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Guide, checked November 2026

GoDaddy domain forwarding: setup, HTTPS and the limits

GoDaddy forwards a domain for free, and its help page now says HTTPS is applied automatically. Most older answers online still say it is not supported. This page covers the current setup, what forwarding does to your DNS, a two line test, and where it stops.

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olddomain.com, forwarded by GoDaddyResult
  • http://olddomain.com301 to new siteWorks
  • https://olddomain.com301 to new siteWorks
  • @ A recordLocked by GoDaddyLimit

Short version

For one domain going to one address, GoDaddy forwarding does the job, HTTPS included. It gets awkward when you have many domains, when old pages need to land on matching new pages, when your DNS has to stay somewhere other than GoDaddy, or when someone asks how much traffic the old domain still gets. Those are the cases for Cloudflare or a hosted redirect service such as SiteDetour.

Written by the SiteDetour team. GoDaddy behavior checked against GoDaddy’s help page "Forward my GoDaddy domain" on 10 November 2026.

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Set up forwarding in GoDaddy

A few minutes of clicking. Most changes show up within an hour. GoDaddy says some take up to 48 hours.

  1. Open the domain’s DNS

    Sign in to your Domain Portfolio, select the domain to open its settings, then go to DNS and choose Forwarding.

  2. Add the forward

    Click Add Forwarding and pick Domain for the bare name or Subdomain for anything else. Enter the destination and choose https:// in front of it.

  3. Pick the forward type

    Permanent (301) for a domain that has moved for good, Temporary (302) for a campaign. Leave masking alone: GoDaddy warns that some sites show a blank page when masked.

  4. Cover www

    The forward applies to the bare domain. To forward www.olddomain.com too, point the www CNAME record at @.

  5. Save and verify

    If Domain Protection is on, GoDaddy asks you to confirm your identity before it saves. The globe icon in the Propagation column shows when the change is live.

Two side effects to know before you save. Forwarding updates and locks the @ A record, and you cannot edit it until the forward is deleted. If the domain’s nameservers are somewhere else, GoDaddy switches them to its own, so make sure your email and other records exist at GoDaddy first.

What the built in redirect covers

Taken from GoDaddy’s help page, next to a hosted redirect on SiteDetour.

Through GoDaddy forwardingOne destination per domain or subdomain
  • http://olddomain.comworks:301 to new site
  • https://olddomain.comworks:301 to new site
  • olddomain.com/pricinglimit:the one destination
  • @ A recordlimit:locked by GoDaddy
Through SiteDetourCertificate issued and renewed for every domain
  • olddomain.com/pricingworks:its own rule per path
  • @ A recordworks:stays at any DNS provider
http:// requests
GoDaddy forwardingRedirected
SiteDetourRedirected
https:// requests
GoDaddy forwardingApplied automatically when you add a forward, according to GoDaddy
SiteDetourCertificate issued and renewed for every domain
Redirect types
GoDaddy forwarding301, 302, masked
SiteDetour301, 302, 307
Destinations
GoDaddy forwardingOne per domain or subdomain
SiteDetourRules per path, with path and query forwarding
Where DNS lives
GoDaddy forwardingGoDaddy nameservers. The @ A record is locked.
SiteDetourAny provider. You add an A record or a CNAME.
Traffic reports
GoDaddy forwardingNone in the forwarding panel
SiteDetourHits, countries, referrers and devices, live
Cost
GoDaddy forwardingIncluded with the domain
SiteDetourFrom $12 a month for 5 domains

Test both halves before you trust it

Run these from any terminal. Replace olddomain.com with yours.

Terminal
$ curl -sI http://olddomain.com | head -3HTTP/1.1 301 Moved PermanentlyLocation: https://www.newsite.com/$ curl -sI https://olddomain.com | head -3HTTP/1.1 301 Moved PermanentlyLocation: https://www.newsite.com/

Both commands should print a 301 and your destination. If the second one prints a certificate error or hangs, the forward was probably created before GoDaddy added HTTPS. Delete it, add it again, and retest. If you have no terminal handy, paste the address into the free redirect checker and read the chain.

Then try a deep link, such as https://olddomain.com/pricing, and see where it lands. If every old page ends up on the new home page, visitors and search engines lose the page they came for.

When GoDaddy forwarding is not enough

Three routes, depending on how many domains you have and who has to manage them.

  • Stay on GoDaddy forwarding

    One domain, one destination, DNS already at GoDaddy. It costs nothing extra and it now handles HTTPS. Put the domain on auto renew and you are done.

    Fits: a single spare domain.

  • Cloudflare, free

    Move the domain’s nameservers to Cloudflare, add proxied A records to 192.0.2.1 for @ and www, and create a Redirect Rule. Cloudflare issues the certificate and can keep the path and query string. Each domain is its own zone with its own rule.

    Fits: a few domains and someone at home in the Cloudflare dashboard.

  • SiteDetour

    Keep DNS where it is, at GoDaddy or anywhere else. Add each domain in SiteDetour, point its records at us, and manage every redirect in one list with path rules, CSV import, hit reports and team roles.

    Fits: many domains, non technical colleagues, or redirects you have to report on.

Move a GoDaddy forward to SiteDetour

About ten minutes per domain, most of it waiting for DNS.

  1. Create the redirect

    In SiteDetour, open Redirects and click Create New. Enter olddomain.com as the domain, set the destination, and tick Include www subdomain.

  2. Copy the DNS values

    Click View DNS Instructions. The panel lists the A records for the bare domain and the CNAME target for subdomains. Keep it open.

  3. Swap the records in GoDaddy

    Delete the forward first. That unlocks the @ A record. Then, under DNS, add the records from the panel for the bare domain and for www.

  4. Issue the certificate

    Back in SiteDetour, click Acquire SSL certificate once DNS has updated. Subdomains usually update within five minutes. Bare domains can take up to 24 hours, depending on the old TTL.

  5. Run the test again

    Both curl commands should now print a 301. Renewals happen on their own after that.

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Questions that come up

Does GoDaddy domain forwarding support HTTPS?
Yes, according to GoDaddy’s current help page: forwarding over HTTPS is applied automatically when you add a forward. Many older answers say the opposite because it used to be true. Run the two commands above against your own domain to be sure.
Why can’t I edit my A record in GoDaddy?
Adding a forward updates the @ A record and locks it. GoDaddy will not let you change it while the forward exists. Delete the forward and the record becomes editable again.
Will forwarding change my nameservers?
It can. GoDaddy’s help page says nameservers that are not with GoDaddy are switched to GoDaddy’s when you add forwarding. If your DNS is hosted elsewhere, copy your email and other records to GoDaddy before you save.
How do I forward the www version too?
Point the www CNAME record at @. The forward on the bare domain then applies to www as well. Test both names afterwards.
Can I send different old pages to different new pages?
A GoDaddy forward has one destination per domain or subdomain. To send /pricing to one page and /blog to another, the old domain has to point at something that reads the path: your own server, a Cloudflare rule, or a hosted redirect service.
How long does GoDaddy forwarding take to work?
GoDaddy says most DNS changes take effect within an hour and some take up to 48 hours to reach everyone. Your own browser may also remember the old answer, so test from a terminal or a private window.

For one domain going to one address, GoDaddy forwarding does the job, HTTPS included. It gets awkward when you have many domains.

Redirect your first domain in about ten minutes

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