Alibaba Cloud DNS:Transfer DNS records between accounts

Limitations

1. A domain that is part of a Access Domain in a Global Traffic Manager instance cannot be transferred directly. Delete the Access Domain first.

   Note

   This applies to Global Traffic Manager 3.0. In earlier Global Traffic Manager versions, the transferred instance uses its last effective policy and stops providing failover. Subsequent policy changes do not take effect.

2. This feature supports only domains registered in your Alibaba Cloud account.

3. After a batch transfer, the destination account gains DNS record management permissions but not domain registration.

4. Only the primary Alibaba Cloud account can use this feature. RAM users are not supported.

5. Both accounts must be on the same site (both China or both International).

Scenario 1: Free DNS edition

Domains using the Free Edition can be transferred directly. For domains attached to a paid DNS instance, use Scenario 2: Paid DNS edition instead.

1. Go to the Alibaba Cloud DNS - Public Authoritative Zone page.

2. On the Public Zone tab, click Batch Operation

3. Click Domain Name > Manage Domain Names. Enter the domain names to transfer, and then click Transfer Domain Names to Another Account.

4. In the dialog box, enter the verification code from your text message or email, the Recipient Account, and the Destination Account ID, and then submit.

   The transfer fails for domains attached to a paid DNS instance. You can add notes in the Remarks field.

5. To check the batch task result, go to the Batch Operation Logs tab and click Download Log Details.

Scenario 2: Paid DNS edition

Domains using a paid DNS edition cannot be transferred directly.

To migrate DNS records without interrupting resolution, follow these steps:

1. Transfer the domain from Account A to Account B by following Transfer a domain name between Alibaba Cloud accounts. After transfer, domain registration moves to Account B. Because the domain uses a paid DNS edition, its DNS records remain in Account A.

2. In Account B, perform a DNS record transfer. You must select Attach an instance of the same edition. This smoothly migrates the DNS records to Account B.

   In the Add Domain Name dialog box, if prompted that the domain was transferred from another account, select Revoke a domain name and its DNS records and choose the DNS instance ID from the drop-down list.

3. Transfer the domain from Account B back to Account A by following Transfer a domain name between Alibaba Cloud accounts. After transfer, domain registration moves back to Account A. Because the domain uses a paid DNS edition, its DNS records remain in Account B.

4. After these steps, domain registration remains in Account A while DNS records are in Account B.

Reclaim domain name and DNS records

If a domain name registered with Alibaba Cloud has its DNS records managed by another account, use Add Zone to reclaim management rights. For example, if a domain is registered under Account A but managed by Account B, use Add Zone in Account A to reclaim the records from Account B.

1. On the Alibaba Cloud DNS - Public Zone page, click Add Zone and enter the target domain name in the dialog box that appears.

2. A prompt appears: The domain name has been transferred to another account. Do you want to retrieve the management rights to this account? To reclaim the domain and its DNS records, select Reclaim Domain Name and DNS Records. The system checks the bound DNS instance in Account B. If it is a paid edition, purchase the same edition in Account A and select Bind same edition instance to prevent service interruptions.

   Warning

   1. If the domain is bound to a paid instance in Account B, purchase the same edition in Account A. Otherwise, the domain defaults to the free edition after reclamation, which may cause paid-edition-exclusive DNS records to stop resolving, resulting in service interruptions.

   2. If you do not bind a paid instance after reclamation, review the records in Account B first and disable Update Lock and DNSSEC.

   3. If the domain name uses a free edition of Alibaba Cloud DNS in Account B, you can directly reclaim the DNS records. The records are transferred seamlessly without affecting your services.

3. After selecting the instance to bind, click OK to reclaim the DNS records to the current account.