WHOIS Domain Lookup
Look up any domain's registration record: who the registrar is, when it was registered and expires, what its status codes mean, and how to reach the owner. Read from the registry over RDAP, with WHOIS where a registry still uses it.
How it works
Enter a domain
The lookup finds the right registry for that extension automatically.
Read it in plain English
Dates, status codes and the lifecycle stage are explained, not just listed.
Take the next step
Contact the owner, check DNS, or monitor the domain for free.
See what a full record looks like, with every field explained.
Domain owner lookup: who owns this domain?
A WHOIS lookup shows who manages a domain, but usually not the person who owns it. Most registries and registrars hide the owner's name, email and address, so the record names the registrar instead.
What you can almost always see is the registrar, the registration and expiry dates, the status codes, the nameservers and, for most generic domains, the registrar's abuse contact. That is often enough to judge whether a domain is active, about to expire, or worth contacting someone about.
How to contact the owner of a domain
- Check the website. A contact page, footer email or social profile is the fastest route.
- Use the registrar's contact form. Many registrars forward messages to the owner without revealing their address.
- Report abuse to the registrar. For spam, phishing or malware, email the abuse contact shown in the lookup.
- Make a formal request. For legitimate legal or security needs on .com and other generic domains, use ICANN's Registration Data Request Service. Registrars aren't required to disclose data.
What is WHOIS privacy (“redacted for privacy”)?
WHOIS privacy means the owner's personal details are hidden from the public record. You'll see “Redacted for privacy”, “Data protected” or a privacy service's name instead of a person.
Hiding personal data has been the default for most domains since privacy laws such as GDPR took effect in 2018. It doesn't mean a domain is suspicious, unregistered or abandoned. The registrar still knows who the owner is and can pass messages on.
Business owners sometimes choose to publish their organisation name. When they do, it appears in the lookup as the registrant organisation. For .com and .net, the registry record never holds owner details at all — only the registrar does.
How to find a domain's registrar
Enter the domain above. The registrar's name, its IANA ID and its website appear in the record, where the registry publishes them.
The registrar is the company the domain was bought through and where it's renewed, transferred and managed. It isn't always the same company that hosts the website or the DNS. To see where the domain points, check its nameservers in the record or run a DNS lookup.
Looking for your own registrar to renew or transfer a domain? The lookup tells you which company to sign in to.
Domain status codes explained
Status codes show what a domain can and can't do right now. Codes starting with “client” are set by the registrar; codes starting with “server” are set by the registry.
| Status code | What it means | Does the site work? |
|---|---|---|
ok | Active with no locks or pending changes. | Yes |
clientTransferProhibited | Transfer lock. Stops the domain moving to another registrar without the owner unlocking it. Normal and protective. | Yes |
clientUpdateProhibited | The record can't be changed until the lock is removed. | Yes |
clientDeleteProhibited | The domain can't be deleted by mistake. | Yes |
autoRenewPeriod | The domain expired and was renewed automatically. The owner may still be able to cancel. | Usually |
inactive | No nameservers are set, so the domain points nowhere. | No |
clientHold | Suspended by the registrar, often for an unpaid renewal, an unverified email or an abuse report. | No |
serverHold | Suspended by the registry, often for legal or policy reasons. | No |
redemptionPeriod | Expired and deleted by the registrar. Only the previous owner can restore it, for a fee. | No |
pendingDelete | About to be released. It can no longer be restored and becomes available to register soon. | No |
Based on ICANN's EPP status code definitions. RDAP shows the same codes in spaced form, such as “client transfer prohibited”. Last reviewed October 2026.
What happens when a domain expires: grace, redemption and pending delete
An expired generic domain doesn't become available right away. It usually passes through a grace period, a 30-day redemption period and a 5-day pending delete stage first.
- Expiry dateThe registration ends. The website and email may stop working.
- Renewal grace period (0–45 days)The owner can usually renew at the normal price. The length depends on the registrar.
- Redemption period (30 days)The registrar has deleted the domain. Only the previous owner can restore it, usually for an extra fee.
- Pending delete (5 days)It can no longer be restored. The registry releases it at the end of this stage.
- AvailableAnyone can register it, often through a backorder service on the day it drops.
That makes a typical gap of around 65 to 80 days between expiry and availability. Country-code domains such as .uk, .de or .io follow their own registry rules, so timelines differ.
Want a domain that's about to expire? Watch its status in the lookup, and use the Domain Checker once it reaches pending delete.
WHOIS vs RDAP: what changed
RDAP is the modern replacement for WHOIS. Since 28 January 2025, it has been the official source of registration data for .com and other generic domains.
| Compared | RDAP | WHOIS |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Structured data with consistent field names | Free text that varies by registry |
| Used for | All generic domains and many country codes | Some country-code registries |
| Security | Runs over HTTPS | Unencrypted |
| In this tool | Tried first | Used where the registry's RDAP isn't available |
Each result shows which source and which server answered, so you know exactly where the data came from.
DomainsMesh is an independent tool, not a registrar. Registration data comes from public RDAP and WHOIS services and is shown as the registry returns it. Last updated .
Don't let your own domain lapse.
A lookup is a snapshot. DomainsMesh Monitor is free with a sign-in and records every change to the expiry date, nameservers and certificate on the domains you own. Email alerts are launching soon.