What a whois lookup tells you
What the lookup shows
Every domain name is recorded by the registry of its extension: Afnic for .fr, DENIC for .de, Verisign for .com. A whois lookup asks that registry what it publishes about the name: whether it is registered, the registrar that manages it, its creation and expiry dates, its name servers and its status codes.
Why the holder is often hidden
Since the GDPR came into force in 2018, most registries and registrars no longer publish the name, address and e-mail of individual holders, and many also hide those of companies. The lookup then shows the registrar and the dates, but not who holds the name. To reach the holder, contact the registrar, or use the registry's contact form when it has one.
RDAP and whois
RDAP is the successor of whois: the same information, in a structured format, over a secure connection. Our tool asks the registry's RDAP service first, then its whois server. The few registries that offer neither to the public are linked, so that you can search on their own website.
A name that is not found
When the registry has no record of a name, the name is usually available. A registry can still reserve or block names, and some extensions require a local presence or documents: the extension's page gives its rules, and an order confirms availability.
Whois lookup: frequent questions
Is this whois lookup free?
Yes, and without an account. To spare the registries' servers, each connection can make 20 new lookups every 10 minutes. A name looked up again within 15 minutes comes from our cache and does not count.
Which extensions does it cover?
Why can't I see who owns the domain?
What do status codes like clientTransferProhibited mean?
The tool says a name is not found: can I register it?
What is the difference between the registry and the registrar?
