How To Delete Squarespace: The Complete Step-by-Step Decommissioning Guide

To permanently delete Squarespace, you must first cancel all active website subscriptions, transfer or disconnect any custom domains, and then delete the site container from your account dashboard. Once the website is deleted, you can close your entire Squarespace user account through your security settings. This decommissioning process ensures you avoid unexpected renewal charges and preserves critical domain assets before data is purged from Squarespace servers.

Pre-Deletion Auditing and Asset Protection

Decommissioning a live website requires careful preparation. Before executing any deletion procedures, you must audit your digital assets to prevent permanent loss of proprietary data, domain names, and connected business communication systems.

This planning phase protects your brand's digital footprints and ensures you do not trigger unexpected financial penalties from automated annual billing cycles.

Pre-Deletion Checklist and Resource Benchmarks

• Essential Tools and Access Requirements: You must have the Account Owner login credentials. Contributor accounts with administrator permissions cannot delete billing subscriptions or permanently purge the site container.
• Data Preservation Repositories: Prepare a local hard drive or secure cloud storage directory (such as Google Drive or Dropbox) with at least 5 GB of free space to house your exported media, product inventories, and database XML files.
• Third-Party Integrations Inventory: Compile a list of all active API connections, payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal), and external tracking scripts (Google Analytics, Meta Pixel) that require manual termination or transfer.
• Estimated Project Duration: The administrative process of canceling subscriptions and deleting the site container takes 20 to 30 minutes. However, if you are transferring a Squarespace-managed domain to another registrar, you must account for a 5-to-7-day ICANN propagation window.
• Financial Benchmarks: Deleting a trial site is completely free. For active paid subscriptions, cancellations must occur before the next renewal date. Squarespace offers a full refund for annual website plans cancelled within 14 days of the initial purchase; monthly plans and annual renewals are generally non-refundable.

Decoupling and Deleting Your Squarespace Presence

The decommissioning process must follow a strict, logical sequence. Deleting a site container before securing your domain or disconnecting your email accounts can result in orphaned subscriptions, lost domain control, and disrupted communications. Follow these steps in order to guarantee a clean, complete deletion.

Step 1: Export and Archive Website Content and Media

Squarespace does not offer a one-click full-site backup tool. To save your intellectual property, you must manually export your database files and download your media assets.

1. Log into your Squarespace account and open the site you want to delete.
2. In the home menu, navigate to Settings, select Advanced, and then click Import/Export.
3. Click the Export button.
4. Select the WordPress icon. This formats your basic page hierarchy, blog posts, and text content into a standard XML file.
5. Once the export process completes, click Download to save the XML file to your computer.
6. To preserve your product catalog, return to the main menu, navigate to Selling, and select Products. Click Export All to download a CSV file containing your inventory, SKUs, pricing, and product descriptions.
7. Manually download high-resolution images, PDF files, and videos directly from your Asset Library, as these media assets are not contained within the XML or CSV data exports.

Warning: Custom CSS configurations, style presets, page layouts, folder structures, and drafts of unpublished posts cannot be exported. If you have custom code or unique designs, copy and paste the raw text into a local document before proceeding.

Step 2: Unlink, Point, or Transfer Custom Domains

If you have a custom domain associated with your Squarespace site, you must resolve its hosting destination before canceling your plan. Failing to do so can lock your domain or cause your email services to fail.

• If your domain is registered through a third party (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap): Go to Settings, select Domains, click on the third-party domain, and click Disconnect Domain. This immediately frees up the domain to be pointed to a new web host.
• If your domain is registered through Squarespace and you want to keep it: You must transfer the domain registration to another provider. Go to Settings, select Domains, and click on your Squarespace domain. Toggle off Transfer Lock, then click Send Transfer Authorization Code (also known as an EPP code). Use this code at your new registrar to initiate the transfer.
• If you want to keep your domain registered with Squarespace but point it to a new website: Keep the domain active within your account, but update its DNS settings. In your domain panel, select DNS Settings and replace the Squarespace default records with the A, CNAME, or nameserver records provided by your new hosting provider.

Step 3: Terminate or Migrate Google Workspace Subscriptions

If you purchased a Google Workspace subscription directly through Squarespace, canceling your website will not automatically cancel your email billing. To prevent service disruption or unexpected fees, you must handle your business emails first.

1. Navigate to Settings and select Google Workspace.
2. If you want to keep your professional email addresses active, you must transfer your Google Workspace billing directly to Google. In the Google Workspace billing panel within Squarespace, select the option to toggle billing to Google, which converts your account to a standard commercial Workspace plan.
3. If you want to delete your email accounts completely, click Cancel Subscription in the Google Workspace panel, select a reason for cancellation, and confirm the termination.

Step 4: Cancel All Active Website Subscriptions

You must officially stop payment agreements for your website, scheduling platforms, member areas, and email marketing features before you can purge the site container.

1. Go to your Squarespace Account Dashboard.
2. Click the three dots icon next to the preview image of the website you want to delete, and select Billing.
3. Click on the subscription plan under the Subscriptions heading (usually listed as Website or Commerce).
4. Click Cancel Subscription.
5. Select a reason for your cancellation from the options provided.
6. Click Confirm Cancellation.

Pro-Tip: If you have active add-ons like Squarespace Scheduling, Member Areas, or Email Campaigns, you must cancel each of these services individually within this same billing panel before the platform will allow you to proceed with site deletion.

Step 5: Delete the Website Container from Your Dashboard

After canceling your paid subscriptions, your website transitions to a "Deactivated" or "Expired" status. The website container still exists in your dashboard, but it is no longer accessible to the public. To delete it permanently:

1. Return to the main Squarespace Account Dashboard.
2. Locate the card for the expired website.
3. Click the three dots (ellipsis) icon in the top-right corner of the website card.
4. Select Delete from the dropdown menu.
5. A warning prompt will appear, alerting you that this action is permanent and cannot be undone. Click Delete again to confirm.

Step 6: Permanently Delete Your Squarespace User Account

If you no longer plan to use Squarespace for other web design projects, you can close your personal profile and delete your entire account database record.

1. Go to the Squarespace login page and log into your profile.
2. Navigate to your Account Settings page.
3. Click Account & Security in the navigation menu.
4. Scroll to the bottom of the security options and click Delete Account.
5. Re-enter your account password to verify your identity.
6. Click Delete Account one final time. All your account details, billing histories, and personal profiles are now permanently scrubzed from Squarespace's systems.

Squarespace Decommissioning Timelines and Financial Policies

Understanding how Squarespace processes cancellations, trial expirations, and financial refunds helps you plan your exit strategy without overpaying. The table below outlines exactly what happens to your data and assets during the decommissioning process.

Common Decommissioning Roadblocks and Solutions

The "Delete" Button Is Grayed Out or Missing

• Root Cause: This issue occurs because there is still an active paid subscription, a pending billing invoice, or an unresolved domain renewal associated with the site container.
• Actionable Fix: Navigate to your Billing panel and check for any secondary subscriptions, such as Email Campaigns or Squarespace Scheduling. Cancel every single add-on first. If the delete option remains unavailable, check if you are logged in as a Contributor instead of the primary Account Owner. Switch to the owner account to unlock the delete button.

Lost Control of a Domain After Site Deletion

• Root Cause: The website container was deleted while a Squarespace-registered domain was still linked to it, leaving the domain orphaned without an accessible settings dashboard.
• Actionable Fix: Go to your Squarespace Account Dashboard and look at your domains section. If the domain is not visible, do not panic. Go to the Squarespace Domain Portal, log in with your main credentials, and manage the domain's DNS settings or generate an EPP transfer code directly from there without restoring the website.

Continuous Automatic Billing Charges After Deletion

• Root Cause: Deleting a trial site or simply leaving a website expired does not cancel automatic renewals on active paid subscriptions. If you did not explicitly click the Cancel Subscription button, the automated billing system will keep trying to charge your card on file.
• Actionable Fix: Check your bank statements to find the exact merchant transaction ID. Log into Squarespace, navigate to Account Settings > Billing, and locate any active subscriptions. Manually cancel them. If you cannot access the account, contact Squarespace Billing Support with your transaction ID and the last four digits of your credit card to manually halt the automated billing.

Broken Email Services After Disconnecting Custom Domains

• Root Cause: Disconnecting or deleting your custom domain from Squarespace breaks the Mail Exchanger (MX) records. This prevents external servers from routing emails to your Google Workspace inbox.
• Actionable Fix: Log into your new domain registrar or DNS management portal. Add the standard Google Workspace MX records to your DNS zone file. These records must point to Google's mail servers. Once updated, email services will resume, though it may take up to 24 hours for the new DNS records to propagate globally.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pause my Squarespace subscription instead of deleting it?

No, Squarespace does not offer a dedicated pause button for active subscriptions. If you need to take your website offline temporarily without losing your content, you can set a site-wide password in your Availability settings. This blocks public traffic while keeping your subscription active, allowing you to work on changes behind the scenes.

How do I delete a trial site on Squarespace?

To delete a trial site, go to your Account Dashboard, find the trial site card, click the three dots icon, and select Delete. Because trial sites do not have active billing details attached to them, you do not need to go through a subscription cancellation step. If left untouched, trial sites are automatically deleted after 30 days of inactivity.

What happens to my custom domain if I delete my Squarespace website?

Your custom domain will remain active in your account even if you delete the associated website. Squarespace separates domain hosting from website hosting, so your domain registration will continue until its scheduled renewal date. You can link this domain to a new website builder or transfer it to another registrar at any time.

How can I get a refund for my cancelled Squarespace subscription?

Squarespace automatically issues refunds for annual website subscriptions canceled within 14 days of the initial purchase. To get your refund, cancel your subscription through your billing panel; the system will process the refund to your original payment method within 3 to 10 business days. For cancellations outside of this 14-day window, you must contact Squarespace Support directly to make a formal refund request.

Transitioning to Your Next Web Platform

If you are closing your Squarespace site to migrate your brand to a more flexible or cost-effective system, proper planning prevents search engine ranking losses. Take the time to set up 301 redirects on your new host to ensure your old Squarespace URLs point seamlessly to your new pages.