Domains

• What if the domain I want is is taken?

  Have you ever searched for a domain and discovered that it has already been "taken" or registered by someone else? If this has happened to you, check out our list of ideas and infographic below, and learn how to get the domain you really want! Try out our Suggestion Tool. Our suggestion tool is one of the hidden gems of Dynadot. Here, you just simply type keyword(s) into the search bar and watch endless combinations of .COM, .NET, .CC, and .TV domains instantly appear. This tool is great because it yields results of the domain names you may have never thought of, and could even generate a result that is better than your "taken" domain. Please note this tool can only be used for .COM, .NET, .TV, and .CC. If your domain name is taken, why not try a different top-level domain (TLD)! Our TLD page offers an assortment of domains. We have hundreds of TLDs to choose from, such as your country's ccTLD, .CO, .ME, .NET, .XYZ, .BIZ, .ORG or .INFO. Additionally, check out our Domain Categories to get more information about domains to choose from. Check our Whois Lookup and see if it is possible to contact the current owner of the domain. If the owner's contact information is available, you can send them a direct message to inquire about purchasing the domain. If the owner's contact information is not available and they use our privacy service, you can email [email protected] with a completed email note, and we can forward your request to the domain owner. If you choose to contact the domain owner, please keep in mind that there is no guarantee that you will receive a response. Track the domains you are interested in with our Watch List feature. When you use Watch List, you can keep track of the status of a domain you want to purchase. If any changes occur with a domain in your Watch List, we will notify you with an email. Learn more about how to add domains to your watch list. Another option is to check out domain aftermarkets, such as Dynadot's domain marketplace, Afternic, and Sedo. Domain marketplaces easily connect domain buyers and sellers together. If you are set on a certain domain owned by someone else, try using a third party agent. Third party agents come in handy because they take out the complication of negotiating with a domain owner. If you're interested in a third party, try Domain Agents. This third party service will help you with domain negotiations and making an offer.

• If I register a domain name through your company, who is the owner? Is it me or Dynadot?

  You are the owner of all domain names that you register through us. As long as you continue to renew your domain, you are the owner. If you do not renew, then the domain is deleted and someone else can become the owner. Dynadot is an ICANN-accredited domain registrar, not a reseller. This means that we have a direct connection with the central registries of the domains we sell. See our blog post on the "3 R's of the Domain Industry: Registry, Registrar, & Reseller" for more information. If you aren't sure if you're considered the owner of your domain, do a Whois lookup to see if your information is listed (keep in mind your information may not be listed if you are using a privacy service).

• What African domain extensions does Dynadot support?

  We support country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) for Africa, but do not have any regional or city TLDs for the region yet. ccTLDs: .SO - Somalia's domain .SC - Seychelles' domain .IO - British Indian Ocean Territory domain .AC - Ascension Island domain .SH - Saint Helena Island domain In addition to these geographically focused TLDs, we also offer several Arabic TLDs and French TLDs. If you want to see more ccTLDs that we support, simply click on the title. You can also check out our full list of TLDs that we support.

• Does Dynadot support the new TLDs?

  Yes, we will be supporting most of the new TLDs that are set to launch starting in 2014 and beyond. We also support preordering the domain name you want before the new TLD launches (for some TLDs)! Want to see what new TLDs will be launching soon? Check out the Launching TLDs section of our TLD page. You can also see the full list of what we support on that same page. Curious what launched in 2014 and 2015? We have a 2014 New TLD Launch Date Infographic and a 2015 New TLD Launch Date Infographic!

• How do I cancel my domain deletion request?

  If you have marked your domain for deletion, you have 7 days to cancel your request before the domain is deleted. To cancel your domain deletion request, please follow these steps: Sign in to your Dynadot account. Select "My Domains" from the left-side menu bar and click "Manage Domains" in the drop-down. In the "Domain Name" column, click on your domain name (which should be a link). Scroll down to the bottom of the page and find the "Delete" section. Press the "Cancel Deletion" button to cancel your deletion request. NOTE: This help article does NOT refer to a Grace Period Deletion request. If you need to cancel a grace period deletion request, you will need to contact us at [email protected]

• What are sponsored TLDs (sTLDs)?

  Sponsored top-level domains (sTLDs) are a type or category of top-level domain that is distinguished by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). sTLDs are specialized domain extensions that have a sponsor behind them that represents a specific community that the domain will serve. For example, .ASIA was sponsored by the DotAsia Organization to be a regional domain for Asia and the Pacific.

• When are the new TLDs launching?

  Not all of the new TLDs have official launch dates yet, but we keep a list on our TLD page under the "Launching TLDs" section. If you want to check out past launch dates, we have a 2015 New TLD Launch Date infographic and a 2014 New TLD Launch Date Infographic. If you are interested in registering a new TLD that has not yet launched, you can check our preorder page where you can attempt to register your dream domain name before it officially launches! (This page is updated as we receive pricing for upcoming new TLDs and may not include all launching TLDs.) You can also visit our blog where you can stay informed about all the new TLD information or check out the New TLD section of our help files. Check out our TLD page to see a full list of the TLDs we support.

• How do I renew my domain?

  If you don't renew your domain, you risk losing it! To renew your domain, please follow these steps: Sign in to your Dynadot account. Select "My Domains" from the left-side menu bar and click "Manage Domains" in the drop-down. Check the box next to the domain name(s) you want to renew and click on the "Bulk Action" button. Choose "Renew" from the "Bulk Action" list. The selected domain(s) will be added to your shopping cart along with any domain privacy that you have with them. Press the "Shopping Cart" icon at the top and follow the "Check Out" buttons to submit your order. You can also renew your domain for multiple years. If your domain has already expired, you may still be able to renew it during its grace renewal period. You can see how much time each domain extension offers for grace renewal on our TLD page. Please note that renewing your domain during its grace renewal period will be at the same price as a regular renewal (you can also see our renewal prices on our TLD page) until the last 10 days, during which Dynadot charges a $10 late-renewal fee. Don't want to forget about your domain renewals? Learn how to set up auto-renew for your domains and our system will take care of the renewal for you! If your domain is past its renewal grace period, you may still be able to restore your domain; however, this will be at a higher cost than a regular renewal. Find out more about the domain lifecycle. New to Dynadot? Use our domain suggestion tool to generate quality domain names that are available for registration. Check out our domain market to buy, sell, or bid on currently registered domains.

• What is stealth forwarding?

  Stealth forwarding is similar to domain forwarding except the domain name stays in the web browser's URL bar instead of being replaced by the new page's URL. This is is why it is called "stealth" forwarding because it appears that the web page displayed is actually part of the domain. So, say that you have a domain named myexample.org, and you want to use stealth forwarding to have your domain point to http://name.somedomain.com. When you use stealth forwarding, http://www.myexample.org will load the index page located at http://name.somedomain.com, however the http://www.myexample.org address will be displayed in the web browser's URL bar instead of the http://name.somedomain.com address. Find out how to set up stealth forwarding. Please be aware there are some drawbacks to using stealth domain forwarding. Stealth forwarding only affects the domain itself. If you want to set up email forwarding with your domain, that is done separately. Dynadot provides domain forwarding, stealth forwarding, and email forwarding free of charge when you register or transfer a domain name to us.

• What does re-registration mean?

  When previously owned domains are released by the Registry back to the public for open registration, there is a fixed window where they qualify as re-registrations (re-reg). The window starts as soon as the domains are released, or dropped, and ends 23:59 UTC that same day. If a domain is registered within that time frame, it is a re-registration.