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WHOIS domain lookup

Check when any domain was registered, when it expires, and who holds it. Enter a name and the registry's own record comes back in a couple of seconds.

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How to read a WHOIS record

A WHOIS record is the registry's own account of a domain: who registered it, through which registrar, and the dates that govern it. Three dates matter most.

Creation date is when the domain was first registered. It never changes, even if the domain is sold, so it doubles as the domain's true age — useful when you're judging whether a site has history behind it.

Expiry date is when the current registration term ends. Miss it and the domain stops resolving, which takes down the website and any email running on it.

Last updated is when the record itself last changed — a renewal, a nameserver change, or a transfer. A recent update on a domain expiring soon usually means it was just renewed.

Running a lookup

  1. 01

    Enter the domain

    Type the domain you want to check, like example.com. Pasting a full URL works too — the extra parts are stripped automatically.

  2. 02

    Run the lookup

    The registry responsible for that extension is queried over the WHOIS protocol and returns the registration record.

  3. 03

    Read the timeline

    The result shows when the domain was registered, when it expires, and how much of its current term is left.

What each domain status code means

Every WHOIS record carries one or more EPP status codes. They look alarming and usually are not — most active domains carry at least one lock.

Common EPP domain status codes, what each one means, and whether it needs attention
Status codeWhat it meansShould you worry?
ok / activeNo restrictions. The domain is live and unlocked.No — though an unlocked domain is easier to transfer away
clientTransferProhibitedYour registrar has locked the domain against transfer.No. This is the normal, protective default
clientUpdateProhibitedContact and nameserver changes are blocked at the registrar.No — it is a deliberate extra lock
clientDeleteProhibitedThe domain cannot be deleted.No — protection against accidental or malicious deletion
clientHoldThe registrar has told the registry to stop resolving the domain.Yes. The site and email are down — usually non-payment or a dispute
serverHoldThe registry itself has stopped the domain resolving.Yes. Typically a legal or compliance action
pendingTransferA transfer to another registrar is in progress.Only if you did not start it — contact your registrar immediately
pendingDeleteThe redemption period has ended; deletion is imminent.Yes, if you want the name. Recovery is no longer possible
redemptionPeriodExpired and deleted, but recoverable for a premium fee.Yes. Roughly 30 days to redeem before it is released
autoRenewPeriodRecently auto-renewed by the registry.No — normal post-renewal state
inactiveNo nameservers are set, so the domain resolves nowhere.Yes, if you expect it to be live

Codes beginning with 'client' were set by your registrar and you can usually change them in its control panel. Codes beginning with 'server' were set by the registry and you cannot.

WHOIS lookup — frequently asked questions

WHOIS is a public directory of domain registrations. Every registry publishes who registered a domain, when it was created, when it expires, and which nameservers it uses. A lookup queries that directory and returns the record.

Since GDPR took effect in 2018, most registries redact personal contact details from public WHOIS records. You'll often see 'REDACTED FOR PRIVACY' where a name or email used to be. Organisation and country are sometimes still published.

It doesn't become available immediately. Most domains enter a grace period of around 30 days where the owner can renew at the normal price, then a redemption period of roughly 30 more days where recovery costs a premium. Only after that does the name return to the available pool.

It's a registrar lock that blocks the domain from being transferred to another registrar. It's a normal, protective setting rather than a problem — most active domains have it. You turn it off in your registrar's control panel when you genuinely want to transfer.

The registry's expiry date is the authoritative one, but registrars sometimes show their own internal renewal date, which can sit a few days earlier. If the two disagree, treat the earlier date as your deadline.

Most of them. Common extensions like .com, .net, .org, .io, and country codes such as .uk all publish WHOIS data. A few registries don't run a public WHOIS server, and some rate-limit heavily — in those cases the lookup returns an explanatory message instead of a record.

Yes. There's no sign-up, no limit worth worrying about, and no charge. Lookups are throttled lightly to stay within what registries allow.

Sources and further reading

The claims on this page about formats, browser behaviour, and performance come from these primary sources rather than from us.

Last reviewed and updated . Written and maintained by the Appzo Tools team.