ENS App and Explorer are on the Sepolia testnet. Features may change before mainnet.
You can use a DNS domain you already own, like yourname.com, as an ENS name. In ENS Explorer you choose an onchain or an offchain import, then turn on DNSSEC and add one TXT record at your DNS provider. You don't buy anything from ENS: the domain stays with your registrar, and you keep renewing it there.
Before you start
You own the domain and can change its DNS settings at your registrar or DNS provider.
A wallet you control. The TXT record points the name at this wallet's address, and Explorer shows your exact record once it's connected.
For an onchain import, a little ETH for gas.
Onchain or offchain?
Route | What you get | Cost |
Onchain import | An onchain token for the name. You can edit its records and subnames in Explorer. | One transaction, gas only |
Offchain import | The name works from the TXT record alone. No token, and no profile editing in ENS. It can receive funds at an ETH address, which you change at your DNS provider. | Free |
Onchain DNS imports currently run on ENSv1, the older version of ENS. Explorer says you will be able to upgrade them to ENSv2 later.
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What to set at your DNS provider
Setting | Onchain import | Offchain import |
DNSSEC | On | On |
TXT record name |
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TXT record value | Starts | Starts |
Connect your wallet first, then copy the full value from Explorer; it already includes your address. Explorer links to guides for GoDaddy, Namecheap, Dreamhost, Hover and Cloudflare. For another provider, check its help pages for DNSSEC and TXT records.
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Steps
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Search for your domain in Explorer and open its page. Select Import name. If the name already works in ENS through an offchain import, the page says it "resolves off-chain" and shows Import onchain; to switch, see Can I import onchain after an offchain import? below.
Choose a route: Onchain import or Offchain import. Select Begin.
Set up your domain at your DNS provider, as in the table above. Select Connect first, so Explorer shows your full record. Do both in one visit. Explorer shows DNSSEC enabled or DNSSEC not enabled; select Refresh after you change it.
Check the record. Select Refresh. Under Found, Explorer shows the address your record points to. When it matches your connected wallet, there's no warning.
Import. Onchain: Explorer shows the gas cost. Select Import and approve the transaction in your wallet. Offchain: Explorer checks for your record by itself, and you can select the check button to check again. When it finds the record, the page shows your name resolving to the ETH Address in your record.
DNS changes can take a while to spread. If Explorer doesn't see it yet, wait and select Refresh.
What can go wrong
DNSSEC not enabled: turn it on at your DNS provider, wait, then select Refresh.
Record does not match: the TXT record points to a different address from your connected wallet. You can still import the name, but it won't point to your connected address and can't be your primary name. Onchain, the button then reads Import without ownership. The owner is then the address in the record, not your wallet, and you still pay gas. To fix it, change the record to your connected address and select Refresh, or connect the wallet the record already points to.
Common questions
Which domains can I import?
Any DNS domain you own whose ending comes from the ICANN root, such as .com, .org, .xyz or a country code like .uk.
Do I buy the domain from ENS?
No. You import a domain you already own. It stays with your registrar, and you keep renewing it there. ENS charges no fee; an onchain import costs gas only.
DNSSEC is on, but Explorer says it isn't. Why?
Wait a while, then select Refresh. If it still fails, run a DNSSEC analyser such as dnssec-debugger.verisignlabs.com; it names the break. Common causes: a missing DS record at your registrar, or a key type ENS can't read (only RSA/SHA-256 and ECDSA work). WordPress.com doesn't support DNSSEC at all.
Can I import onchain after an offchain import?
Yes. First delete the offchain TXT record (named @, starting ENS1) at your DNS provider. Wait for Explorer to pick up the change, then open the name again. When the import options show, choose Onchain import and follow the steps above. This only goes one way: once a name is imported onchain, it can't go back to offchain.