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Domains & Hosting

Whois Domain Lookup

Who owns this domain? Find out with Whois.

What Whois can tell you

Using Whois domain lookup is a good way of obtaining information about a domain that has already been registered, such as its date of registration or expiration. You can use our Whois domain lookup tool to find out who owns a domain that uses the following extensions: .com, .net and .shop.

For other TLDs however, you should go through the registry responsible for that particular domain. For example, queries about .org domains should be directed to the Public Interest Registry, while Whois domain searches for .info should be done via Afilias Limited. By going straight to the registrar, you will receive technical data such as the nameserver being used, which means you can determine which provider the domain is registered with.

If you would like to request data about a domain directly at a particular registry, select the respective partner on our registrar page.

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Contacting the domain owner

Whois domain information often includes the personal contact details of the domain owner. In this case, as it’s easy to find out who owns a domain, you can simply contact the owner directly with any queries, such as questions about the availability of the domain.

There are however some notable exceptions. For instance, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into effect in May 2018, means that the personal data of domain owners based in the EU can no longer be published. As a result, if the domain you’re searching for is owned by an individual or organization in the EU, their contact details may not be visible. In addition, Australian domain owners can also use a proxy or a domain privacy service to hide their personal contact details.

In such cases, contact must be established via the registrar, who can forward your request to the domain owner. You may wish to do this to inquire about technical issues or to report the possible misuse of a domain name.

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How Whois domain lookup works

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Whois database

Whois domain searches are facilitated through a Whois database — a central location where publicly accessible information on registered domains is stored. Note: Whois databases no longer provide data for EU-owned domains due to the GDPR.

The registrars that administer the various domain extensions each maintain their own Whois databases. For example, the previously mentioned Public Interest Registry administers a Whois database for .org domains.

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Whois search details

You can use two versions of Whois domain lookup: the domain lookup tool on this page provides you with the domain name, registration date and expiration date for a variety of domain endings. Meanwhile, more detailed information can be found on our registrar page..

Note that contacting the registry directly may be best in some cases — such as the Public Interest Registry for .org domains.

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Privacy

Which data is made public via the Whois service depends on either the respective registry or ICANN (Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers). The registries determine which data is collected.

For instance, as the registry for the .info TLD, Afilias Limited determines what information is listed in the Whois database for those domains.

Enter at least one character.
.info
$1/1st year then $25/year
.online
$1/1st year then $40/year
.site
$0.80/1st year then $50/year
.me
$1/1st year then $25/year
.club
$19/year
.co
$40/year
Domains at the best prices
Find the price of a specific domain extension.
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Domain extensionFirst year fromAnnual renewal
.org
$3
$20
.com
$1
$17
.online
$1
$40
.app
$12
$25
.co
$40
$40
.me
$1
$25

State and local taxes will apply. Click here for our General Terms and Conditions.

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Whois domain lookup Australia

FAQ – Frequently asked questions

Whois lookup can confirm if a domain has been registered or not, this may also provide information such as the Registrar and Registry information as well as the domain status, the created, expiry and updated dates and nameservers for any given domain.

A domain check helps to identify whether or not a particular domain name is available to register. A Whois lookup gives you access to further limited information regarding a registered domain. Should your requested domain name still be available, you can use both the Whois service, as well as carrying out a domain check in order to easily register your desired domain name with IONOS. Furthermore, we recommend suitable domain alternatives in case a particular domain name is registered already. Regardless of whether you use our Whois lookup or domain check tools, our main goal is to offer you the best support possible on your way to your domain name of choice.

Due to the GDPR we will no longer publish your personal data to the Whois database. All personal information is hidden and cannot be accessed, so you can rest assured that your data is safe with us.

Yes, Whois supports .com domains. Just like with other domain extensions, you can look up who owns a .com domain with Whois or whether certain .com domains are available. However, it should be noted that the information available during this .com domain lookup will depend on where the domain is registered; the Whois database is not an independent venture, but deals with multiple registrars that contribute information.

These registrars manage different domain extension categories. For example, domain extensions are broken down into several categories: generic top-level domains (gTLD), new top-level domains (nTLD), and country code top-level domains (ccTLD). The domain extension .com (which stands for commercial) is a gTLD domain and is the most common gTLD, others include .org and .net. gTLDs are international domains and the information on these domains is handled by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). However, due to the GDPR only a limited amount of information will be made available in the .com domain WHOIS lookup search results.