If your church’s domain is registered with GoDaddy but no one knows the login information or who manages the account, you can ask GoDaddy for help recovering access. This can happen when a former staff member, volunteer, or website provider originally registered the domain.
Start with the steps below. GoDaddy will need to verify your right to access the account or domain before approving a recovery request.
1. Check your church records
Look for information that could identify the account or the person who created it:
- Search church email inboxes for “GoDaddy,” your domain name, renewal notices, and receipts.
- Check your church’s password manager and technology records.
- Ask current and former staff members, volunteers, and website providers who may have handled the domain.
- Ask your bookkeeper whether they have GoDaddy invoices or payment records.
Gather any customer number, account email address, or billing information you find. If you cannot locate anything, continue to the recovery steps.
2. Use the normal recovery tools if you find the account email
If you identify the email address associated with the account and can receive messages there, follow GoDaddy’s username recovery instructions. You may also need to enter your domain name and verify a code sent to that email address.
Once you know the username or customer number, follow the password reset instructions. The reset email goes to the address already on the account.
If you do not know that email address or cannot access it, continue below.
3. Contact GoDaddy if you do not know who is listed on the account
Visit GoDaddy’s Contact Us page to reach support by phone or chat. Have your domain name ready, such as yourchurch.org.
You can explain:
I represent our church, and we need help recovering access to the GoDaddy account or domain associated with [your domain]. We do not know the username, account email address, or original account contact. What recovery process and documentation should we use?
Ask which recovery option fits your situation and what documents an authorized church representative should provide. If the domain is close to expiration, mention that immediately and ask what renewal options are available.
4. Submit the appropriate recovery request
Open GoDaddy’s Account Recovery page. GoDaddy provides different options depending on what you need to recover:
| Option | When it applies |
|---|---|
| Account Access | You need to recover your account and no longer have access to its primary email address. |
| Domain Access | You or your organization are listed as the domain registrant, but you cannot access the account containing the domain. |
| Verification Method / 2-Step Verification Issues | You are blocked by an identity verification method you can no longer use. |
The Domain Access form allows you to identify the account using the domain name. You do not need to know the username to begin that form.
If you do not know who is listed as the registrant—the registered domain holder—ask GoDaddy how to proceed. Using the domain for your church does not by itself establish that your church is the listed registrant.
See GoDaddy’s recovery guide for its current requirements.
5. Provide the requested identification and documents
GoDaddy requires a clear color copy of government-issued photo identification. If a company is listed on the account, it also requires company documentation. Follow the recovery form’s requirements and ask GoDaddy which organization documents are appropriate for your church.
GoDaddy specifically states that Articles of Incorporation and documents printed from websites are not accepted for this process. See its identification and documentation requirements.
Submit sensitive documents directly through GoDaddy’s official recovery process. Use an email address you can currently access, monitor your inbox and spam folder, and respond to requests for additional information. Allow time for review; submitting the request does not guarantee approval or immediate access.
If the domain is in someone else’s account
If you locate the former staff member, volunteer, or provider and they can sign in, ask them to transfer the domain to a GoDaddy account controlled by your church.
If that person cannot be reached, explain the situation to GoDaddy. Recovering a church’s domain and obtaining access to someone else’s entire account are different requests.
After access is restored
We recommend that your church:
- Update the account and domain contact information.
- Use a monitored email address your church controls.
- Store the login securely in the church’s password manager.
- Set up two-step verification and keep recovery information accessible to authorized leadership.
- Review the domain’s expiration date, renewal settings, and payment method.
Before changing nameservers or DNS records, contact Church Plant Media so we can help you identify the settings needed for your website. GoDaddy must handle account recovery and ownership verification directly.