If your developer disappeared and you can't get into your website, start by finding out which accounts you still control. In order: the domain registrar, the hosting account, the website admin, and the email address linked to each. Recovery usually begins with the account that is in your name.
1. Make a list of what you need access to
- Domain registrar account
- Hosting or server account
- Website admin (for example, WordPress)
- Email accounts on your domain
- Analytics, advertising, and other tools
2. Find out who holds the domain
The domain matters most: it decides where your website and email point.
- Find the registrar. A public registration lookup for your domain, such as ICANN Lookup, shows which registrar it is registered with. The owner's contact details are often hidden for privacy, so the lookup may not show who the registrant is.
- Check your own records. Search your email and card statements for the registrar's name, renewal notices, or invoices. These show whether the account was opened and paid by your business.
- Contact the registrar. Explain that you are the business using the domain and ask how they verify the registrant and restore account access. ICANN notes that registrants are entitled to clear information from their registrar about its processes for managing, transferring, and renewing domains.
If the domain is registered in your name or your company's name, the registrar can usually restore your access after verifying who you are. If it was registered in someone else's name, that is harder, and legal advice may be needed.
3. Hosting account
If the hosting account is in your name, the hosting provider can help you regain access through its account recovery process. If it is in the developer's name, the provider will usually only act for the account holder, so ask what proof they accept that the website belongs to your business, such as domain ownership or invoices. In either case, ask whether recent backups exist and how you can get a copy.
4. Website admin
For WordPress, the "Lost your password?" link on the login page is the usual first step, if you can receive email at the address on the account. WordPress documentation describes other methods for people with access to the database, the files, or the command line.
5. Secure everything once you are in
- Change passwords and remove users you don't recognize.
- Make a fresh backup of the files and the database.
- Move accounts into your name where possible, and keep a list of every account.
How to avoid this next time
Keep the domain, hosting, and tool accounts in your name, and ask for an access list at the end of every project.
If the site itself is down rather than locked, start with the website down checklist.
When to get help
What can be recovered depends on the backups and access that exist. See website recovery, or move the site to hosting you control with website migration. You can send an urgent website issue through the inquiry form; requests are handled during business hours, with urgent issues first.
This guide is general information, not legal advice.
Sources
- WordPress.org Documentation, Reset your password (accessed October 4, 2026)
- ICANN, Registrants' Benefits and Responsibilities (accessed October 4, 2026)
- ICANN, ICANN Lookup (accessed October 5, 2026)