---
title: "28 days, not 90: the ENSv2 grace period and how not to lose a name"
description: "ENSv2 names get 28 days of grace instead of 90. Why upgrading doesn't move your release date, and the three rules that keep your names safe."
published: "2026-11-02"
author: "ENS.Tools"
canonical: "https://ens.tools/blog/ensv2-grace-period-28-days"
readingMinutes: 5
tag: "Guide"
---

# 28 days, not 90: the ENSv2 grace period and how not to lose a name

ENSv2 names get 28 days of grace instead of 90. Why upgrading doesn't move your release date, and the three rules that keep your names safe.

For years the rule of thumb was simple: if your `.eth` name expires, you have 90 days to renew it before anyone else can take it. Since ENSv2 went live on 27 October 2026, that is only half true. Some of your names may now have **28 days**.

## Which clock is your name on?

- **ENSv1 names you haven't upgraded:** 90 days of grace after expiry, as before.
- **ENSv2 names** (every new registration, and every name you upgrade): 28 days of grace.

During grace the name stops resolving and can't be transferred, but you can still renew it at the normal price and nobody else can register it. After grace, the name enters a 21-day **Price Cooldown** with a decaying premium. Then it is open to anyone at the standard price.

## Upgrading doesn't cost you any time

ENS anticipated the obvious objection. When you upgrade a name from ENSv1 to ENSv2, its expiry moves **62 days later**. 62 days plus 28 days of grace is 90, so the date your name would be released stays exactly the same.

What changes is the warning you get. An ENSv1 name that expires today quietly sits in grace for three months. An upgraded name's expiry date is two months further out, and once that date passes you have four weeks. If you rely on noticing that your name has stopped resolving, you now have much less time to act.

## Three rules for the 28-day era

1. **Know which protocol each name is on.** Every domain page on ENS.Tools now shows an **ENSv1** or **ENSv2** badge. Hover it to see that name's grace period, how it renews and whether it can be traded.
2. **Renew before you upgrade.** A name in grace can't be upgraded. Renew it first, in USDC, then upgrade it in the official ENS App.
3. **Set reminders that know the difference.** ENS.Tools reminders, calendar exports and calendar feeds use 28 days of grace for ENSv2 names and 90 only for names we have confirmed are still ENSv1. When we can't tell, we assume 28. We would rather remind you early than too late.

[Check my names](/dashboard)[Set up reminders](/manage/notifications)

## The cheapest insurance: a longer term

The simplest way never to see a grace period is never to get near one. ENSv2 discounts multi-year renewals: about 31% off for three to five years and about 44% off for six or more. On ENS.Tools you can renew any mix of ENSv1 and ENSv2 names in one USDC checkout, for up to 10 years, with no ENS.Tools fee. [How the checkout works](/blog/renew-ens-names-in-usdc-ensv2).

## The other side: names coming back to market

Shorter grace periods also mean upgraded names that their owners forget return to the market sooner after the expiry date. If you collect names, [Expiry Explorer](/find/expiry) tracks names in grace and in Price Cooldown. Put the ones you want on your [watchlist](/manage/watchlist) and turn on email alerts.

## Before you upgrade, check:

- the name is not in grace (renew first);
- you have a little ETH for gas, because upgrading is a transaction;
- you are fine with existing marketplace listings and offers ending, because the ENSv1 token is retired when a name upgrades; and
- upgrading is optional, permanent and has no deadline, so there is no rush.

[See an ENSv2 badge](/domain/nick.eth)[Everything that changed in ENSv2](/blog/ensv2-what-changes-for-name-holders)