WHOIS Lookup: How To Find Out Who Owns a Domain Name

Learn how to use the WHOIS database to find domain owners, so you can negotiate an acquisition and score the perfect domain name for your online business.

Choosing a business name can be equally creative and arduous, especially if all your ideas are taken. Maybe you’ve found the perfect business name, but someone else has already registered the corresponding domain name.

If that’s the case, there’s still hope. You may be able to find the domain owner (also called the domain registrant) and negotiate with them to purchase your dream domain. 

Finding domain registrants is as easy as using the free domain lookup tool WHOIS (pronounced "who is," as in: "who is responsible for this domain name"). WHOIS is managed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the global nonprofit that coordinates the internet’s domain name system. As part of its role in maintaining a stable and secure internet, ICANN requires all accredited domain registrars to provide WHOIS services for their registered domains.

Read on for step-by-step instructions on querying WHOIS and setting up your new domain.

How to find out who owns a domain

1. Navigate to the WHOIS database
2. Search for the domain name URL
3. Detect if the contact information is private
4. Find registrant contact information

1. Navigate to the WHOIS database

Determine the owner of a domain name by going to the Shopify WHOIS lookup tool, where you’ll find key information such as the domain broker, IP address, and current owner—and potentially their contact information.

Note: Some domain owners may employ a domain privacy shield to protect their contact information from the general public.

Use Shopify’s free WHOIS domain lookup tool to find information about any website.

2. Search for the domain name URL

To find domain information, enter the domain URL into the WHOIS search bar and hit the Search button.

First, WHOIS will show basic information: the domain’s history, ID, domain registrar server and URL, and creation date. The example below shows that shopify.com was created on March 11, 2003, and is registered with Markmonitor.

The domain info WHOIS provides looks like this.

You can also select “View more information” to expand the window and see more WHOIS data about the domain name.

Expand your search result for detailed domain registration data.

3. Detect if the contact information is private

Sometimes, instead of directly sharing owner contact information in search results, the WHOIS database acts as a go-between between you and the domain registrant. This protects the domain owner’s identity while still giving you enough information to find a way to contact the website owner.

When contact info is private, don’t lose hope—it just means you’ll need to do some extra sleuthing to find out who owns the domain and how to contact them.

4. Find registrant contact information

If the domain owner’s identity is hidden, do a web search to find information about the company that owns the domain. You might see a Contact Us or About Us page naming the company’s leadership, founders, owners, and so on. If that information isn’t available, you may be able to learn where the company is registered and seek out relevant databases that list information about registered companies.

Look for the secretary of state or department of revenue websites for the corresponding location. For example, suppose a Florida-registered business owns a domain. In that case, you can use local databases to look up business ownership by company name, employer identification number, address, phone number, or even registered agent name. Just remember that the person who owns the business may not necessarily be the same person who owns the domain. 

What to do when you find out who owns a domain (in 5 steps)

Once you know who owns a domain you want to acquire, it’s time to find out how to reach them and negotiate a deal to transfer domain ownership.

1. Contact the domain owner

First things first—you need to contact the domain owner. The tips above might help you find their physical mailing address. But if you want to reach out on another channel—like email—start with a Google search. Simply enter the person’s name on Google to see what comes up. You might also search “[name] email address” or “[name] contact information.” If that doesn’t yield results, check out databases like Hunter or Linkedin.

2. Negotiate a deal to acquire the domain

Once you establish contact with the domain owner, be prepared to negotiate. Have a sum in mind, but expect a counteroffer.

When preparing your quote, consider domain authority or how much search equity the existing site has. If it’s outdated and doesn’t rank high in search engine result pages (SERPs), you can quote a lower fee. However, an updated site with good SEO and a robust digital presence across multiple channels will cost you more.

3. Migrate your site to the new domain

Once you secure ownership, you can migrate your existing site to the new domain. There are several relatively simple options for migrating a site to Shopify.

If you’re starting a website from scratch, skip this step and begin building your website. Shopify makes it easy to connect a third-party domain to your store.

4. Come up with new ideas for your domain name

If you didn’t secure ownership of your desired domain, it’s time to reach out to a different domain registrant or brainstorm new ideas.

Follow these tips to accelerate choosing a domain name: 

• Try a different top-level domain (TLD). A TLD is the series of letters following the dot in a web address. For example, many websites use a .com TLD, but you can check if your desired domain name is available at an extension like .co, .org, .shop, .biz, etc.
• Add a word to your domain name. Words like “shop” and “buy” make excellent additions to your domain name. For example, if shoes.com isn’t available, you could try shopshoes.com or buyshoes.com. Alternatively, opt for a TLD such as .shop or .store.
• Use a domain name generator. Shopify’s free domain name generator will spin your ideas and keywords into creative domain names for your business.

5. Consider domain auctions and marketplaces

Domain auctions provide a middle ground for domain owners and prospective buyers. Escrow services protect both parties by holding funds until the successful transfer of domain names. 

These marketplaces are great for accessing premium domains, but domain costs can add up since some owners use auction-style bidding to get the best price for their premium domain.

How can I protect my privacy online?

Take these privacy measures if you don’t want your details publicly available on the WHOIS database. 

Use a domain privacy service

A domain privacy service swaps your details for theirs on the WHOIS register. This way, whenever someone looks up your domain, the privacy services details come up instead of yours.

Register your domain with privacy protection

Domain registrars often offer to replace your details with theirs during domain registration. Some registrars add this feature for an additional fee. With a few exceptions, Shopify includes WHOIS privacy protection as a standard feature.

Limit personal information on WHOIS records

A WHOIS record typically includes the domain owner’s full name, email address, mailing address, and contact number. If you’ve opted out of a domain privacy service, you can still limit how people access your personal information by:

• Using a PO box, virtual mailbox service, or business address
• Creating a dedicated email for domain registration 
• Using a free business phone number provider

Consider using a business entity for registration

A business entity like an LLC or corporation separates your business from yourself. It’s useful for tax and credibility purposes, and you can use it to register a domain. This will prevent your personal details from appearing on the public WHOIS database.

“If the domain is being registered for a business, make sure to use the business details to register the domain as those details are likely already public,” advises independent UX/UI designer Dave Smyth.

Regularly monitor your domain registration

You can’t buy a domain outright—rather, you lease it from a registrar, meaning you’ll need to renew your contract every few years to maintain ownership.

Registrars often use WHOIS information to contact domain owners regarding issues with their domain, such as transfer requests or renewal notices. Keep your details up to date to avoid missing notifications.

Set up your domain with Shopify

Ready to get started with your new website domain? Registering your domain with Shopify gives you automatic access to Shopify’s full suite of business tools to help you manage your domain and beyond.

Shopify makes it easy to build a successful business online with tools that streamline inventory management, shipping and fulfillment, marketing automations, and more.

How to find out who owns a domain FAQ

What is WHOIS used for?

WHOIS is a protocol for obtaining information about domain names. You can use it to find out who owns a domain, determine its registration and expiration date, and find administrative contact information. It can also tell you which web hosting company a domain is registered with.

What information can you get from WHOIS?

WHOIS is a publicly available database that stores information about domain names and their associated owners. A WHOIS record typically includes:

• Registrant’s name, address, telephone number, and email address
• Registrar’s name, address, and contact information
• Domain’s creation and expiration dates
• Domain name’s server information
• Various technical and administrative fields

Can anyone use WHOIS?

Yes, anyone with access to the internet can use the WHOIS database. WHOIS is a publicly available database that provides information about registered domain names.

Can you find out who owns a domain name?

There are many tools available to find out who owns a domain name:

• Shopify’s Free WHOIS lookup tool
• GoDaddy’s WHOIS domain lookup tool
• WHOIS search tool
• ICANN Lookup
• Namecheap’s WHOIS lookup tool

Are domain owners public?

Domain owners’ information—including their name, address, phone number, and email address—can be accessed from the WHOIS database unless they have opted for privacy protection.

Can the owner of a domain be traced?

You can use a WHOIS lookup tool to trace a domain’s owner. However, some domain owners use a privacy service; in this case, you’ll see the registrar’s details instead of the owner’s personal information.