WHOIS Lookup — Registration, Owner and Expiry Details
Find out whether a domain is taken, who registered it, when it expires and which nameservers it uses. Works for domains and IP addresses, using live RDAP and WHOIS data.
Reading a WHOIS record
WHOIS is the public register of who holds a domain name. Every registrar publishes a record for each domain it manages, and this tool reads that record live — through RDAP where the registry supports it, falling back to the classic WHOIS protocol where it does not. The result answers the two questions people usually arrive with: is this name available, and if not, when does it come up for renewal.
What each field means
- Registrar — the company the domain is currently registered through. This is who you would transfer away from.
- Created / Updated / Expires — registration date, last modification and renewal deadline. The creation date is also the domain's age, which matters for trust and for search.
- Status codes — EPP codes such as clientTransferProhibited or pendingDelete. These tell you whether a domain can be transferred right now, and whether an expired one is still in its redemption window.
- Nameservers — the DNS servers with authority over the zone, which usually reveal who hosts the site.
- Registrant contact — owner details where they are published. Most records are now redacted for privacy.
Why most WHOIS records look empty now
Since GDPR came into force, registrars redact personal contact details from public WHOIS output by default and publish an anonymised forwarding address instead. That is expected, not an error. The registrar, dates, status codes and nameservers remain public, which is enough for availability checks, transfer planning and troubleshooting. To reach a redacted owner, use the anonymised contact form the registrar provides.
What "no match" means
If the registry returns no record at all, nobody currently holds the name and it is available to register. Availability can change between a lookup and a checkout, so the registry confirms it once more when you order.
Frequently asked questions
What is a WHOIS lookup?
A WHOIS lookup queries the public registry database for a domain name and returns its registration record: the registrar, creation and expiry dates, status codes, nameservers and any published contact details. It is the standard way to check whether a domain is taken and when it renews.
How do I find out who owns a domain?
Run the domain through the lookup above. Where the registrant has not opted into privacy protection, the owner's name, organisation and contact details appear in the record. Most registrars now redact these by default for privacy compliance and publish an anonymised contact method instead, which forwards to the real owner.
Why is the WHOIS information hidden or redacted?
Privacy regulations, chiefly GDPR, require registrars to withhold personal contact data from public WHOIS output unless the registrant consents. Many registrars also sell WHOIS privacy as a product. The non-personal fields — registrar, dates, status and nameservers — stay public.
How can I tell if a domain is available to register?
If the lookup returns no matching record, the domain is not currently registered and is available. This tool shows an availability panel with a direct link to register the name when that happens.
Can I look up the WHOIS record for an IP address?
Yes. Enter an IPv4 or IPv6 address and the tool queries the regional internet registry instead, returning the network range, the organisation it is allocated to, the ASN and the abuse contact for that block.
What does a domain status code like clientTransferProhibited mean?
It is an EPP status set by the registrar that blocks the domain from being transferred until the owner unlocks it. It is a normal anti-hijacking default, not a problem — you unlock it in your registrar account when you are ready to transfer.