How to Register an ENS Domain Name
In this tutorial we will go through the steps to register an ENS domain name
In this tutorial we will be using the Metamask wallet on a desktop to perform transactions. You may use other similar Ethereum wallets to register an ENS.
Before we start make sure you have the following:
You have Metamask installed & familiar with making transactions with Metamask
You have some ETH in your wallet. 0.03 ETH should be more than enough to perform the steps below.
Tip: Use the table of contents on the side menu to navigate between the steps.
1. Navigate to the Ethereum Name Service website
2. Search for a name
Once you have connected your wallet, choose a name to search for. In this tutorial we will be registering phinominal.eth.
And we'll find our chosen name is available!
However, there would be times someone else would have already purchased the name you are searching for. If that happens you will have to search for a new name, or wait until it expires and attempt to buy it.
Select the name and proceed to the next step.
3. Register the name
There is three steps to register a name:
Request to register - this step is to reserve the name for yourself.
Waiting Period - this step ensures that only you are able to register the name.
Register - this step actually registers the name.
Before that, you will have to specify the duration of your name registration. In the following screen you will be able to select the number years to register your new name.
Yearly renewals cost $5/year for names that are 5 characters or longer. 4 character names cost $160/year, and 3 character names cost $640/year. Payment will be in ETH equivalent.
Renewals are not automatic! You will need to perform a transaction to renew your ENS name before it expires. Increase the registration period to save on future gas fees!
3.a. Request to Register
Next, click on 'Request to Register' and confirm the transaction:
This transaction will only attempt to lock-in your request and not actually registering the domain. You are only spending gas fees in this transaction, not the full amount of the registration fees.
Wait for the transaction to be confirmed and proceed to the next step!
3.b. Waiting Period
Once the first transaction has confirmed, the 1 minute waiting period will begin.
3.c. Complete Registration
Once the waiting period is over, the "Register" button will be enabled. Click on it and confirm the transaction.
In this transaction you will be paying the full amount! Make sure you have enough ETH or your transaction will not go through.
4. Domain Registered
Once the transaction has been confirmed, navigate back to 'My Account' and you should find your new domain appear on the list of ENS name you own!
Congratulations! You have successfully registered your ENS name!
You will also find a new NFT in your wallet which actually is your new ENS name! Don't lose it, or you will also lose control of your ENS!
Note: 'ENS Domain Name', 'ENS Name' are interchangeable terms!
5. Set Primary ENS Name
While this step is completely optional, it is highly recommended to set it up!
This step is to allow other dApps to be able to perform a reverse lookup from your ENS name to your wallet address.
For example, lets say your friend wants to transfer some tokens to you and they require your wallet address. Instead of remembering and sending wallet address (e.g. 0xcbef7ceb6c10c86b917ecf68161), you may give your ENS name (e.g. phinominal.eth - so memorable!) to your friend and their wallet would be able to translate it to your actual wallet address!
Here's how to do it:
Select "Primary ENS Name (reverse record)"
Select the ENS name you want to associate to your wallet address from the list/dropdown
Press on "Save"
Confirm the transaction
You can own multiple ENS names, but you can only set 1 primary ENS name per wallet, so choose wisely!
Once the transaction is confirmed, you may start seeing your ENS name appearing in supported apps (e.g. Phi, Uniswap).
6. What's Next?
That's it you have completed the minimum number of steps to create and setup your new ENS name!
From here you can:
7. FAQ & Help!
The following FAQ is verbatim from https://app.ens.domains/faq
At step 1, the transaction was slow so I speeded up
Our app cannot currently detect that you sped up the transaction. Please refresh the page and start from step 1 again.
I am stuck at step 2
At times, the counter waits for up to a minute at the end of step 2 to make sure that the Ethereum blockchain has progressed. If this continues for more than 5 min after moving to step 2, please contact us on Discord. Note that if you leave it at step 2 for more than 7 days, it gets reset and you have to start from step 1 again.
My transaction at step 3 failed
This happens occasionally when the USD price changes and you haven't registered with enough ETH. Please try again from step 3. Please also be noted that the registration step will expire if you don't complete within 24 hrs and you have to start from step 1 again.
I cannot see the names I registered on OpenSea nor on my wallet
This occasionally happens when OpenSea is under a heavy load. You may also not find your name under the NFT section of your wallet, as many wallets fetch metadata from OpenSea. As long as you can see your registered name under "My Account" on our site or your ETH address under the name section, your name is registered successfully.
Is it safe to refresh the page, close the browser, or switch to different browser/machine?
It is safe to refresh the page or close the browser once step 1 transaction is complete. However you cannot switch to different devices or machines because it needs a locally stored “secret” which will be used at step 3. Please also do not delete browser history during the registration.
Can you have names with emojis?
Yes.
Is ENS only for storing an Ethereum address?
No, you can store the addresses of over 100 blockchains, a content hash of a decentralized website, profile information such as an avatar and Twitter handle, and more.
Can I register names other than .eth?
Yes, you can import into ENS any DNS name with the required DNSSEC. Please refer to our guide for more detail.
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