More on WHOIS queries

WHOIS queries for asn.au, com.au, edu.au, gov.au, id.au, net.au and org.au domain names will return the following information:

• Domain name registrar
• Domain name registrant's name
• Registrant's email address
• Technical contact's name and email address
• Domain nameserver information

Please note that WHOIS queries on .au domain names will not reveal the creation or expiry dates for the domain name or the registrant's telephone, fax or postal address details.

WHOIS queries for .com, .net, .org, .info, and .biz domains will reveal all of the above, plus domain name registration and expiry dates, the registrant's telephone, fax and postal address details; except in the case of private registration - a featured offered by some registration services. In that situation, the contact details of the registrar may display in place of the actual registrant in the WHOIS query results. If you wish to contact the registrant, you will need to do so through the registrar; but there are no guarantees your enquiry may be passed on.

Using WHOIS to locate available domain names

Note: we offer a faster way to search for a name than this WHOIS application - search available Internet domain names here.

If you are using the WHOIS application to confirm if an Internet domain name is available:

For .com, .net, .org, .info, and .biz records, wording to the effect of "no match" or "failure to locate record" will display in instances where a domain name is available. You may need to scroll down the results to locate this wording. If the name is available, you can then register the name from our domain registration page. However, it is simpler and faster to search domain names directly from our registration page.

When using the WHOIS application to check availability of asn.au, com.au, edu.au, id.au, net.au and org.au domain names, an available name will display in the WHOIS query results as "No Data Found". Assuming you meet the eligibility criteria for registering that .au Internet domain, you will then be able to go to our domain name registration page to register the name. Again, it's simpler and much quicker to go directly to our registration page to start your search for an available domain name.

Related: Pick up some tips and review guidelines for choosing an Internet domain name.