Domain age checker

Enter a domain to see how old it is. We read the registration and expiry dates straight from the domain's registry, and check the Wayback Machine for when the site first appeared online.

Free, no signup. Any domain or URL works.

What this tool checks

  • Registration date and exact age in years, months and days
  • Expiry date, with a warning when it's under 30 days away or already passed
  • Registrar, domain status codes and name servers
  • First capture in the Wayback Machine ("first seen online")
  • Whether the domain was online before its current registration, a sign it lapsed and was bought again
  • Works with subdomains and full URLs: blog.example.co.uk is looked up as example.co.uk

Where the dates come from

Registration dates come from RDAP, the official replacement for WHOIS that domain registries now run. It returns the same facts as a WHOIS lookup (created, expires, registrar) in a consistent format, straight from the registry rather than a third-party copy.

Some country-code registries, such as .de, don't offer RDAP or don't publish registration dates. For those, and as a second opinion for every domain, the checker shows the first time the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine captured the site.

If a domain was online long before its registration date, the name almost certainly expired and someone registered it again. That matters when you buy a domain: it may carry an old reputation, old backlinks or old penalties. Check what used to be there in the Wayback Machine.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check how old a domain is?

Enter it above. The checker looks up the domain's registration date in its registry and shows the age in years, months and days, plus when the Wayback Machine first saw the site.

Does domain age affect SEO?

Not directly. Google has said domain age itself isn't a ranking factor. Older sites often rank better because they've had years to earn links and content, not because of the date. A new domain can rank quickly for low-competition searches.

Why is the first-seen date older than the registration date?

The domain was registered before, expired, and was registered again by someone (perhaps the current owner). The registry only keeps the current registration date. Look at old captures in the Wayback Machine to see what the site used to be.

Why is there no registration date for my domain?

Some registries, mostly country-code ones like .de, don't run an RDAP service or hide the dates. The Wayback Machine date is shown instead when the site has been archived.

Is this the same as a WHOIS lookup?

It covers the dates and registrar from WHOIS, using RDAP, its official successor. Owner contact details are left out: most registries redact them for privacy anyway.

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