Custom domain “already registered to another account” after deleting old account — can’t release it + need apex IP for external DNS

Hi everyone,

I’d appreciate help with a custom domain that’s stuck. I’ve included all the details below.

My Netlify site:

extraordinary-pasca-ce8ac2.netlify.app

The custom domain:

The error message:

When I try to add xopshq.com to my current site, I get an error saying the domain is already registered to another account / another team (registered to a different account). I can’t add it to my current site because of this.

What happened:

The domain xopshq.com was originally added to a Netlify project under a different account. I later deleted that old project and then deleted the old account entirely to start fresh. Now the domain appears to still be “registered” to that deleted account/project, and since that account no longer exists, I can’t find any way to remove the old DNS zone or release the domain myself.

What I need help with:

**1.	Release the domain** — How can xopshq.com be released from the old (now deleted) account/project so I can add it to my current site (extraordinary-pasca-ce8ac2.netlify.app)? Since the old account is gone, I think this may require Netlify Support to remove it manually — please let me know.

**2.	Apex IP for external DNS** — I manage my DNS externally at my domain provider, and I do NOT want to transfer name servers to Netlify (I need to keep my existing MX / email records intact). I want to point my apex/root domain to my Netlify site using an **A record** at my own DNS provider, instead of Netlify DNS. What **IP address** should I use for the A record on the apex (xopshq.com)? And what is the correct **CNAME target** for the www subdomain?

Additional info:

**•**	DNS is managed externally (not on Netlify); name servers have NOT been transferred to Netlify, and I need to keep them external to preserve my email/MX records.

**•**	Yes, I tried Ask Netlify before posting; it pointed me to general DNS guides but couldn’t release the domain or resolve the “registered to another account” error.

Thanks in advance for any help!