Bought a Handshake Domain at Namecheap? What Changed and What Comes Next
Updated September 23, 2026
If you bought a Handshake domain through Namecheap and can no longer renew it or change its settings, Namecheap has published an explanation: its upstream registry service changed, and it is ending Handshake support. Its current instructions direct affected customers to claim their domains through Namebase. Read Namecheap’s update.
At Headless Domains, .c, .1, .zen, .yolo, and .done are now live for new registrations. Existing legacy registrations in .c, .1, .zen, and .yolo remain protected for their holders. Claiming a name previously bought through Namecheap is a separate process and is not yet available on HeadlessDomains.com.
We’re preparing a way for those owners to recover their existing names here. Keep your registration records and claim email. You do not need to buy your protected name again.
How we got here
The changes involve two services: Namecheap, where many people bought their domains, and Namebase, which provided the registry behind those registrations. Namebase has also replaced its old custodial platform with a new non-custodial registry.
| Date | What happened | What it means for domain owners |
|---|---|---|
| June 10, 2026 | Namecheap announced restrictions on Handshake registrations, renewals, transfers, and management, citing an upstream wind-down. | Existing configurations could continue operating, but affected customers could no longer rely on their usual registrar controls. The announcement listed exceptions for some extensions. |
| July 10, 2026 | Namebase introduced its new non-custodial service. | TLD owners could operate through a registry where registration payments go directly to them. Old custodial assets remained on a separate sunset platform. |
| August 8, 2026 | Namebase published its Sunset Guide. | Customers with assets on the old platform were told to withdraw or transfer them before October 1, 2026. |
| September 14, 2026 | Namecheap confirmed that Namebase Registry’s EPP service had ended. | Namecheap’s published next step for affected holders became claiming their domains through Namebase. |
| As of September 23, 2026 | .c, .1, .zen, .yolo, and .done are live on HeadlessDomains.com. | New names are available to register. Recovery of existing Namecheap registrations into HeadlessDomains.com is still being prepared. |
| October 1, 2026 | Namebase’s old custodial platform is scheduled to close. | This is the deadline for moving assets out of the old custodial service. It should not be read as a universal expiry date for every Handshake second-level domain. |
Namecheap’s original June notice excluded .sox, .saas, .pgp, .p, .orb, .oot, .oo, .oh, .ill, .elite, and .creator from its restrictions. Check the linked notice and your registrar’s guidance for your exact extension.
What Namebase’s transition means for your name
A top-level domain, or TLD, is an extension such as .zen. A second-level domain, or SLD, is a name registered beneath it, such as example.zen. Buying an SLD does not make you the operator of the whole extension.
The instructions you need depend on which one you own.
For domains bought through a registrar, Namebase has a domain claim page. It lists Namecheap, Porkbun, encirca, and 101domain. The Namecheap instructions say the claim code was emailed to the address used at Namecheap - but .c, .1, .zen, .yolo are not redemable at Namebase. Porkbun users are directed to generate a code through Porkbun; the other listed registrars have their own instructions.
Those codes are for the Namebase claim process. Using one there does not establish that it can also be redeemed at HeadlessDomains.com.
For assets held on the old custodial Namebase, follow the Sunset Guide. It covers TLD transfers and remaining coin balances. Namebase says normal withdrawals end on October 1, with later recovery involving additional verification, longer processing times, and administrative costs. TLD holders should read the transfer instructions before withdrawing their HNS.
Public updates from Namebase and Headless Domains
These short excerpts show how the migration and claim discussion developed. Each links to the original X post; the dated notices above provide the fuller service instructions.
| Date | Account | Short excerpt | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 11, 2026 | Namebase, @NamebaseHQ | “The new Namebase is live!” | Announcement of the new service. |
| July 29, 2026 | Namebase, @NamebaseHQ | “If you haven't migrated, your domain buyers can't set up records.” | A reminder that an SLD holder’s ability to manage records can depend on the TLD operator completing migration. |
| August 24, 2026 | Namebase, @NamebaseHQ | “The legacy Namebase platform at sunset.namebase.io closes October 1, 2026.” | A deadline reminder for customers and previously staked TLD owners. |
| September 12, 2026 | Headless Domains, @HeadlessDomains | “Can your HNS claim-code process also support registrars outside Namebase, such as HeadlessDomains.com?” | Our public question about supporting claims at another registrar. Support for those claims was being requested. |
The questions existing holders are asking
For someone who already paid for a name, the immediate concern is practical: where can I manage it now, and what do I need to do to keep it?
That uncertainty appears in public discussion too. In the Reddit thread “Namebase updates”, a participant asked whether migration was still incomplete because the site had limited functionality. The thread concerns the earlier transition and is useful background on customer confusion, rather than guidance for today’s claims.
We’ve also seen reports of holders unable to renew .1 names and unsure what a pending status means. A pending label alone does not tell you whether a domain’s paid term has paused, whether it has expired, or which party needs to act. Ask for confirmation about your specific name before relying on any of those interpretations.
What we’re doing for existing holders
HeadlessDomains.com has opened new registrations in .c, .1, .zen, .yolo, and .done. We’re preparing recovery for protected legacy names in .c, .1, .zen, and .yolo. The .done extension is new and has no legacy registrations to recover.
We want existing holders to be able to prove ownership and manage their names here. Namecheap claims cannot yet be completed on HeadlessDomains.com. We’ll publish the supported procedure when it is ready.
If you bought through another registrar, check its current instructions and the requirements for your extension. A claim process supported by one provider should not be assumed to work at another.
For now:
- Keep your evidence. Save the full domain name, original registrar, receipt or order reference, and any claim email. Keep claim codes private.
- Check the current claim instructions. Namecheap directs affected customers to Namebase. If the process fails or your name remains pending, ask the relevant support team what is preventing completion.
- Contact Namecheap and/or Namebse about your existing name.
- Keep any old Namebase assets on a separate checklist. If you also hold TLDs or funds on its custodial platform, follow its October 1 withdrawal guidance while your SLD question is being resolved.
- Follow @HeadlessDomains on X for the latest updates.