What's behind any domain?
Enter any domain to see its owner, registrar, registration and expiry dates, nameservers and status.
About Whois Lookup
Whois is the public registry of domain names: it tells you whether a name is taken or free, when it was registered, when it expires, which registrar holds it and which nameservers it points to. This tool reads that answer straight from the Whois server of the relevant extension and shows you the raw response too. One thing that surprises people: since GDPR took effect in 2018, most registrars redact the owner name, email and phone from public Whois — so empty owner fields are not a fault in the domain.
How to use Whois Lookup
- 1
Type the domain with its extension — for example example.com or example.ir.
- 2
Press the lookup button; the answer comes straight from that extension Whois server.
- 3
Read the status: if it is free you can register it right here, and if it is taken you can search for similar available names.
- 4
Open the full response for the complete text the registrar returned.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the owner information hidden?
Because of the EU privacy regulation (GDPR), most registrars have redacted personal owner details from public Whois since 2018. The redaction is deliberate and says nothing about the health of the domain.
The expiry date has passed but the domain still works. Why?
After expiry there is a grace period (usually 30 days) and then a redemption period (roughly another 30). During that window the domain still belongs to its previous owner and does not become available, which is why expired and registrable are not the same thing.
It says free, but registration fails as taken. Why?
Three common causes: it was registered minutes ago and Whois has not caught up, it is reserved by the registry (blocked words or very short names), or the extension has special eligibility rules. The check at purchase time is always more authoritative than Whois.
How is Whois different from DNS?
Whois is about ownership — who, since when, until when. DNS is about routing — where this name points. Use our separate DNS tools to inspect records.
Are .ir domains supported?
Yes. Answers for .ir come from the IRNIC Whois server; the layout differs slightly from international extensions but carries the same core facts.
How do I check a domain I want to buy has no bad history?
A very old registration date with many nameserver changes can indicate a second-hand domain. Before buying, search the name on Google and in the Internet Archive to see what it was used for.