.you Domains Are Ready for Pre-Registration: Complete Guide

Businesses focused on personalized experiences, direct consumer engagement, and community building need a domain name that immediately conveys that personal touch. Most domain extensions are either too generic or use country codes that might have additional requirements, while community-specific domains might not be specific enough in their personal focus.

The new .you domain extension should provide businesses with additional options when creating personalized experiences online, allowing them to start with a strong online presence. Here’s what you need to know about the domain extension and how to register it.

What Is the .you Domain?

The .you extension is a new generic top-level domain (gTLD) that most domain registrars place under the “Community” category. Unlike country-code domains or traditional generic TLDs (like .com or .org), .you is meant to be a more brand-oriented TLD, serving businesses that specialize in community building, personalized content creation, and direct consumer engagement.

The domain is particularly well-suited for companies that create personalized experiences, community platforms, direct-to-consumer brands, and businesses that emphasize individualized client relationships as their primary service offering. And unlike restrictive Brand TLDs, .you is available to any qualifying business or organization that operates with a consumer-focused, personalized approach.

The domain follows a traditional staggered launch, which allows trademark holders and other interested parties to obtain high-value domains that directly correlate to their offers.

Key Information

• TLD Category: Generic top-level domain
• Sunrise Period: August 26, 2025 - September 25, 2025
• Landrush Period: September 25, 2025 - October 6, 2025
• General Availability: October 6, 2025
• Pre-registration: Open at Register.Domains
• Domain Registration Period: 1-10 years

Do You Need a .you Domain?

The main audience for .you domains seems to be businesses and organizations where personalization, community building, or direct engagement with the customer base are a core part of the value proposition. As such, you may be interested in a domain if you belong to one of the following:

• Community platforms and social networks that leverage user-generated content
• Direct-to-consumer brands that emphasize personalized shopping experiences
• Educational platforms offering personalized learning experiences and individual skill development
• Health and wellness services providing fitness, nutrition, or mental health care plans
• Personal financial planners, accountants, or other similar services
• Customization and personalization businesses that create bespoke products or tailored services

However, since the domain is generic, it can also be used by individuals and smaller organizations, such as:

• Entrepreneurs building direct relationships with their audience
• Life coaches and personal development professionals who work one-on-one with clients
• Creative professionals offering personalized design, writing, or artistic services
• Consultants and advisors who provide individualized business or personal guidance
• Influencers, bloggers, and content marketers who speak directly to their audience
• Community organizers focused on building local or niche communities around shared interests

How Can .you Become Important for You

Before the .you domain, businesses wanting to emphasize personalization and direct consumer engagement didn’t have many compelling domain options.

Traditional domains like .com and .org usually conveyed a more general appearance, lacking the niche of a specific community-oriented domain. And with millions of options and virtually no barrier to entry, it was difficult to make a meaningful domain name in that space.

This led some businesses to use country-code domains for creative wordplay, but only a few could qualify for that use directly, such as .me. In most cases, names were made by domain hacking common phrases using words like “it” or “at,” but options could become limited quickly.

Several community and personalization-oriented domain extensions do exist, including .community, .personal, .social, and .club. While some of them might overlap in their focus (such as .personal), businesses could do well registering a .you domain to protect against copycats and expand their online visibility. Alternatively, many generic domains lacked the personalization approach, instead implying platform or group-creation endeavors.

How .you Pre-Registration Works

The .you domain rollout has a traditional three-phase registration with Sunrise, Landrush, and General Availability periods. The Sunrise phase allows trademark holders exclusive first access to domains matching their marks, while Landrush provides pre-registration for the first opportunity at obtaining the domain, but at higher application fees before general availability opens.

Sunrise applicants need to have a verified trademark certificate, which is obtained by validating it with the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) or through its registrar partners. Many registrars can perform the process for you as part of the pre-registration process.

Registration Timeline:

• Sunrise (August 26 - September 25, 2025): Trademark holders with TMCH validation apply for exclusive access to domains matching their trademarks
• Landrush (September 25 - October 6, 2025): Premium applications at significantly higher costs for high-value generic domains
• General Availability (after October 6, 2025): First-come, first-served registration at standard pricing for remaining domain names

If .you seem like the right choice for your personalization-focused business, here’s what you need to do:

1. Document how the domain could become a part of your marketing strategy and consider developing and registering trademarks that show your expertise.
2. Brainstorm some .you domains that represent your personalized service or community platform. Check how you can use “you” as a standalone word to end a phrase that can become your trademark.
3. Go to the Register.Domains pre-registration page, enter your desired domain name, select the .you extension, and click “Search” to check availability.
4. Decide whether to target Sunrise (if you have relevant trademarks), Landrush (for first dibs on domains at a higher price), or General Availability (for standard registration of available domains).
5. Follow the registration instructions and ensure you specify your desired domain name and registration duration preferences.
6. Build up your website and platform or integrate it into your online strategy so you can be ready to port it to the .you domain when it opens for general availability.

Due to the competitive nature of pre-registration, Sunrise applicants with verified trademarks may get priority, followed by the quickest Landrush applications. This means that pre-registration might not result in getting the name you wanted, so have a few backup options in reserve or register for multiple domains to broaden your reach.