Note: The ENS App and ENS Explorer are both currently on Sepolia testnet. Behaviour and available features may change before mainnet.
Your primary name is the name apps show instead of your address: it's what makes 0x1234…5678 appear as yourname.eth. Setting it links your address back to your name (this is called reverse resolution).
Default covers every EVM chain. Set the Default row and that name is your primary across all of them. The rows beneath it (Ethereum Mainnet, then the L2s) are optional overrides: set one and it wins on that chain, while Default carries on covering the rest. Most people set Default and stop there.
Steps
Open your address page. Search for your address, or open one of your names' pages, click the Owner address and choose Address.
Go to the Reverse Resolution tab. You'll see one row per network: Default, Ethereum Mainnet (the row reads Mainnet), and the L2s (Optimism, Base, Arbitrum, Linea and Scroll). More networks will be added over time.
On the Default row, click More (the Actions column only appears when you're connected as this address).
Type your name in the Name field and click Update. Explorer shows the estimated cost; click Start, then Open wallet, and approve the transaction.
Check the Forward match column. If the Default row shows False, click Set primary name in the same panel and approve a second transaction. See below for what this does.
Why there are two steps
A primary name only works when both directions line up. Update sets the half that points your address at your name. But apps also check the other direction — that the name points back at your address — and that's your name's ETH address record.
If that record isn't set, the row shows Forward match: False and a warning that the address does not resolve back to this name. Set primary name writes the missing record for you, and the row flips to True. You can also set it yourself from Edit records.
Checking it worked
The row you set shows your name with Forward match: True, and a Primary name tag next to it. The wallet button at the bottom of the sidebar also changes from your address to your name.
Common questions
Do I need to set a primary name for every network?
No. The Default row covers all of them. Set a specific network's row only if you want a different name shown there.
When would I set a different name on a specific network?
Three common cases. Separate identities: you use one name for Ethereum Mainnet activity and another for L2 activity, and want each network to show the right one. Gradual migration: you're moving to a new name and want to roll it out network by network rather than switching everywhere at once. Chain-specific apps: some wallets and explorers check for a network-specific primary before falling back to Default. If none of these apply, set Default and stop. The flow is the same as the steps above, just on that network's row.
What happens if I set both Default and a network row?
The network row wins on that chain. Every other EVM chain keeps showing your Default name. Because a different chain can point at a different address, it can also carry a different primary name; that's the point of the per-network rows.
Can I set a primary name on every network at once?
No. Each network row is a separate transaction; there's no bulk "set on all networks" action. Set the Default row once to cover everything, or repeat the flow on each row you want to differ.
Why does my address still show instead of my name?
Either the primary name isn't set, or the forward match is failing because the name doesn't point at your address. Both need to line up.
Does my name point at my address automatically when I register?
Pointing your name at your address (the ETH address record) and setting your primary name are separate steps from registration.
Why is the Update button greyed out?
The usual cause: the name you typed has no resolver. Update only becomes clickable once the name has one — without it the reverse record can't work, so the button stays muted and no error shows. Set a resolver first (see Change the resolver on your name in ENS Explorer), then try again. The button also stays muted until the field holds a name ending in .eth.
I've approved the transactions — why does the row still show False?
The table reads from an indexer that can run behind the chain. If both transactions have confirmed, wait a few minutes and refresh before treating it as a failure. If it still shows False after that, the forward record is the usual cause; see Why there are two steps above.