If the person who built your website has stopped replying, you can usually recover access without them. The key question is who the domain and the hosting account are registered to. If they are in your name or your company’s name, getting access back is a matter of a few days and a conversation with support. If they are in the developer’s name, you need to go through a formal procedure or move the website somewhere new.
Below is how this works in practice, in the order I follow when taking over websites.
First, work out what is missing
A website is usually three separate things, each with its own access:
- The domain, i.e. the website address. It is registered with a registrar to a specific registrant.
- The hosting, i.e. the server that stores the website files and database. Business email often runs there too.
- The WordPress admin panel, the administrator account where you edit content.
On top of that come the extra accounts: Google Search Console, Google Analytics, your Google Business Profile, sometimes Google Workspace. Make a list and, next to each item, note whether you have access or not.
Check who the domain is registered to
This is the most important point, because everything else depends on it. You can often tell from the domain renewal invoices (if they were issued to your company, that is a good sign), or by asking the registrar directly. Public WHOIS records are frequently hidden behind privacy protection, so contacting the registrar with the domain name and your company details is usually the quickest route.
- The domain is in your name. After verifying your identity, the registrar will reset the account password or move the domain to a new account. You can then change the DNS yourself or request the transfer code and move the domain to another registrar.
- The domain is in the developer’s name. Formally, they are the registrant. Transferring it to you requires their consent. If contact has broken down completely, a formal dispute or legal route remains. Before it gets that far, gather evidence: the contract, invoices and correspondence.
Act before the domain’s renewal date. If nobody pays for it, it will expire, and after the grace period anyone can register it.
Hosting: your account or the developer’s?
Hosting works in a similar way. If you pay for it and the invoices are issued to your company, the hosting provider will usually restore access to the panel after verification.
If the website sits on the developer’s account, the host will most likely not hand the files over to you without their consent. In that case I usually:
- Make a full backup of the site from the WordPress admin panel, if you have access to it (with a backup or migration plugin).
- Set up new hosting in your name.
- Move the website to the new server and point the domain to it.
Remember email while you are at it. If your business mailboxes run on the developer’s hosting, their history has to be moved too, before that account is closed.
No access to the WordPress admin panel
This is usually the easiest part. If you have hosting access, the administrator account can be recovered in several ways:
- A password reset via “Lost your password?” on the login page. It works if the administrator email address is yours.
- Changing the password or email address in the database through phpMyAdmin in the hosting panel.
- Adding a new administrator account with WP-CLI or through the database.
Once you are back in, review the user list. The previous developer’s accounts and any unknown administrator accounts should be removed or have their passwords changed, and then the database and FTP passwords should be changed as well.
Google accounts and tools
Google Search Console and Google Analytics can be recovered independently of the developer:
- In Search Console you can verify ownership of the site again, for example with a file on the server or a DNS record. You do not need the previous owner’s consent.
- In Analytics, access is granted by the account administrator. If nobody has it, it can be simpler to create a new property and replace the tracking code, accepting the loss of historical data.
- A Google Business Profile can be claimed by requesting access from the profile itself.
How to make sure it does not happen again
- The domain and hosting always in your company’s name, paid from your card or invoiced to you.
- Passwords in one place, such as a password manager that the developer gets access to but does not control.
- A separate administrator account for everyone who works on the website, instead of a shared login.
- When a collaboration ends: remove the developer’s accounts and change the passwords.
When is it worth handing this over?
If the domain and hosting are in your name, you can do some of these steps yourself. When the website also has to be moved, email migrated, or it has not been updated for a long time, it is easy to miss something.
I take over websites from previous developers starting at PLN 300. That covers reviewing the site, sorting out and recovering access to WordPress, hosting and the domain, and a full backup. The details are on the website takeover page. If the site needs to move to a new server right away, see WordPress migration, and if you want someone to keep looking after it, WordPress care and maintenance. The first conversation is free, so get in touch.
FAQ
Can I recover a domain that is registered to my developer?
Formally, the developer is then the registrant, so transferring the domain to you requires their consent. If there is no contact, a formal dispute or legal route remains. A contract, invoices and correspondence showing the website was made for your company help with this.
How do I check who my domain is registered to?
The simplest way is to ask the domain registrar, giving the domain name and your company details. Renewal invoices are also a clue – if they were issued to your company, the domain is most likely yours.
I have no access to the WordPress admin, but I do have hosting access. What should I do?
The administrator password or email address can be changed in the database through phpMyAdmin, or a new administrator account can be added with WP-CLI. After that, remove the previous developer’s accounts and change the remaining passwords.
Will I lose my business email while recovering access?
You should not, as long as the mailboxes are moved before the old hosting account is closed. When moving email, I copy the mailboxes before changing the MX records and once more after.
How much does a website takeover cost?
With me, from PLN 300. That includes a review of the site, sorting out and recovering access, and a full backup. The first conversation is free.
