WHOIS, RDAP and domain privacy

To see public registration details for a domain, such as its registrar, creation and expiry dates, status and nameservers, look it up at ICANN Lookup. That tool uses RDAP, which replaced WHOIS as the authoritative source of registration data for generic domains (like .com) on 28 January 2025. Your personal contact details are normally hidden by privacy or redaction.

WHOIS and RDAP in plain terms

WHOIS was the decades-old way to ask "who registered this domain?". RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol) is its replacement: it answers the same question in a structured, more reliable way. You'll still see "WHOIS" on many websites, including some registrars' privacy settings, and it usually means the same public record.

Look up a domain

1. Go to ICANN Lookup.
2. Enter the domain, for example example.com, and run the lookup.
3. Read the result.

The parts most people need:

• Registrar: the company the domain is registered with. This is where you renew it or change its nameservers.
• Dates: when it was created and when it expires.
• Status: codes such as clientTransferProhibited (transfer lock on).
• Nameservers: the DNS provider in charge of the domain. For an Oogle-hosted domain, two Cloudflare nameservers.
• Contacts: usually redacted, showing the registrar or a privacy service instead of a person.

Country-code domains (like .uk or .ca) may show less, or send you to their own registry's lookup.

What domain privacy does

Privacy (sometimes called WHOIS privacy or redaction) keeps your name, address, phone number and email out of the public lookup. Many registrars apply redaction automatically; some also sell or include a privacy service that puts their details in place of yours and forwards messages.

Privacy doesn't change who owns the domain. You're still the registrant, and your registrar still has your real details, which must be accurate.

Turn privacy on at common registrars

• GoDaddy: the setting is called Domain Privacy, in the domain's settings.
• Namecheap: the setting is called Domain Privacy, on the domain's management page.
• Porkbun: use the WHOIS privacy eye icon next to the domain.
• Other registrars: search the registrar's help center for "privacy" or "WHOIS privacy".

You'll know it worked when

A fresh lookup at ICANN Lookup shows your registrar or a privacy service in the contact fields instead of your personal details. Allow some time for the change to show.

Troubleshooting

• The lookup shows the wrong registrar. The domain may be registered somewhere you'd forgotten, perhaps by a previous designer. Contact that registrar to recover access.
• The expiry date is close. Renew at the registrar shown. See How domain registration, renewal and expiry work.
• You need to reach the owner of another domain. The result usually gives a contact form or the registrar's abuse contact instead of a personal email.
• The nameservers aren't the ones we sent. See What are nameservers?.
• You can't receive registrar emails after turning on privacy. Check the registrant email in your registrar account is current; privacy services forward to it.

Next steps

• Transfer locks and authorization codes, by registrar
• How domain registration, renewal and expiry work