It's the most common ENS question there is: "I own the name, I pointed it at my wallet — so why does every app still show 0x1234…abcd instead of myname.eth?"
The short answer: pointing a name at an address and getting an address to display a name are two completely different settings. Almost everyone sets the first and forgets the second. Here's how it actually works.
Two directions, two records
ENS resolves in both directions, and they're independent:
- Forward resolution (name → address): "what wallet does
myname.ethpoint to?" This is the ETH address record you set on the name. It's what lets someone send you funds by typing your name. - Reverse resolution (address → name): "what name should I display for
0x1234…?" This is your primary name (sometimes called the reverse record). It's what wallets and apps read to turn your address back into a name.
When an app shows your raw address instead of your name, it's almost always because the reverse record is missing — even though your forward record is perfectly set. Setting the address record does not set the primary name. They are two separate transactions.
The #1 fix: actually set a primary name
Setting a primary name writes a record that maps your address to your chosen name. You can do it on ENS.Tools at /manage/primary: connect your wallet, pick the name you want to represent you, confirm the transaction. From then on, any app that reads primary names will show your name instead of your address.
That single step fixes the problem for most people. If it's still not showing after that, one of the cases below is biting you.
If it's set and still not showing
1. The primary is on a different address
A primary name belongs to one specific address — not to the name. If you set the primary while connected as wallet A, then start using wallet B (a different account in the same app, a hardware wallet, a fresh device), apps see wallet B's reverse record, which is blank. Check which address you actually set it for, and set it again for the address you're using.
2. The forward record doesn't point back
The careful apps require a round trip: they take your address, find your primary name, then check that the name's ETH address record points back to the same address. If those don't match, they reject the name and fall back to showing your address — a deliberate anti-impersonation check.
This is the subtle one. You can have a primary name set and still be hidden because the name's address record points at an old wallet (or isn't set at all). The fix: make sure the name's ETH address record is set to the exact address you set the primary for. Edit records from your dashboard, and verify both sides line up on your public profile page (substitute your own name).
3. The name (or you) moved
If the name expired, or you transferred it to another wallet, the old primary record is now stale — it points at a name you no longer control, so apps drop it. Re-set the primary from the wallet that currently holds the name. While you're at it, set expiry alerts at /manage/notifications so a lapse never silently breaks your identity again.
4. A contract or multisig owns the name
If your name is held by a Safe or another smart contract, you can't set its primary from a normal personal wallet — the reverse record has to be written for the contract's own address. Most Safe-based setups need the transaction proposed from the Safe itself, or use the reverse registrar's "set name for address" flow with the right permissions.
5. The app is just stale
Records are on-chain instantly, but apps cache aggressively. If you've confirmed the transaction and everything above checks out, give it a few minutes and hard-refresh. Some wallets only re-read primary names on reconnect.
Wrapped or unwrapped — it doesn't matter here
Primary names work the same whether your name is wrapped in the NameWrapper or held the classic way. Wrapping changes how ownership, fuses, and subnames work, but the reverse record is set on your address, not the name, so it's identical either way. If you're unsure which you have, it's shown on the name's page.
The 30-second checklist
- Set a primary name for your current address at /manage/primary.
- Make sure that name's ETH address record points back to the same address.
- Confirm you're using the wallet you set it for.
- Check the round trip resolves on your public profile.
- Hard-refresh the app if it's still cached.
Get those right and your name shows up everywhere that reads ENS — which, in 2026, is most places. A primary name is the difference between owning a name and actually using it as your identity.
Once the reverse record is sorted, fill in the forward side too — avatar, bio, socials, multi-chain addresses. Our profile setup guide walks through the rest.
Set your primary name: /manage/primary →