Buyer guide · 3 min read
How to check who owns a domain and when it expires
By the Nexta Web Solution team · Updated
The short answer
Run a WHOIS lookup on the domain, for example with GetWhois, our free tool. It shows the registrar (the company it was registered through), the registration and expiry dates and the status. The owner’s name and contact are often hidden for privacy, but the registrar and dates are usually enough to know where to go next.
How to read a WHOIS result
| Field | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Registrar | The company the domain is registered through. Renewals and transfers happen there. |
| Creation date | When the domain was first registered. |
| Expiry date | When it must be renewed. Past this date, the site and email can stop. |
| Status | For example “clientTransferProhibited” (locked, normal) or “redemptionPeriod” (expired, recoverable at a cost). |
| Name servers | Where the DNS is managed, which often points to the hosting company. |
| Registrant | The owner. Often redacted or shown as a privacy service. |
When a WHOIS lookup helps a business
- Checking when your own domain expires, especially if an old developer registered it.
- Finding which registrar account holds your domain before a migration.
- Checking a domain before you buy it from someone.
- Investigating a look-alike domain used for phishing.
Next step: check DNS
If the domain is active but the site or email is not working, run a DNS lookup. A records show where the website points; MX records show where email goes; TXT records hold SPF, DKIM and verification codes.
Do this for your own domain today
- Run a WHOIS lookup and note the registrar and expiry date
- Confirm you can log in to that registrar account
- Make sure the account email is yours
- Turn on auto-renew
- Turn on two-factor login
- Add the renewal date to your calendar