footers and sidebars.</p> <p>So for a shop or portfolio site, plan to copy product names, descriptions, prices and photos by hand into a spreadsheet. It is tedious, but it is the only complete copy you will have.</p>
<h2>Step 2: Sort out your domain</h2> <p>You have three choices:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Keep it at Squarespace</strong> and change its DNS records to point at your new site. The domain keeps renewing at Squarespace.</li> <li><strong>Transfer it to another registrar</strong> (walkthrough below). Squarespace says the free-domain offer does not carry over.</li> <li><strong>Let it lapse</strong>, only if you truly never want the address again. Someone else can register it once it expires.</li> </ul>
<h3>Transferring a domain away from Squarespace</h3> <p>From <a href="https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/205812338-Transferring-a-domain-away-from-Squarespace" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Transferring a domain away from Squarespace</a>:</p> <ol> <li>Check the date. A domain bought or transferred in within the last 60 days may be under a 60-day registration lock.</li> <li>Open your domains dashboard and turn off <strong>Domain Lock</strong>.</li> <li>Click <strong>Request transfer code</strong> and confirm with your password or two-factor code.</li> <li>Wait for the email from [email protected] (Squarespace says within 24 hours). The code is also called an EPP, auth or authorization code. If you get several, use the newest.</li> <li>Start the transfer at the new registrar and paste the code. Squarespace says the transfer can take up to 15 days.</li> </ol> <p>Squarespace says you usually do not need to turn off WHOIS privacy, though some registrars with older transfer flows may ask. If you use email on the domain, note your MX records before the transfer and re-create them at the new registrar if needed. Our guides on <a href="/guides/how-to-buy-a-domain">buying a domain</a> and <a href="/guides/domain-vs-hosting">domain vs hosting</a> explain the pieces.</p>
<h2>Step 3: Cancel the website subscription</h2> <p>The steps from <a href="https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/205810508-Cancel-your-website-subscription" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cancel your website subscription</a>:</p> <ol> <li>Open the <strong>Billing</strong> panel for the site.</li> <li>Under <strong>Subscriptions</strong>, click the website plan.</li> <li>Click <strong>Cancel subscription</strong> and read the details.</li> <li>Choose <strong>Retain Access</strong> (the site stays up until the billing period ends) or <strong>Get Refund Immediately</strong> if you are eligible (the site goes offline now).</li> <li>Click <strong>Continue</strong>, pick a reason, optionally fill in feedback, and click <strong>Next</strong>.</li> <li>Review any other active subscriptions and click <strong>Continue</strong>.</li> <li>Click <strong>Cancel subscription</strong> to confirm.</li> </ol> <p>Afterwards the site shows a "Website expired" message. Squarespace says search engines stop indexing it, but removal from results can take several weeks. If you are moving, have the new site live on the same domain before you cancel so visitors and search engines land somewhere.</p>
<h2>Refunds: what Squarespace says</h2> <p>Per <a href="https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000623648-Refund-policies-for-your-Squarespace-subscriptions" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Squarespace's refund policy</a> as of September 2026:</p> <ul> <li>Annual website subscriptions cancelled within 14 days of purchase get a full refund automatically.</li> <li>If that annual plan came with a free domain, the refund is reduced by the non-refundable domain registration fee.</li> <li>Monthly plans and renewal payments are generally non-refundable.</li> </ul> <p>If you are outside these rules and think you have a case, Squarespace has a refund request form linked from the same article. Policies change, so read the live page before you rely on a refund.</p>
<h2>Step 4: Cancel (or keep) the other subscriptions</h2> <p>The same help article lists what stays active after the site is cancelled: the domain, Google Workspace, Acuity Scheduling (clients can still book), and the Email Campaigns dashboard (so you can export mailing lists). Digital products pause for 30 days where applicable. Go through the Billing panel and cancel anything you no longer want.</p>
<h2>Moving the site to We.Inc</h2> <p>There is no one-click importer from Squarespace to We.Inc, and we will not pretend otherwise. The practical route:</p> <ol> <li>Make a one-page list of what the old site had: pages, menu, contact details, services or products, and the three or four things visitors did most.</li> <li>On the <strong>free plan</strong>, pick a <a href="/website-templates/business">template</a> and paste your text and photos in (up to 3 template sites on a we.inc address; no AI credits and no custom domain).</li> <li>On <strong>Starter ($20/month)</strong> you can describe the site in plain words and have AI build it, then edit by clicking text or pictures, and connect your own domain (<a href="/guides/how-to-add-custom-domain">how to add a custom domain</a>). Pro ($50) and Max ($99) add more AI credits; see <a href="/pricing">pricing</a>.</li> <li>Recreate important URLs (for example /services or /contact) so old links and search results still land on a real page.</li> <li>Point the domain at the new site, check it loads, then cancel Squarespace.</li> </ol> <p>Squarespace is a fine choice if you like its editor and need its built-in scheduling or email campaigns; staying may be easier than moving. If cost is the reason, compare first with the <a href="/pricing-guides/squarespace-pricing">Squarespace pricing guide</a> and <a href="/alternatives/squarespace-alternatives">Squarespace alternatives</a>. Use the <a href="/guides/website-launch-checklist">launch checklist</a> before you switch the domain over.</p>
<h2>Sources</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/205810508-Cancel-your-website-subscription" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Squarespace: Cancel your website subscription</a> (checked Sept 28, 2026)</li> <li><a href="https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000623648-Refund-policies-for-your-Squarespace-subscriptions" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Squarespace: Refund policies for your subscriptions</a> (checked Sept 28, 2026)</li> <li><a href="https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/205812338-Transferring-a-domain-away-from-Squarespace" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Squarespace: Transferring a domain away from Squarespace</a> (checked Sept 28, 2026)</li> <li><a href="https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/206566687-Exporting-your-site" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Squarespace: Exporting your site</a> (checked Sept 28, 2026)</li> </ul>
Open the site's Billing panel, click the website plan under Subscriptions, click Cancel subscription, choose Retain Access or Get Refund Immediately, give a reason and confirm. Domains and Google Workspace are cancelled separately.
As of September 2026, Squarespace automatically refunds annual website plans cancelled within 14 days of purchase, minus the domain fee if you used the free-domain offer. Monthly plans and renewals are generally non-refundable.
No. The domain is a separate subscription that keeps renewing. You can keep it there, point it at a new site, or transfer it to another registrar with a transfer code.
Squarespace says up to 15 days. You first unlock the domain, request the transfer code (sent by email within 24 hours) and give it to the new registrar. Domains less than 60 days old may be locked.
No. The export covers layout pages, one blog, text, image blocks and galleries. Store pages, portfolio pages, product and video blocks, styles and custom CSS do not export, so copy those by hand.
It shows a 'Website expired' message and stops being visible. Squarespace says search engines stop indexing it, though removal can take several weeks.
We.Inc is an AI-powered website builder you can resell under your own brand. Launch a branded client dashboard, bill on Stripe Connect, and deliver AI-generated websites in minutes. White-label plans start at $99 a month for 25 client sites, with a 7-day free trial and no per-site fees.