Expired .com domains, in plain English
How a .com goes from expired to free, what each status means, and how to register a name yourself the moment it opens — from the registry’s rules and our own daily measurements.
The domain redemption period, explained
A .com in its redemption period has been deleted, but its last owner can restore it for 30 days. What that means, what the owner can do, and the day the name becomes free for everyone.
pendingDelete: the last five days before a domain is released
pendingDelete is the last stage before a .com is released: nobody can restore or register it, and it is released on the sixth day in the daily drop at 12:00 UTC. How to be ready.
How to register an expired .com domain
How to find out when an expired .com domain becomes available, and how to register it yourself at the normal price the moment it does. Free, and for most names no backorder is needed.
Your domain expired: how to get it back
An expired .com can usually still be renewed or restored if you act in time. What to do at each stage, why it gets more expensive, and what to do once someone else can register it.
How to find expiring domains worth registering
Around 100,000 .com names are released every day. Where the lists of expiring domains come from, how to spot the few good ones, and how to register one yourself at the normal price.
How to check a domain's history before you register it
An expired domain can come with a past: spam, malware, a blocklisted email reputation or someone's trademark. Five free checks to run before you register one.
Domain backorders: how they work and when you need one
A backorder asks a drop-catching service to grab a domain the instant it is released. How they work, what happens when several people want the same name, and when registering it yourself is enough.
What makes a good domain name
Easy to say, easy to spell, short, a .com, nobody else's trademark and a clean history. Seven checks that tell you whether a name is worth registering.
Check when a .com becomes available
Type any .com name and get the registry's answer, with the release day for a name on its way out.
How expired .com domains become available
The whole timeline from expiry to release, and what time the daily drop happens.
Domain statuses in plain English
Every status you might see on a domain you want, and what it means for you.
Daily .com drop reports
What happened to the best names at each daily drop: how many were taken, and how fast.