How to Find Expired Domains: 7 Ways That Work

Every day thousands of domains expire and are deleted. The good ones are easy to miss among them, so the trick is to start from complete lists and filter hard for what you need.

1. Start from the registries' own lists

Registries publish the names they are about to delete: Nominet's .uk drop list, the .se and .nu release lists, .it, .au and deleted .fr names, and ICANN zone data for .com and other generic extensions. Our expired domains list brings them together, and the just dropped list shows names already deleted.

2. Decide what you are looking for

A brand, a keyword or links? Each needs different filters. For a brand, try brandable, short or one-word names. For a keyword, type it into the search box or describe the name you want. For links and history, start with expired domains for SEO, aged domains or names with backlinks.

3. Sort by quality, not by date

Sort any list Best first to see names with the highest quality score at the top, or open top picks and the daily briefing for a short list chosen for you.

4. Look at names that are free right now

Most expired domains are never registered again. The deleted domains list shows names that dropped and are still free, so you can register them at the normal price today.

5. Watch what is about to drop

Pending delete domains drop in the next five days and dropping soon shows the next 24 hours, each with a live countdown.

6. Check many names at once

Have a list of ideas already? Paste up to 500 names or keywords into bulk search to see which are expiring or dropped.

7. Set up alerts

Save any search and add its RSS feed to a feed reader or an RSS-to-email service, and star names to keep them on your watchlist. You will hear about new matches without checking every day.

Found one? Check its history, then read how to buy an expired domain.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you find expired domains?

Use the registries' drop lists, which list names about to be deleted, plus auction houses for names sold before they drop. FreedDomains collects the drop lists and adds history, scores and filters to each name.

What is the best way to find expired domains?

Decide what you need first (a keyword, a brand, or links), then filter a full drop list for it rather than browsing. Save the search and get new matches by RSS.

Can I get expired domains by email or RSS?

Every search has an RSS feed. Paste it into an RSS reader, or an RSS-to-email service, to be told about new matching names.