Ameba Ownd closes on Thursday, December 24, 2026 at 11:00. Its official closure notice says that only website viewing is available from November 2 at 13:00, when new premium-plan billing also stops. An export feature is planned to open during November, and details are due to be announced that month.
The official schedule and what you can do now
When | What the operator has announced |
|---|---|
From November 2 at 13:00 | Website viewing only; new premium-plan billing stops |
During November | Export feature planned; dashboard access will be limited to logging in, exporting content, and deleting sites |
December 24 at 11:00 | The service and export feature close |
During December | Refund processing is scheduled for completion |
Being able to view a site does not mean editing or new posts have resumed. Following the October 22 emergency maintenance notice, the closure notice says the operator confirmed that the viewing function was safe. Start saving material from public pages while waiting for dashboard export instructions.
After closure, viewing, exports, and data restoration will be unavailable. Treat December 24 as the deadline for finishing your backups, rather than the day to begin moving.
A migration checklist from November 2 to December 24
This is an example work schedule. Apart from the official deadline, the dates below are suggested milestones to leave room for checks.
Suggested dates | Work to do | How to check completion |
|---|---|---|
November 2–8 | List public pages and save their text and images locally | Saved files open, and each page has its original URL recorded |
November 9–30 | Watch for export instructions and try a destination | Once instructions appear, export and inspect the contents |
December 1–13 | Move text and images to the new site | Important pages are readable on a phone too |
December 14–20 | Switch your custom domain and check BASE settings | The new site and routes to your shop work |
December 21–23 | Check for missing backups and outdated external links | Public information no longer points visitors only to old pages |
Before December 24 at 11:00 | Finish saving all required data | Keep another copy of the exported files in a separate location |
You can make backups before choosing a destination. Prioritize contact details, business information, articles, and photos ahead of redesigning the site.
Early November: save what you can from public pages
Manual copies supplement the upcoming official export. Open your own public website in a browser and work through these steps.
Record the URLs of pages you need, starting with the homepage, standalone pages, and article listings. Follow any additional listing pages to the end.
Copy each page's title, text, visible publication date, and category into a document. Include business information, profiles, and contact details.
Download your images and attachments. Recording an image URL alone does not save the file. Keep your original photos too, if you still have them.
Take screenshots or use the browser's print function to save PDFs as layout references. Use these alongside text and image files: a PDF alone can be awkward to edit or extract images from.
Open the saved files and check for missing text or incorrectly matched images.
For example, a tracking table could have columns for original URL, title, text file location, image file location, and completion status. This is a suggested working aid, not the official export format.
Copying public pages does not establish that you have saved drafts or private material. Look for local copies of unpublished writing, and check the export announcement for its coverage. Leaving links to old images on the new site does not mean you have moved the image files.
During November: check the export instructions when published
The operator is preparing a feature to export pages, articles, images, and other data. However, details of how to export are due to be announced during November. Until then, do not assume what an export will contain or how it can be loaded into a destination.
When the announcement appears, check what is included and follow the download instructions. Preserve the original export and use a copy for migration work. Compare more than article counts: inspect a long article, an image-heavy page, and a standalone page. Your manually prepared page list will help identify omissions.
The official notice names Ameba Blog and WordPress as possible destinations. That is not a guarantee of automatic migration or reproduction of your design. Try moving one article to a candidate service and check its text, images, links, and everyday editing workflow.
A CMS is a system for managing content such as articles and images. The headless CMS and WordPress comparison explains the difference between managing a whole website and separating content management from the pages that display it. If you mainly publish announcements, managing news on a static site provides another way to think about the setup.
genko.me is one possible destination, but its getting-started guide requires a separately prepared website frontend, so prioritize services with website-building tools if you want to build and run the pages yourself.
Early December: prepare the destination before changing DNS
A custom domain is a website address you registered yourself. DNS settings tell visitors' browsers which service that address should connect to. The official domain guidance asks users to change those settings with their domain provider before December 24 at 11:00.
Identify the company managing your domain, confirm you can sign in, and record the existing DNS settings.
Prepare the new pages and check your destination's custom-domain connection instructions.
At your domain provider, replace the CNAME record used for Ameba Ownd with the settings specified by your destination. A CNAME points a name to another hostname; the current Ownd value is
custom-domain.amebaowndme.com.Once the change takes effect, open the new site. Also test sending and receiving email if you use the same domain for email.
You do not need to remove the custom domain inside Ameba Ownd. Official guidance says DNS changes may take about 24 hours to take effect. Avoid the last minute, and switch only after the destination is ready. Do not change or delete email records such as MX records.
The same guidance says Ameba Blog does not support custom domains. Your domain-provider contract also continues after Ownd closes. If you will no longer use the domain, check renewal and cancellation separately.
Check BASE and refunds separately from the website move
Keeping a BASE shop public
The closure notice says you can continue using your shop through the BASE account already linked to Ownd. In the BASE dashboard, open 「設定」→「ショップ情報」 (Settings → Shop information) and check:
Under 「ショップページ設定」, clear 「カート機能のみを使用」 (use cart functionality only) if selected.
Under 「ショップ公開状況」, confirm that 「公開する」 (publish) is selected.
Clearing the cart-only setting publishes the BASE shop page immediately, so check its design first. The official notice says these settings do not affect current transactions or orders. Also check that visitors can reach the shop from your new website and social profiles.
Premium-plan cancellation and refunds
The operator will cancel premium plans, so users do not need to cancel them. Refund applications are also unnecessary: refunds will be made during December to the credit card originally used for payment. The official refund rules are:
Subscription | Refund coverage |
|---|---|
Monthly plan | Full refund of fees paid from October 1, 2026 onward |
Annual plan joined or renewed from October 1 | Full refund of the amount paid |
Annual plan joined or renewed on or before September 30 | Prorated by month, from October through the month before the next renewal |
If a refund cannot be processed because a card expired, was cancelled, or for another reason, the operator will contact the user individually. Keep payment records and check your card statement and any instructions you receive.
FAQ
When does Ameba Ownd close?
It closes on Thursday, December 24, 2026 at 11:00. Website viewing and exports end then, and data cannot be restored afterward.
Can I edit or export articles now?
Only viewing is available from November 2 at 13:00. Export is planned to open during November, and details are due to be announced that month. Save text and images from your public pages while waiting for the official instructions.
Can I keep my custom domain?
You must prepare your destination and change DNS settings with your domain provider. Removing the domain inside Ownd is unnecessary. If you move to Ameba Blog, remember that it does not support custom domains.
What happens to BASE orders and premium-plan refunds?
BASE remains usable through the linked account, and the announced publication-setting changes do not affect current orders or transactions. Premium-plan cancellation and refunds require no application; eligible fees will be refunded to the payment card during December.