When Do Domains Drop? TLD Schedules Explained

Why Timing Matters

Drop catching is a speed game. Domains become available at specific moments, and the first successful registration wins. If you don't know when a domain will drop, you're shooting in the dark.

Each registry (the organization that manages a TLD) has its own deletion schedule. Some release domains once daily. Others drop continuously throughout the day. A few have weekly batch deletions. Understanding these patterns gives you an edge.

.com and .net Drop Schedule

Verisign operates both .com and .net, so they share the same drop schedule. This is the schedule that matters most, since .com is by far the most valuable and actively traded TLD.

The drop window is approximately one hour, but all domains don't release at once. They're processed in batches throughout that window. Professional drop catchers start their systems early and run continuously until the window closes.

The unpredictable exact timing is intentional. It prevents anyone from knowing precisely when to strike, theoretically keeping the playing field more level. In practice, services with faster infrastructure and more registration attempts still have major advantages.

.org Drop Schedule

The Public Interest Registry runs .org. Their schedule is similar to Verisign's but with slightly different timing.

.org domains tend to have less competition than .com, partly because the extension has a nonprofit association that limits commercial appeal. That said, short dictionary words and brandable names in .org still attract multiple backorders.

.io Drop Schedule

.io has become popular with tech startups and developers. It's a country code TLD (British Indian Ocean Territory) but used globally as a generic extension.

The distributed drop pattern makes .io harder to catch manually. Domains can become available at any time, so automated monitoring and catching systems have an even bigger advantage here.

Country Code TLDs (ccTLDs)

Each country manages its own TLD independently, leading to wildly different drop schedules and policies. Here are some notable ones:

.uk (United Kingdom)

Nominet (the .uk registry) uses a different model. Expired domains enter a 90-day suspension period, during which the owner can renew. After suspension, domains are either deleted or (for premium names) go to auction through Nominet's own system.

• Suspension Period: 90 days
• After Suspension: Either deleted or auctioned
• Drop Time: Varies. No fixed daily window.

.de (Germany)

DENIC, the German registry, allows immediate deletion without a mandatory grace period. This makes .de unique. A domain can potentially drop the same day it's released by the registrar.

• Grace Period: None mandated (registrar dependent)
• Redemption: No formal redemption period
• Drop Time: As soon as DENIC processes the deletion

.ca (Canada)

CIRA handles .ca with a 30-day auto-renew grace period followed by a 30-day redemption period. After that, domains are released.

• Grace Period: 30 days
• Redemption: 30 days
• Drop Time: After redemption expires

.au (Australia)

auDA manages .au domains with an extended deletion cycle. There's a 30-day grace period followed by release.

New gTLDs (.app, .dev, .xyz, etc.)

The hundreds of new generic TLDs introduced since 2014 mostly follow similar patterns to .com, with 30-day redemption and 5-day pending delete periods. Drop times vary by registry.

New gTLDs generally have less drop catching competition than .com, simply because demand is lower. A good name in .xyz or .club might go uncaught, while the same name in .com would have dozens of backorders.

Quick Reference: Popular TLD Schedules

How to Find Out When a Specific Domain Drops

For any domain you're watching, here's how to estimate when it will drop:

1. Check WHOIS for the current status. Look for "pendingDelete" or "redemptionPeriod" flags.
2. Note the expiration date. This tells you when the deletion process started.
3. Calculate based on the TLD's timeline. Add grace period + redemption + pending delete durations.
4. Watch for status changes. The transition to "pendingDelete" means 5 days until drop (for most TLDs).

The challenge is that grace periods vary by registrar. A domain at GoDaddy might have a 42-day grace period, while the same TLD at Namecheap might have a 30-day grace period. Until the domain enters pending delete, you can't know for certain.

What Happens During the Drop Window

When a domain actually drops, here's the sequence:

1. The registry removes the domain from the "taken" list
2. Drop catching services immediately send registration requests
3. The registry processes requests and awards the domain to the first valid one
4. The winning registrar completes the registration
5. If multiple services catch the same domain, it often goes to auction

This entire process happens in milliseconds. By the time you could manually type a domain name and click "register," it's already gone. That's why automation dominates competitive drops.

Learn More

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