Unpublish and Delete Your Website
When you temporarily don't want visitors to see your website, or you're sure you no longer need it, Kanorio offers two different actions: Unpublish and Delete.
The main difference is: Unpublishing temporarily hides your site; Deleting first places your website into a 60-day recoverable archive period before permanent cleanup.
Choose the Right Action First
| Your Need | |---|---| | Temporarily redesigning, end of an event, want to hide the site for now | | Sure you no longer need this website | | Just want to hide a specific page temporarily | | Only want to edit content without making old content public immediately |
| Please Choose | |---|---| | Unpublish | | Delete | | Don't unpublish the whole site | | No need to unpublish |
| What Will Happen | |---|---| | Visitors won't see the live site, but content and settings are preserved. | | The site will be archived for 60 days, recoverable within that period. | | Go to Page Management to adjust the page's public status. | | Continue editing the draft and publish when ready. |
For the difference between drafts and published versions, please read Drafts, Saving, and Publishing.
Unpublishing Your Website: Temporarily Stop Public Access
Unpublishing is suitable for these situations:
- Your website is undergoing major redesigns.
- Seasonal events, job postings, or short-term activities have concluded.
- You want to pause visitor access but retain the content.
- You need to process website data before deciding whether to delete it.
How to Unpublish
- Open the management page for your target website.
- Navigate to the "Dangerous Actions" or "Website Lifecycle" section.
- Select "Unpublish."
- Read the impact statement and wait for the 5-second safety countdown.
- Confirm unpublishing.
To prevent team members from accidentally disabling public access, only the website Owner can perform the unpublish action.
What Happens After Unpublishing?
After unpublishing:
- Visitors cannot access the normal website content.
- Visitors will see a "not published" or "coming soon" screen instead of your actual website pages.
- Your website's drafts, published content, images, and general settings are preserved.
- Your current website subscription will not be automatically canceled due to unpublishing.
- Custom domain bindings will retain their information initially.
Unpublishing is not deletion. You can safely pause public access; clicking "Unpublish" won't immediately cause you to lose your edited content.
How to Re-publish
Return to the same website management section and select "Re-publish." The system will republish using the existing website content and URL.
Before re-publishing, we recommend:
- Checking for any unpublished drafts in the editor.
- Confirming that contact information, pricing, event dates, and button links are still correct.
- After re-publishing, test your URL using an incognito window and a mobile device.
If your website was taken down by the platform due to content review, you might not be able to re-publish it yourself. In such cases, please follow the on-screen prompts to contact support and avoid repeated publishing attempts.
Handling Domains Unpublished for Over 60 Days
When a website remains unpublished for over 60 days, the system will clean up its public domain service settings and redirect resources to prevent unused services from occupying resources long-term.
This does not automatically delete domains you purchased from external registrars, nor does it remove records from your external DNS accounts. When you re-publish later, the system will re-establish service settings; custom domains might require a brief wait for re-verification and activation.
Deleting Your Website: 60-Day Archive First
Deleting is suitable when you're certain you no longer need the website, for example:
- A test website has served its purpose and no longer needs to be kept.
- You're no longer operating the brand, event, or project.
- You want to declutter your account's website list.
Kanorio doesn't permanently erase data immediately after you click delete. Instead, it enters an archive period, giving you time to change your mind or recover accidentally deleted sites.
How to Delete
- Open the management page for your target website.
- In the "Dangerous Actions" section, select "Delete Website."
- Carefully read the explanations regarding archiving, subscriptions, and data retention.
- Enter the full website name to confirm.
- Wait for the 5-second safety countdown, then confirm deletion.
Only the website Owner can delete a website. Entering the website name and the safety countdown are measures to prevent accidental deletion.
What Happens During the 60-Day Archive?
After deletion, the website enters an archived state:
- Regular visitors cannot access the site.
- Content, images, and settings are retained for 60 days.
- You can restore the website from your dashboard within this period.
- The site will be unpublished and will not automatically re-publish.
- Subscriptions for paid sites will be scheduled for cancellation at the end of the current billing cycle.
Archiving is not a backup service. If your website contains important images, copy, data other than orders, or integration settings that you cannot retrieve elsewhere, it's recommended to back them up separately before deleting.
How to Restore an Archived Website
Within the archive period, open the website from your dashboard and select "Restore Website."
After restoring:
- The website will return to an editable state.
- The website will remain unpublished and will not automatically go live.
- You should manually check the content, URL, and domain status.
- Once ready, click "Re-publish" or "Publish."
If a paid subscription was still active during the archive period, the system will attempt to reinstate it. If the subscription expired during the archive period, the website will be restored under the free plan, and you can re-subscribe as needed.
What Happens After 60 Days?
Once the archive period ends, the system will permanently delete website data, including:
- Website drafts and published content.
- Website images and favicon.
- Website pages and settings.
- Public domain service and redirect settings linked to the website.
After permanent deletion, recovery is impossible. The original Kanorio free URL will no longer be associated with your website.
Purchased Domains Are Not Automatically Canceled When Deleting a Website
Domain registration and website deletion are separate matters.
If you purchased a domain from an external registrar, deleting your Kanorio website does not cancel that domain or stop renewals with the external registrar. Please manage your domain's expiration date and auto-renewal directly with your registrar.
If you purchase a domain through Kanorio in the future, deleting the website still does not cancel the domain registration. Please check separately in My Domains to:
- Verify if the domain is still assigned to this website.
- Determine if auto-renewal should be turned off.
- Decide if you want to keep the domain for a future website.
- Consider transferring it to another registrar.
Do not confuse "deleting a website" with "stopping all domain fees." If you no longer need a domain, please handle it separately in the domain management section.
Unpublish, Archive, and Permanent Delete Comparison
| Item | |---|---| | What Visitors See | | Content & Settings | | Recoverable? | | Subscription | | Custom Domain | | Best For |
| Unpublish | |---|---| | Not published or coming soon screen | | Preserved | | Can re-publish anytime | | Unaffected | | Initially retained; long-term unpublishing cleans up public service settings | | Pausing, redesigning, end of events |
| Archived (Post-Delete) | |---|---| | Cannot browse live site | | Preserved for 60 days | | Recoverable within 60 days | | Paid subscriptions scheduled for cancellation at end of current cycle | | Domain binding awaits archive processing | | No longer needed, but want a grace period to reconsider |
| Permanently Cleaned Up | |---|---| | Cannot browse site | | Cleaned up, unrecoverable | | No | | Website subscription no longer retained | | Website-side binding and public services cleared | | The final state after the archive period ends |
Quick Tips
- For major redesigns, usually, you only need to keep the draft and publish upon completion, rather than unpublishing the entire site.
- If an event has ended but might be repeated, prioritize unpublishing; retaining content and settings saves more time.
- Before deleting, ensure you confirm the website name, paid subscriptions, domain renewals, and important assets.
- If you need to restore after archiving, address the website itself first, then check if custom domain verification is still pending.
Frequently Asked Questions About Unpublishing and Deleting Websites
Yes. Unpublishing does not delete website content. Simply return to the website management page and select "Re-publish." It's recommended to check drafts and URL status beforehand.
Yes, but only within 60 days after deletion (during the archive period). Once the period ends and permanent cleanup is complete, data cannot be recovered.
No. Unpublishing only changes whether the website is publicly accessible and does not automatically cancel your website subscription.
For paid websites, after deletion, the subscription will be scheduled for cancellation at the end of the current billing cycle. If you have different billing needs, please review your billing information before deleting.
Short-term unpublishing retains the domain's binding information, but visitors won't see the normal website. If the site remains unpublished for over 60 days, system settings for public domain services will be cleaned up. Re-publishing might require waiting for reactivation.
No. Domain registration and website management are separate. Please go to your domain registrar or My Domains to manage renewal and assignment settings separately.
Yes. Go to Page Management and adjust the public status of that specific page. Other pages on your site will remain accessible.