Change or remove a domain without losing links

Removing a domain from a CodeQR workspace is not the same as disconnecting DNS. It deletes every link and every QR code on that domain, along with their statistics. Read this page before you touch Delete domain, especially if any of those codes were printed.

Availability

Plan: Starter and above.
Where: Domains → Edit on the domain.

What each action does

Rename — under Edit, select Unlock and type a new domain. The links stay in the workspace and follow the new domain, so nothing is lost inside CodeQR. Everything already shared breaks: every URL printed, pasted or scanned still points at the old address, and every QR code encoding it stops working. The app warns you with a confirmation before continuing.
Archive — hides the domain from the dashboard while it keeps serving its links. Nothing breaks. This is the option most people actually want.
Delete — removes the domain, its links, its QR codes and their history. It cannot be undone.

Before you delete a domain

Answer these first:

Is anything on paper? Packaging, signage, business cards, a menu, a label. A QR code encodes a URL; delete the domain and the code becomes a dead link, wherever it is.
How many links are on it? Open Links and filter by the domain. The count is what you are about to lose.
Do you need the numbers? Statistics go with the links. Export what you need from Analytics first.
Is the domain the primary one? Set another domain as Primary Domain first, so new links do not land somewhere unexpected.

The safer path for a domain you are retiring

Keep it. A domain that stays connected costs nothing but a slot in your plan's allowance, and it keeps every code and every link already in circulation working.

Set a different domain as Primary Domain so new links use it — see Use more than one domain in your workspace.
Turn on Archived on the old domain so it stops appearing in daily use.
Leave the DNS record in place. That record is what keeps the old links resolving.

If you need the destinations to change, edit the links rather than the domain: a short link's destination can be changed at any time, and the printed code keeps working while pointing somewhere new.

Steps to delete a domain

Export anything you need from Analytics.
Open Domains and select Edit on the domain.
Select Delete domain and confirm.

The domain is released from the workspace and its links and QR codes go with it. Removing the DNS record at your provider afterward is optional housekeeping.

Steps to rename a domain

Domains → Edit.
Select Unlock next to Domain. A confirmation warns that changing the domain breaks every existing short link — that warning is accurate.
Type the new domain and select Save changes.
Add the DNS records for the new domain, as in Point your domain with a CNAME or A record.

Treat a rename as a launch of new URLs, not an edit. Anything already distributed keeps pointing at the old address.

Moving links to another domain

There is no bulk move between domains. A link's domain is part of its address, so changing it produces a different URL, which is a new link by any practical definition. If you are consolidating, create the links on the new domain and keep the old domain connected until the old ones stop being used.

Do the same with the API

Not available. The domain endpoints listed in the API reference return a 404, so deletion cannot be scripted — which, for an operation this destructive, is not the worst thing.

Verify it works

After a rename or a deletion, check an address that used to work:

curl -sSI https://old.example.com/summer

A 302 with your destination means the link is still alive. A 404 or a redirect to a CodeQR "not found" page means it is gone — expected after a deletion, and expected on the old address after a rename.

Troubleshooting

I deleted a domain by mistake

The links and QR codes on it are gone and cannot be restored from the dashboard. Re-adding the domain brings back the address, not the links. If codes are in circulation, recreate the links with the exact same keys as fast as you can — an address that exists again resolves again.

I renamed the domain and my QR codes stopped working

Renaming changes the address the codes encode. Rename it back to the previous domain and the codes resume, as long as its DNS record is still in place.

The domain is expired at the registrar and I want to clean up

Removing it from CodeQR deletes its links too. If the domain is truly unrecoverable, export the statistics first, then decide.

I want to free a slot without losing anything

Archive instead of deleting. Archiving does not free a slot in your plan's allowance, so if the slot is the constraint, weigh it against what deletion destroys.