---
id: "reverse-whois"
kind: "glossary-term"
title: "reverse WHOIS"
language: "en"
category: "Registration data and privacy"
updated: "2026-10-04T14:01:23Z"
canonical: "https://tldlog.com/glossary/reverse-whois/"
translations:
  es: "https://tldlog.com/es/glosario/whois-inverso/"
  de: "https://tldlog.com/de/glossar/reverse-whois/"
  fr: "https://tldlog.com/fr/glossaire/whois-inverse/"
  it: "https://tldlog.com/it/glossario/whois-inverso/"
  pt-BR: "https://tldlog.com/pt/glossario/whois-reverso/"
  ru: "https://tldlog.com/ru/glossariy/obratnyy-whois/"
  zh-Hans: "https://tldlog.com/zh/cihui/fanxiang-whois/"
---

# reverse WHOIS

A search that starts from a registrant detail, such as a name, email address or phone number, and returns the domains whose records contain it. Commercial services build it from stored copies of WHOIS and RDAP records. Investigators and brand owners use it, but redaction since 2018 has made it far less complete.

## related terms

- [WHOIS](https://tldlog.com/glossary/whois/)
- [WHOIS history](https://tldlog.com/glossary/whois-history/)
- [redaction](https://tldlog.com/glossary/redaction/)
- [registration data](https://tldlog.com/glossary/registration-data/)
- [cybersquatting](https://tldlog.com/glossary/cybersquatting/)