So you just don’t want to take your website offline, but you want to completely delete and remove a domain from your NameCheap or GoDaddy account and having trouble?
There’s a reason you’re having a difficult time with something one assumes would be a couple clicks. Though this issue is rarely needed, considering there are hundreds of millions of websites out there, even a small percentage of those millions means that every single day, hundreds of webmasters are looking to completely separate themselves from a domain.
Why can’t I cancel or remove a domain from NameCheap or GoDaddy?
With NameCheap and GoDaddy, two of the net’s largest domain registrars, how does one remove a domain from your account?
Unfortunately, Domain registrars don’t allow users to delete domains from the registrars before the expiration date. You can delete all the content on the site, remove the WordPress, and clear out all the files via FTP, but you own that domain until it’s up for renewal. Your option is to wait it out, or transfer the domain to someone else.
Even when you transfer or let the domain expire, ICANN keeps records of all domain registrations. That means once you buy a domain, ICANN’s database is permanently updated for the years you owned that domain. Using tools like Domain Tools, anyone can do a “Whois” to look up the history of a domain and all the owner(s) that have owned the domain, so there are still footprints.
The only way to rid yourself of a domain is to turn-off auto renew for the domain and wait for the date renewal to pass. After the domain does officially expire (60 days), it will then be deleted from your account. Here’s more about ICANN’s Expired Domain Deletion Policy
Sources: How can you delete a domain on NameCheap?, How do I remove my domain from Marketplace?
