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06.02Domain & Security

WHOIS Lookup

Who registered a domain, where, and when does it expire? Get the registrar, key dates, transfer lock, nameservers and abuse contact for any domain, explained in plain English.

Updated

What a WHOIS lookup tells you

Every domain name is leased, not owned outright, through a registrar such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, Hostinger or Cloudflare, which in turn reports to the registry that runs the extension (.com, .org, .tech and so on). WHOIS, and its modern successor RDAP, is the public record of that arrangement: who the registrar is, when the domain was first registered, when it expires, whether it is locked, and which nameservers it points to.

For web professionals, that answers the questions that come up every week. Where is this client's domain registered, and do they have the login? Is it about to expire? Why won't it transfer? Which DNS provider is actually in charge?

Reading the results

  • Registrar: the company the domain is registered through. That is where the owner logs in to renew it, change nameservers or unlock it.
  • Expires: the date the current registration ends. Turn on auto-renew at the registrar and make sure the card on file is current; expired domains are one of the most common, and most avoidable, causes of a site and its email going dark.
  • Status codes: flags such as clientTransferProhibited (the registrar lock, which you want on) or redemptionPeriod (expired and close to deletion). Each code is explained next to your result.
  • Nameservers: who controls the domain's DNS. If they belong to Cloudflare or your host rather than the registrar, DNS changes are made there, not at the registrar.
  • DNSSEC: whether the domain's DNS records are cryptographically signed against tampering.

Why the owner is usually hidden

Since 2018, privacy rules such as GDPR mean most registrars redact the owner's name, email and address, and many add a privacy service on top. Companies sometimes still choose to publish their name. If you need to reach a hidden owner, use the registrar's contact form, or report abuse through the abuse contact shown in your result.

Before you move a domain

Transferring a domain to a new registrar is routine, but plan it. Domains generally can't be transferred within 60 days of registration or a previous transfer. The owner turns the lock off, requests an authorization (EPP) code, and starts the transfer at the new registrar. Copy the DNS records first with our DNS lookup so nothing goes missing, and confirm the HTTPS certificate is renewed afterwards with the SSL checker.

Domain transfer checklist
1. Export or screenshot every DNS record
2. Turn off the registrar lock (clientTransferProhibited)
3. Get the authorization / EPP code
4. Start the transfer at the new registrar and approve the email
5. Re-check DNS, email and SSL once the transfer completes

Launching a new site? Domain checks are the first section of our website launch checklist.

Frequently asked questions

Why does WHOIS show REDACTED or a privacy service instead of the owner?

Since GDPR took effect in 2018, most registrars hide owner names, emails and addresses by default, and many add a privacy service on top. The registrar still knows who the owner is, and it can be contacted through the registrar's own forms or its abuse contact.

What is the difference between WHOIS and RDAP?

RDAP is the modern replacement for WHOIS. It returns structured data over HTTPS instead of free-form text, supports internationalized names and has a standard way to show redacted fields. ICANN made RDAP the official source for generic domains in 2025. This tool uses RDAP where it exists and falls back to WHOIS.

What happens when a domain expires?

For most generic domains the website and email stop working soon after expiry, then the domain enters a grace period of up to about 45 days where the owner can still renew at normal cost, followed by a 30-day redemption period with a large recovery fee. After that it is deleted and anyone can register it.

What does clientTransferProhibited mean?

It means the registrar lock is on, so the domain cannot be moved to another registrar until the owner turns the lock off. It is a good thing to see on any domain you care about, because it blocks unauthorized transfers.