An expired domain is a registration that has passed its expiration date but hasn't yet been deleted by the registry.
An expired domain is one whose owner didn't renew it in time. It hasn't vanished yet. The registration still exists, but your website and email have usually stopped working, and the clock is running before the name is deleted and anyone can register it.
The term is also used for domains that have already been deleted and re-registered by someone else, especially names bought for their old traffic and backlinks. This page covers both meanings.
What happens when a domain expires
When a domain passes its expiration date, the registrar usually changes its DNS to a parking or renewal page. For a typical .com, it then goes through:
- Grace period: the owner can renew at the normal price.
- Redemption period: about 30 days when the owner can restore it, but with an extra fee.
- Pending delete: about five days when it can't be restored.
- Release: the name becomes available again, and specialist services try to catch it.
The exact lengths vary by registrar and extension, so check your registrar's terms rather than assuming.
How to recover an expired domain
- During the grace period, log in to your registrar and renew as normal. Your site comes back once DNS updates.
- During redemption, contact your registrar and pay the restore fee.
- After deletion, it's first come, first served. You can try a backorder, but there's no guarantee.
- If someone else registered it, you'll need to buy it from them. If they're using your trademark in bad faith, the UDRP may help.
Buying expired domains
Some people buy expired domains on purpose. An older name may have backlinks from other sites, existing type-in traffic or a short, memorable spelling. Most good names are taken by drop catching services and sold at auction, so they rarely reach normal registration.
If you're thinking of buying one, check what the domain was used for before. Look at archived copies of the old site, check for spam history and be wary of names tied to a trademark. Search engines don't automatically pass old rankings to a new owner, especially if the topic changes.
How to stop your domain expiring
- Turn on auto-renew and keep your payment card up to date.
- Use an email address you check for your registrant contact.
- Renew important names for several years at a time.
- Keep all your domains in one account so nothing gets forgotten.
AblePage sends renewal reminders at 60, 30 and 7 days before expiry, and auto-renew is on unless you turn it off.