What is WHOIS and what does it show?

WHOIS is a public lookup that shows registration details of a domain name: who registered it, through which registrar, and when it expires. It is handy to check if a name is taken and to see the basics behind it.

What WHOIS shows

• The domain name and its status (active, protected against transfer, and so on).
• The registrar and the nameservers.
• Registration and expiry dates.
• Holder information, depending on the extension and privacy rules.

Privacy: not everything is public

How much holder information appears depends on the registry. For many extensions, personal data of private holders is hidden for privacy reasons, so you may see limited details.

Try it

You can look up any domain with our WHOIS tool. If a name is free, you can register it right away; if it is taken, you can consider a transfer or a different extension.

Frequently asked questions

Is my personal data visible? Often not: many registries hide personal data of private holders.

Can I see who owns a taken domain? Sometimes, depending on the extension and privacy settings.

Why does WHOIS differ per extension? Each registry sets its own rules on what is shown.