.howto
Is .howto a real TLD? Who’s applying to run it?
Nobody has applied for .howto in its own right, as of 8 October 2026. Identity Digital named .howto as the replacement string of its .vibe application. Identity Digital named .howto as the replacement string of its .zen application.
A readable tutorial-style ending that a few creators and help sites may like, but rarely a serious main web address.
creators, educators and support teams publishing tutorials or step-by-step guides, plus a small set of hobby and DIY projects wanting a self-explanatory address
No applications recorded for this TLD yet.
The 2012 applications making the most similar bet. Chosen by AI from every string in that round, without being told what happened to any of them.
Same bet exactly: an instructional phrase-fragment rather than a category noun, so nobody's primary identity sits on it and the value depends entirely on publishers adopting a verb-phrase address for content pages instead of a brand or category home.
Also an instructional-content bet aimed at tutorial and how-to publishers, but it doubles as a recognized consumer-hobby category with an existing self-identifying community of retailers and enthusiasts, which .howto lacks.
A generic noun for the same instructional-content job and the same publisher buyer, though a noun can anchor a site's identity ("we are a guide") in a way a how-to prefix mostly cannot.
What a .howto domain is
.howto is not a TLD yet. It is a string on our record of the ICANN 2026 new gTLD round, filed under Culture. Nobody has applied for .howto in its own right. It is named on ICANN’s list as part of an application for another string.
Is the .howto domain extension real yet?
.howto is not yet a domain extension you can register: nothing resolves under it, and no registrar sells names in it. Nobody has applied for it on the public record; the ICANN 2026 new gTLD round is the process that would decide whether it becomes one.
When can you buy a .howto domain?
You can’t yet. ICANN publishes every applied-for string on Reveal Day, 7 October 2026 at 18:00 UTC. A .howto name can only be registered after that, once the string is delegated and its registry opens. Last round's closest parallel to .howto was .how, delegated on 16 August 2014.
Is .howto a real TLD?
Not yet. .howto is not in the DNS root, so nothing resolves under it. It’s here because ICANN’s list names .howto as part of an application for another string. Every entry on this page links to its source.
- Band chosen: 10-29 (vanity/narrow), at the top of the band. The string reads as a natural phrase and signals instructional content clearly, which is its main asset. By analogy (flagged as analogy) to existing instructional and help-flavoured endings such as .how, .guide, .tips and .help, demand for this kind of string has tended to be modest, price-sensitive and concentrated in secondary or project sites rather than primary brand identities; such endings have generally not built a meaningful aftermarket. It is not in the 30-49 band because there is little sign, by analogy, that instructional endings reach steady volume registrations or carry a brand signal that buyers pay for beyond a small set of keyword-style matches. It is not in the 1-9 band because the phrase is memorable, pairs well with left-of-dot verbs and topics (a real if small end-use case for tutorial channels and knowledge bases), and the recorded applicant is an established portfolio registry, which by analogy tends to mean wide registrar distribution rather than a shelved string. The application on the record is a replacement string for .zen, which I note neutrally; delegation is assumed per the rules. Main market uncertainty: whether creator and support-content publishers would adopt a dedicated address for guides at all, or whether tutorial content stays on established platforms and existing brand domains, which would hold this nearer the bottom of its band.