A WHOIS lookup shows public registration details for a domain, including:
- The registrar the domain is registered with
- Registration and expiry dates
- The nameservers it uses
- Its status (for example whether it is locked against transfer)
Personal contact details are usually hidden for privacy.
Using a website
- Go to lookup.icann.org (for .uk domains you can also use nominet.uk/whois).
- Enter the domain name and search.
Using the command line
On macOS or Linux, open Terminal and run:
whois yourdomain.co.uk
Windows does not include a WHOIS command by default; you can download Microsoft's free Sysinternals Whois tool, or simply use a website.
Why it's useful
WHOIS is the quickest way to check when a domain expires, confirm which nameservers it is using, or find out which registrar to contact before a transfer.
