Free checklist
Website handover checklist
Before your developer or agency hands over your website, make sure every account below is in your name and you can log in to it yourself. The developer can still have access, as a user you can remove.
Tick each item as you confirm it. Your ticks are saved in this browser. When you're done, copy what's still open as a ready-to-send request for your developer, or print the list.
0 of 28 done
01Domain and DNS
0/4
02Hosting
0/4
03Code and database
0/4
04Website admin and content
0/3
05Google and tracking
0/4
06Email and forms
0/2
07Payments and other services
0/3
08Paperwork and access
0/4
Developer already stopped replying? Start with how to get your website back from a developer, which covers the order to recover things in. Taking over a site or app someone else built? That's work I do.
FAQs
When should I go through this checklist?
Before you make the final payment on a new website, when you switch developers or agencies, and any time you're not sure who controls your site. It's much easier to fix while the developer is still replying.
Does this work for WordPress, Wix, or Shopify sites?
Yes. With a website builder like Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify, the hosting and admin are the same account, so make sure that account is yours. Some items, like the code repository, won't apply.
What if my developer won't hand something over?
Ask in writing for the specific access you need, by a specific date. Anything already in your name you can usually recover through the provider's support. For anything in their name, your contract usually decides, and a lawyer is the next step.
Is it fine for my developer to keep access?
Yes, as long as they're a user on accounts you own. That's normal when someone looks after your site. What you want to avoid is the developer being the owner and you needing their permission.