.path
Is .path a real TLD? Who’s applying to run it?
.path is contested: 3 applications for it are on ICANN’s Reveal Day list, as of 8 October 2026. They are XYZ, Starlight (Namecheap) and Identity Digital. Oinkadot named .path as a backup string for its .sign application. ICANN deactivated it, because another applicant applied for the same string or named it as a backup. GoDaddy Registry named .path as a backup string for its .line application. ICANN deactivated it, because another applicant applied for the same string or named it as a backup. Internet Society Hawaii Chapter named .path as a backup string for its .aloha application. ICANN deactivated it, because another applicant applied for the same string or named it as a backup.
A clean, versatile word for careers, learning, and dev tools, but no group treats it as their obvious home address yet.
developer-tool and API projects (URL/file "path" resonance), plus career, education, coaching, and wellness brands built around journey language
Named on the ICANN gTLD application list, 7 October 2026 as a replacement (backup) string of the applicant's .aloha application, shown as deactivated: another applicant applied for the same string or named it as a backup
Named on the ICANN gTLD application list, 7 October 2026 as a replacement (backup) string of the applicant's .line application, shown as deactivated: another applicant applied for the same string or named it as a backup
Named on the ICANN gTLD application list, 7 October 2026 as a replacement (backup) string of the applicant's .sign application, shown as deactivated: another applicant applied for the same string or named it as a backup
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: a short abstract English journey-metaphor noun with no category or owner behind it, sold as an open registry to coaches, seekers and mission-flavored brands who want the connotation rather than a literal industry label.
Also a direction/navigation noun that doubles as a common product word, betting that advisors, wayfinding tools and how-to publishers will put primary identity on the metaphor plus its literal utility use.
The same generic-abstraction play: an ownerless aspirational noun with no defined registrant class, monetized on broad self-expressive appeal across wellness, coaching and lifestyle rather than on fit to any vertical.
What a .path domain is
.path is not a TLD yet. It is a string on our record of the ICANN 2026 new gTLD round, filed under AI & tech. 3 applications for it are on ICANN’s Reveal Day list.
Is the .path domain extension real yet?
.path is not yet a domain extension you can register: nothing resolves under it, and no registrar sells names in it. It is a string applicants have put forward in the ICANN 2026 new gTLD round, the process that decides whether it becomes one.
When can you buy a .path domain?
You can’t yet. A .path name can only be registered once the string is delegated (added to the DNS root) and its registry opens. Last round's closest parallel to .path was .quest, delegated on 6 February 2016.
Is .path a real TLD?
Not yet. .path is not in the DNS root, so nothing resolves under it. It’s here because .path is on ICANN’s Reveal Day list of applied-for strings. Every entry on this page links to its source.
“NS2662T-T44955 · Neigh Sayer, LLC · primary · contention set 2026-180 PEI2617T-T23468 · Pollux Exploration, Inc. · primary · contention set 2026-180 XL2625T-T51499 · XYZ.COM LLC · primary · contention set 2026-180”ICANN
“ISHC2549-T12787 · Internet Society Hawaii Chapter · replacement string of .aloha · Deactivated NA2631T-T90328 · Registry Services, LLC · replacement string of .line · Deactivated NS2662T-T44955 · Neigh Sayer, LLC · primary · contention set 2026-180 OI2692T-T59039 · Oinkadot Inc · replacement string of .sign · Deactivated PEI2617T-T23468 · Pollux Exploration, Inc. · primary · contention set 2026-180 XL2625T-T51499 · XYZ.COM LLC · primary · contention set 2026-180”ICANN
“For us, moving into the registry side is a natural extension of what we have been building.”Domain Name Wire
- The string is a short, clean English generic with two distinct pulls: a technical one (URL/file paths, routing, developer tooling) and a metaphorical one (career paths, learning paths, personal growth), which broadens the buyer pool but dilutes any single category signal. By analogy with word-generics like .guide, .direct, and .link, such strings tend to see steady low-volume registrations and occasional genuine brand use rather than becoming a category default — adoption almost always needs explaining. Distribution through the applicant, a large registrar (per the verified facts), plausibly lifts retail visibility versus a standalone registry, an inference from registrar-owned TLD channels generally, flagged as analogy. Band 30-49 (usable but limited): it misses 50-69 because there is no identifiable category where .path is a primary-identity default with sustained demand, and it sits above 10-29 because the word is broadly meaningful, brand-friendly, and supports serious use across several verticals. Main market uncertainty: whether the developer/edtech pull is strong enough to seed visible anchor brands, or whether the split identity leaves it as a defensive/long-tail registration.