Private registration

Before you begin ...

Restrictions for private registration

The following top-level domains (TLDs or domain endings) do not support private registration:

.CO.IN
.CO.NZ
.CO.UK
.IN
.US

Note for .CO.UK Domains: Google Domains does not offer private registration for .CO.UK domain names. The registry, Nominet, requires registrars like Google Domains to collect accurate contact details for all users. Nominet allows some non-commercial domain owners to opt-out of showing WHOIS contact details publicly. See Nominet's WHOIS policies. Domain owners who meet the qualifications can opt-out directly through Nominet's registrant login page.

When you buy a domain you must select a privacy option. The option you select will either enable or disable private registration (see Private registration settings below). You can change your privacy setting at any time.

To turn private registration on or off, do the following:

Click My domains in the navbar and click the domain name.
Click the Settings tab .
Scroll down to Private registration section.
Select a privacy option:
- Make my info private (turn on private registration)
- Make my info public (turn off private registration)

More help ...

About private registration service providers

Private registration is provided by a third-party provider and is subject to additional terms.

Before you enable private registration, please see Third Party Terms of Service.

Private registration settings

Your private registration setting determines the contact information that is returned for WHOIS lookups:

Make my info private - The third-party privacy provider contact information is returned.
Make my info public - Your personal contact information is returned.

Your private registration setting determines the contact information that is escrowed:

Make my info private - The third-party privacy provider contact information is escrowed.
Make my info public - Your personal contact information is escrowed.

Private registration and WHOIS lookups

Private registration helps protect your contact information from spamming and other forms of abuse. If you enable private registration (make my info private), when someone performs a WHOIS lookup on your domain, alternate contact information provided by the third-party privacy provider will be returned. Your personal contact information will not be returned; it will remain private.

The format of the alternate email address will vary depending on whether the registry responsible for your domain is a thin registry or a thick registry:

Thin registries use encrypted email addresses. As a security measure, the encrypted email address will be replaced every 14 days. Example: [encrypted_string]@example.com.[privacy_provider]
Thick registries use non-encrypted email addresses. Example: owner@example.com.[privacy_provider]

Physical mail sent to the alternate address will be forwarded to your personal address on record. Similarly, emails sent to the alternate email address will be forwarded to your personal email address on record. If you enable private registration, make sure you do not mistake these emails for spam.