Domain locking is a security feature that prevents unauthorized changes to a domain, such as transfers and DNS modifications. It helps ensure that registrants keep full control over changes to their domains. This page explains what locking does and how to lock or unlock a single domain or many domains at once.
About domain locking
Locking helps you, the reseller, secure your clients' domains against slamming, hijacking, and transfers that the registrant has not authorized. If a registrant wants to perform DNS updates or transfer a domain to another provider, the domain must first be unlocked.
Not all TLDs support locking. To confirm whether a TLD offers the feature, check column C of the TLD reference chart.
Note: On thin registries, where contacts are stored locally at OpenSRS, locking does not prevent contact management. On thick registries that use contact handles at the registry, contacts are not editable until the domain is unlocked. See Thin WHOIS vs. Thick WHOIS for details.
Tip: Domain locking helps preserve the registrant's choice to stay with their reseller. If that is no longer the registrant's wish, you must remove the lock at no additional charge.
Step 1: Lock or unlock a single domain
- In the Domains section of the Reseller Control Panel, enter all or part of the domain name and click Search.
- Click the domain you want to lock or unlock.
- Under Domain settings, toggle the domain lock setting. The option you see depends on the domain's current lock status.
Step 2: Lock or unlock multiple domains
Warning: You cannot lock some domains and unlock others in the same request. Submit one request to lock domains and a separate request to unlock domains. There is no undo for this operation, so select your domains carefully.
- In the Domains section of the Reseller Control Panel, select the domains you want to lock or unlock.
- From the Bulk actions drop-down list, choose Lock/unlock.
- Under Lock domain, choose Enable to lock the selected domains or Disable to unlock them.
- Optionally, enter an address in the Email results to field.
- Click Save domain lock.
After you submit, you may be able to cancel the job from the bulk actions page. However, any domains already processed must be corrected individually or through another bulk job.
Next steps
- Understand how lock status affects contact changes in Thin WHOIS vs. Thick WHOIS.
- Learn how to view bulk change requests.
Questions? Contact OpenSRS Support.
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