Note: The ENS App and ENS Explorer are both currently on Sepolia testnet. Behaviour and available features may change before mainnet, and the gas costs shown below are Sepolia estimates — mainnet gas will be materially higher.
Creating a subname (like alice.yourname.eth) is done entirely in ENS Explorer, not the ENS App. It's a two-step job: first deploy a subregistry on the parent name, then create the subname inside it. You need to own the parent name.
Step 1 — Deploy a subregistry (once per name)
In ENSv2, a name can't hold subnames until a subregistry — a contract that manages that name's subnames — has been deployed for it. Names ship without one.
Open your name in Explorer and go to the Subnames tab. If no subregistry is deployed yet, you'll see an empty-state card reading
You must deploy one to create subnames.with aDeploy subregistrybutton.Click
Deploy subregistry. On the deploy page, leaveUse custom registryswitched off unless you want to connect a subregistry contract you've already deployed elsewhere.Click
✓ Deploy subregistryand confirm the two-step transaction flow —Deploy subregistrythenSet subregistry(≈0.0009 ETH combined on Sepolia). You'll sign twice.
Once both steps confirm, the Subnames tab becomes a managed table with a + Create subname button. You only do this once — every future subname uses the same subregistry.
Step 2 — Create the subname
On the Subnames tab, click
+ Create subname.Type the label you want in the
Subnamefield — the.yourname.ethsuffix is added for you.Set the
Owner— it's pre-filled with your wallet address, or enter another ENS name or address to hand the subname to someone else.Click
Create subnameand confirm the transaction (≈0.0002 ETH on Sepolia).
The new subname appears as a row in the Subnames table. It's a full ENS name in its own right — it can hold records, have its own resolver and roles, and be managed from its own Name page.
Common questions
Why can't I create a subname on my name?
The Deploy subregistry and + Create subname buttons only appear for the connected owner, so check you're connected with the wallet that owns the name. If you own it and still see the empty-state card, no subregistry has been deployed yet — that's step 1 above. On legacy wrapped ENSv1 names, a burnt fuse can also block subname creation; the name's Fuses tab tells you if that's the case.
Do subnames cost anything?
There's no ENS registration fee on subnames — the parent name's registration covers the namespace. You only pay gas to deploy the subregistry and to create each subname. Projects that hand out subnames on their own parent name may charge a fee through their own interface, but that's the project's decision, not an ENS one. Subnames don't expire on their own; they last as long as the parent name is registered.
Why does my new subname's Roles tab show an address I don't recognise?
The operator of a new subname is whatever address the subregistry contract assigns by default, which may not be the wallet that created it. That's expected behaviour, not an error.
Can others claim subnames under my name?
A subregistry can be set up to let others claim names under yours — projects that hand out subnames (for example, a DAO issuing you.theirdao.eth) run their own subregistry rules, including whether to charge. Those rules are a decision of the subregistry, not ENS itself.
How much control do I keep over subnames I've given out?
That depends on how your subregistry is configured — see What can the parent of a subname still do?