Whois Lookup

Find out who registered a domain and when it expires

Every registered domain has a record held by its registrar and registry. A Whois lookup reads that public record and shows the key facts: the registrar the domain was bought through, the dates it was registered, last updated and when it expires, the domain age, and the nameservers it uses.

Domain investors, marketers, security teams and website owners use Whois data all the time: to check whether a domain is about to expire, to see how established a website is, to find which registrar to contact, or to confirm that a transfer went through.

Since the GDPR came into force in 2018, most registrars hide the personal name, address and email of individual owners behind privacy or redaction services. You'll usually still see the registrar and dates, but not who the person is.

How to use the whois lookup

1. Enter the domain name without https:// or www, for example example.com.
2. Submit the lookup.
3. Review the registrar, creation, update and expiry dates, domain age and nameservers.
4. If the owner details are redacted, use the registrar's contact form or abuse address shown in their records to reach the owner.

Common uses

• Checking when your own domains expire so they don't lapse.
• Seeing how old a website is before trusting it or buying a link.
• Researching a domain you want to buy from its current owner.
• Investigating phishing or scam sites (very new domains are a common warning sign).
• Confirming the registrar and nameservers after a transfer or DNS change.

Tips and things to know

• Turn on auto-renew with your registrar. Expired domains can be grabbed by someone else after a short grace period.
• A domain registered only days ago that claims to be a well-known brand is a red flag for phishing.
• Results for some country-code domains (ccTLDs) may show fewer fields because each registry sets its own rules.
• The newer RDAP protocol is gradually replacing classic Whois, but the information is largely the same.
• Pair this with a DNS lookup to see where the domain points, and the hosting checker to see who hosts it.

Frequently asked questions

Why can't I see the domain owner's name?

Most registrars redact personal data for privacy and data protection laws such as the GDPR. Organizations sometimes still show their company name.

What happens when a domain expires?

It usually enters a grace period where the owner can still renew, then a redemption period with a higher fee, and finally it's released for anyone to register.

How do I find out how old a domain is?

The creation date in the Whois record shows when it was first registered. The tool also shows the domain age directly.

Can I contact a domain owner to buy their domain?

Yes. If the contact details are hidden, the registrar usually provides a contact form or forwarding email. Domain brokers can also help.

Is Whois information always accurate?

Registrars require accurate details, but owners sometimes provide outdated data, and privacy services replace it. Dates and registrar info are generally reliable.

Related tools

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• Website hosting checker: Get the web-host of a given website.
• Reverse IP Lookup: Take an IP and try to look for the domain/host associated with it.