Have your eye on a domain? Use our WHOIS domain name lookup to find out whether it’s available.

Understanding WHOIS

When you register a domain name, ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, requires your registrar to submit your personal contact information to the WHOIS database. This listing will include your name, address, phone number, email address and domain name expiration date. Your website hosting IP address and host name will also be listed. Once your listing appears in this directory, it’s available to anyone who wants to check domain names using a WHOIS search tool.

Who uses a WHOIS domain name lookup?

A variety of third parties may check domain names in the WHOIS search database.

Here are a few scenarios:

• Individuals check domain names for expiration dates
• Registrars check domain names when transferring ownership
• Authorities check domain names when investigating criminal activity

Keep in mind, having your personal information made available to the public can also increase your risk of becoming a victim of hackers, spammers and data miners.

What happens with a Public WHOIS Database Listing

If you're comfortable with having your information available to the public — and don't want the extra fee associated with Domain Privacy + Protection — Register.com will submit a public listing to the WHOIS lookup database. This listing will include your name, address, phone number, email address and domain name expiration date. Your website hosting IP address and host name will also be listed.

Consider a private WHOIS database listing

Because we're an accredited domain name registrar, we must comply with the WHOIS database requirements set forth by ICANN. However, we're committed to your privacy. That's why we offer Domain Privacy + Protection to keep your contact information out of the hands of those who may use it maliciously. This means that anyone who does a WHOIS lookup for your domain name information will find our contact information, not yours.

We believe you should ultimately decide how your contact information will be listed in the WHOIS database. When you're ready to register a domain name, consider your WHOIS options before your personal information becomes available to the public.

Choose Register.com WHOIS Lookup services

Our WHOIS lookup services are designed to help you achieve convenience and peace of mind. And, our exceptional customer service team is here to help guide you through the simple WHOIS setup process, while our private WHOIS database listing ensures your information is protected. You can also use our WHOIS lookup services to find out when that domain you have your eye on is set to expire, as well as who owns it, if their information is public. Choose Register.com for your reliable WHOIS provider.