WHOIS Lookup – Check Who Owns a Domain, Its Age and Expiry Date
A WHOIS lookup shows the public registration record of a domain name. Every time someone registers a domain, the registry for that extension (for example Verisign for .com or PKNIC for .pk) stores who the registrar is, when the domain was registered, when it expires, which nameservers it uses and how to contact the owner. Our free domain WHOIS checker reads that record for you and turns it into a clean, easy-to-read report.
How to Use the WHOIS Lookup Tool
- Enter a domain name such as
example.com. You can also paste a full URL or a subdomain like www.example.co.uk; the tool finds the registered domain automatically.
- Click “Lookup WHOIS”. The tool finds the correct registry for the extension and asks it for the record.
- Read the report. You get the registrar, dates, domain age, days until expiry, status codes, nameservers, DNSSEC, privacy status and contacts.
- Share or save it. Copy a link to the result, download the full report, or press “Refresh” to get live data from the registry again.
What Information Does a WHOIS Record Show?
| Field | What it tells you |
|---|
| Registrar | The company the domain was bought from, such as Namecheap, GoDaddy or MarkMonitor, with its IANA ID and website. |
| Registry Domain ID | The unique ID of the domain inside the registry’s database. |
| Creation date | When the domain was first registered. We use it to calculate the exact domain age in years, months and days. |
| Last updated | The last time the record changed, for example after a renewal or a nameserver change. |
| Expiry date | When the registration ends if it is not renewed. The tool shows how many days are left. |
| Status codes | EPP codes such as clientTransferProhibited that show locks, holds or pending actions on the domain. |
| Nameservers | The DNS servers the domain is registered with. They decide where the website and email are hosted. See what they answer with the DNS Checker. |
| DNSSEC | Whether the domain is signed with DNSSEC, which protects visitors from forged DNS answers. |
| Contacts | Registrant (owner), administrative, technical and billing contacts, when the registry makes them public. |
| Abuse contact | The registrar’s email and phone for reporting spam, phishing or other abuse. |
Why Use a WHOIS Checker?
- Check a domain’s age and trust: older domains with a long registration history are usually more trustworthy than a domain created last week.
- Avoid losing your own domain: see the exact expiry date and renew before it lapses.
- Buy an existing domain: find the registrar and owner contact before making an offer, and make sure the transfer lock is understood.
- Investigate scams and phishing: a brand-new domain pretending to be a big company is a red flag. The abuse contact tells you where to report it.
- Troubleshoot websites and email: compare the registered nameservers with your hosting setup when a site or mailbox stops working, then check the live records with our DNS propagation checker.
- SEO and competitor research: learn how old a competitor’s domain is and which registrar they use.
WHOIS vs RDAP: What Is the Difference?
Classic WHOIS is a decades-old text protocol where each registry returns data in its own format. RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol) is its modern replacement: it returns structured data, works over secure HTTPS, supports international characters and clearly marks fields that are redacted. Since 2025 most generic extensions such as .com, .net and .org publish their registration data mainly through RDAP.
Our tool uses RDAP first, finding the correct RDAP server for each extension from the official IANA list, and falls back to classic WHOIS for country extensions that do not offer RDAP yet, such as .pk. You can view both raw responses at the bottom of every report.
Domain Status Codes Explained
| Status code | Meaning |
|---|
ok / active | The domain is active with no restrictions. |
clientTransferProhibited | The registrar has locked the domain so it cannot be moved to another registrar. This protects against domain theft. |
clientDeleteProhibited | The domain cannot be deleted by mistake. |
clientUpdateProhibited | Changes to the record are locked by the registrar. |
serverTransferProhibited | The registry itself blocks transfers, often for high-value or disputed domains. |
clientHold / serverHold | The domain has been taken offline and will not resolve, often because of unpaid fees or a legal issue. |
redemptionPeriod | The domain has expired; the previous owner can still restore it for a fee. |
pendingDelete | The domain is about to be deleted and released for anyone to register. |
Why Is the Domain Owner Hidden or “Redacted”?
Since the GDPR privacy law came into force, most registries and registrars hide personal details such as the owner’s name, email, phone number and address. Many owners also use a privacy service that replaces their details with the service’s own contact. When this happens our report says so clearly – Redacted or Privacy service – and lists which fields are hidden. We never guess or invent owner information. If you need to reach the owner, use the contact form or the anonymised email address provided by the registrar.
Supported Domain Extensions
The WHOIS lookup works with every generic extension (.com, .net, .org, .info, .biz, .xyz, .online, .store, .tech, .dev, .app, .ai, .io and more) and with country extensions whose registry offers public RDAP or WHOIS, including .uk, .de, .nl, .eu, .fr, .it, .es, .ca, .au, .in, .us and .pk. If an extension has no public lookup service, the tool tells you instead of showing an empty page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this WHOIS lookup free?
Yes. The tool is completely free, with no sign-up and no daily limit for normal use.
How do I find out who owns a domain?
Enter the domain in the WHOIS lookup above. If the owner’s details are public they appear under Registrant. If they are redacted, contact the registrar shown in the report, which can forward your message to the owner.
How can I check when a domain expires?
Look at the Expires card in the report. It shows the exact expiry date and how many days are left, and turns orange when fewer than 30 days remain.
How do I check the age of a domain?
The report calculates the domain age from the official creation date, in years, months and days.
Why does the WHOIS data look different from last week?
Registries update records after renewals, transfers and nameserver changes. Results are cached for one hour to keep the tool fast; press Refresh to load live data from the registry.
Can I check whether a domain is available to register?
Yes. If the registry has no record of the name, the tool shows “Not registered”, which usually means the domain is available to buy.
What is the difference between WHOIS and a DNS lookup?
WHOIS shows who registered a domain and its registration details. A DNS lookup shows where the domain points – its IP addresses, mail servers and other records. To check DNS records and propagation, use our DNS Checker.