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My developer has left. How do I take over my website or app?

Short answer

First secure access to everything in your business's name: the domain, hosting or cloud account, source code repository, app store accounts, admin logins and third-party services such as payment gateways and email. Change passwords and remove the old developer's access. Then have a new developer audit the code and setup, document how it all works, and fix urgent security issues before adding new features.

Also asked as: “My developer stopped responding, how do I get access to my website?” · “How do I move my app to a new developer?” · “What do I need from my old developer before switching?” · “Can another company take over an app built by someone else?”

Step 1: secure access

  1. 1Domain: find out where it is registered and make sure the account is in your name with your email.
  2. 2Hosting or cloud: get the owner login for the server or platform (for example AWS, a hosting company or Vercel) and check billing is in your name.
  3. 3Source code: get access to the repository (for example GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket) or a full copy of the latest code.
  4. 4App stores: confirm you own the Apple Developer and Google Play Console accounts, or ask for the apps to be transferred to accounts you own.
  5. 5Admin and services: collect logins for the website admin, database, payment gateway, email, SMS, analytics and any API keys.
  6. 6Remove the old developer's access and change shared passwords once you have control.

If the developer is not responding

You can often recover accounts through the provider when they are in your name or paid by you, using invoices, payment records or company documents as proof. Domain registrars, hosting companies and app stores each have their own recovery or transfer process. If the code exists only on the developer's computer, a new developer may be able to work from what is live, but that can be slow and incomplete, so ask for the code in writing and refer to your contract.

Step 2: audit what you have

  • Check that the code in the repository matches what is live.
  • List the technologies, frameworks and versions used, and anything out of date or unsupported.
  • Look for security issues such as exposed passwords, missing updates and weak admin access.
  • Confirm backups exist and can actually be restored.
  • Note what costs are running each month and what each service is for.

Step 3: document and hand over properly

Ask your new developer to write a simple handover document: where everything is hosted, how to deploy changes, how to restore a backup, and which accounts and keys are used. Keep it with your business records, and make keeping it up to date part of the next developer's job so you are never in this position again.

When to get help

If you have the accounts but no one who understands the code, a code audit is the sensible first step before any new work. DCPL Technology takes over existing websites and apps: it audits and documents the codebase and setup, then maintains or modernises it, billed from USD 12 per hour or at a fixed price.

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Written by the DCPL Technology team in Surat · Last reviewed 19 October 2026

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