Move from Squarespace to Carrd: what transfers, what you rebuild and the domain steps

Who should not make this move

Carrd is built around single-page sites made of sections. That suits a portfolio, a services page, a waitlist or a link hub. It is a poor fit for two common Squarespace setups.

• Stores: Squarespace's export leaves out product blocks, and Carrd's own payments (Pro Plus) are a Stripe Checkout form with one product per form; the docs do not describe a catalogue or cart. [1][2]
• Large or active blogs: the export targets WordPress. Nothing in the Carrd documentation we read imports it, so every post would be rebuilt by hand as a section.
• Sites that rely on many separate pages with their own URLs: Carrd's section links use #section-name, which changes how pages are addressed and shared. [3]

What Squarespace lets you export

Squarespace's export creates an .xml file meant for import into WordPress. Read on 30 October 2026, its help page lists what goes and what stays. [1]

• You can't export from a trial site, and the site must be published with availability set to Public. [1]
• Even where the export works, it is useful mainly as a text archive for a Carrd rebuild. Download your original images separately so you upload full-quality files.

Rebuild plan: Squarespace pages to Carrd sections

Work out the plan from this table before you start. A brochure site with a form fits Pro Standard. If your old URLs get search traffic or are printed on business cards, Pro Plus is worth the extra $30 a year for redirects alone.

Domain option A: keep it at Squarespace and point it

If Squarespace is your registrar, you can leave the domain there and change its DNS records to point at Carrd. Squarespace's pointing guide says to delete the Squarespace Defaults records first, because the domain "can't point to another site when these defaults are in place". Then add an A record for @ and a CNAME for www. [9]

For Carrd, the values come from Carrd's publish screen: an A record pointing @ to the IP Carrd shows, and a CNAME pointing www back to the bare domain. Carrd says the domain then initialises, which can take up to an hour. Squarespace says DNS changes can take 24 to 48 hours. [4][9]

Squarespace notes the domain must use Squarespace nameservers for this to work. Its guide also doesn't say what happens to a pointed domain if you cancel the website subscription, so check your billing page to confirm the domain renews on its own before cancelling the site. [9]

Domain option B: transfer it to another registrar

Order matters: point the domain at Carrd first (option A), confirm the site works, and transfer later if you want to. A transfer freezes DNS edits while it is pending, which is the wrong moment to be fixing a broken site. [10]

• Turn off the domain lock. Recently purchased or recently transferred domains may carry a 60-day lock. [10]
• Request the authentication code. Squarespace says it arrives by email within 24 hours; use only the most recent one if you request more than one. [10]
• Record your current DNS records first: most new providers won't copy them, and you can't change DNS while the transfer is pending. [10]
• Remove DNSSEC before starting if you use it. [10]
• Allow up to 15 days. If you use Google Workspace email, Squarespace says to update the MX records with the new provider after the transfer to avoid an email interruption. [10]

Cutover checklist

• Export the Squarespace content while the site is still paid (not on trial) and save original images. [1]
• Build the Carrd site and publish it to a .carrd.co address; test the form and every embed there.
• List old Squarespace URLs and enter Pro Plus redirects in /request=destination form, one per line. [7]
• Add Carrd's records at Squarespace DNS without touching MX records, so email keeps working. [9]
• After the domain initialises, check https on the bare and www addresses; Carrd forwards the version you don't use to the other. [4]
• Submit the sitemap in Search Console; Carrd generates /sitemap.xml automatically. [11]
• Only then cancel the Squarespace website subscription, after confirming how the domain is billed.

Sources & verification

Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.

1. Squarespace Help: exporting your site Accessed 30 Oct 2026
2. Carrd: Pro plans Accessed 30 Oct 2026
3. Carrd: URL types Accessed 30 Oct 2026
4. Carrd: using a custom domain Accessed 30 Oct 2026
5. Carrd: setting up a contact form Accessed 30 Oct 2026
6. Carrd: embedding custom code Accessed 30 Oct 2026
7. Carrd: setting up redirects Accessed 30 Oct 2026
8. Carrd: setting up payments Accessed 30 Oct 2026
9. Squarespace Help: pointing a Squarespace domain to another site Accessed 30 Oct 2026
10. Squarespace Help: transferring a Squarespace domain to another provider Accessed 30 Oct 2026
11. Carrd: setting up a sitemap Accessed 30 Oct 2026