Domain drop date calculator: know the day it drops.
Enter a domain and the calculator reads its registry status: redemption, pending delete or still active. From that it works out the date the domain will be deleted and become available. You can also enter just an expiry date.
- Free
- No sign-up
- Live registry data
How the drop date is calculated
A domain does not become available on its expiry date. For .com, .net, .org and most generic extensions it passes through three stages first: the registrar’s renewal grace period (0 to 45 days), the redemption period (exactly 30 days) and pending delete (exactly 5 days). Only then does the registry delete it.
The calculator reads the domain’s current status and the date of its last change from the registry. In redemption or pending delete the remaining path is fixed, so the result is a single date. For a domain that is still active the registrar decides when to delete it, so the result is a window: the earliest and the latest day it could drop.
How to read the result
- A single date: The domain is in redemption or pending delete. Unless the previous owner restores it during redemption, it drops on that day.
- A window: The domain is active or in its grace period. The earliest date assumes the registrar deletes it at once; the latest assumes the full 45 days of grace.
- Drop time: For .com and .net the daily drop starts at around 12:00 UTC (it moved there from the evening on 1 October 2026). Drop-catching services register the valuable names within seconds, so a manual registration rarely wins.
The expiry lifecycle at a glance
| Stage | Length | Who can act |
|---|---|---|
| Renewal grace period | 0–45 days, set by the registrar | The owner renews at the normal price. The registrar may auction the domain. |
| Redemption period | 30 days | Only the previous owner, for a restore fee. |
| Pending delete | 5 days | Nobody. |
| Dropped | — | Anyone. First come, first served. |
When the estimate does not apply
- The owner renews or restores. Until pending delete begins, the previous owner can still keep the domain.
- The registrar auctions it. Many registrars sell expired domains during the grace period. A domain sold this way moves to the buyer and never drops.
- Country-code extensions. Registries such as .uk, .de or .tr follow their own rules. The calculator shows their registry record but does not estimate a date.
More lookups for the same domain
Related guides: When Do Expired Domains Become Available to Register?, Pending Delete Domains: What It Means and How to Catch One, Domain Redemption Period: Length, Fees and What Comes Next, Domain Backorder: How It Works and Why It Isn’t a Guarantee
Domain Drop Date Calculator: frequently asked questions
When does an expired domain become available?
For generic extensions, between about 35 and 80 days after the expiry date: up to 45 days of registrar grace, then 30 days of redemption and 5 days of pending delete. If the domain is already in redemption or pending delete, the calculator gives the exact day.
What time do .com domains drop?
The daily .com and .net drop starts at around 12:00 UTC. Verisign moved it there on 1 October 2026; before that it ran in the evening, around 19:00 UTC. Names are released over a period of time, not all in the same second.
How do I catch a domain on its drop date?
Place a backorder with a drop-catching service before the drop. Their systems send registration requests the moment the name is released; registering by hand at a normal registrar almost never beats them for a name other people want.
Why does the calculator show a window and not a date?
Because the domain has not been deleted yet. Each registrar chooses how long it keeps an expired domain before deleting it, anywhere from 0 to 45 days, and that choice is not published in the registry record.
Is the drop date guaranteed?
No. It is calculated from the registry’s published status and the standard ICANN periods. A restore by the previous owner cancels it, and the actual release can differ by a day.
Is it worth catching?
Before you pay for a backorder, check what the domain was used for and who links to it.
Check the domain