The short answer: a domain becomes available about 75 to 80 days after it expires, if the owner doesn't renew it and nobody buys it at auction first. This tool reads the domain's live registration data and tells you where it is in that process.
What the stages mean
| Stage | Typical length | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Registered | Until the expiry date | The owner has paid. Most domains renew automatically. |
| Grace period | Up to 45 days | Expired, but the owner can still renew at the normal price. Registrars often auction expired names here. |
| Redemption | 30 days | Deleted by the registrar. The owner can restore it for a fee. It stops resolving. |
| Pending delete | 5 days | Locked. Nobody can renew or restore it. |
| Dropped | Available to anyone, first come, first served. Valuable names are usually caught by backorder services within seconds. |
How the drop date is estimated
The tool looks up the domain over RDAP, the registry's official data service, and reads its expiry date and status codes. If the domain is still registered, it adds the typical grace, redemption and pending delete periods to the expiry date. If it's already in redemption or pending delete, it counts from the date the registry last changed the record, which is when it entered that stage.
These are the same rules the DomainIdea Mac app uses for its watchlist. For the full story of each stage, read how domain expiration works.
What to do with the result
- Registered, expiry far away: it's very unlikely to drop soon. Look for a variation, or contact the owner if you really want it.
- In the grace period: check again in a few weeks. Most owners renew here, often when their email stops working.
- In redemption: this is the first strong signal. Decide whether to place a backorder, and watch it closely.
- Pending delete: the name drops within days. If it's valuable, a backorder is the only realistic way to get it.
FAQ
When does a domain expire?
On the expiry date in its registration record, which this tool reads from the registry. Most owners renew automatically, so a date in the future usually just means the domain is paid up until then.
How long after expiry does a domain become available?
For .com and most generic extensions, usually about 75 to 80 days: up to 45 days of grace, 30 days of redemption and 5 days of pending delete. Many names are renewed, restored or sold at auction along the way and never drop at all.
How accurate is the drop date?
Once a domain is in redemption or pending delete, the estimate is usually within a day or two. Before that it's a best case: it assumes the owner doesn't renew and the registrar doesn't sell it at auction.
Why does the expiry date show next year for an expired domain?
Registries like .com renew a domain automatically on its expiry date and give the registrar up to 45 days to collect payment or delete it. If the status shows autoRenewPeriod, the real expiry was a year earlier, and the tool uses that date.
Does this work for country domains like .uk or .de?
It shows the registration data for any extension with an RDAP service. Drop dates are based on the usual generic domain periods, and many country registries use different ones, so treat them as rough.