Free website history checker, no signup. Enter a website or domain name to see how far back its history goes: the first archived copy, the latest one, and how many copies exist for each year. One click opens the site as it looked in any of those years.
What This Website History Checker Shows
- The first copy: the earliest date the Internet Archive saved the homepage.
- The latest copy: the most recent date it was saved.
- Copies per year, from the first year to the last, as a timeline.
- Gaps: the years with no copy at all.
- A link for each year that opens the archived page closest to the middle of that year.
The data comes from the Wayback Machine, run by the Internet Archive, a non-profit library. This page reads its public index and lays the result out in one screen.
How to Check a Website’s History
- Type the website address above, for example
example.com. A full link works too: the checker keeps the domain name. - Select Check history. The answer takes a second or two.
- Read the timeline, then select Open next to a year to see the site as it was.
What a Website’s History Tells You
| What you see | What it can mean |
|---|---|
| Copies every year for many years | A site that has been online and visited for a long time. |
| A gap of one or more years | The site may have been offline or parked, it may have blocked the archive, or the archive may not have visited. |
| A very different page after a gap | The domain may have changed hands. Open a copy before and after to compare. |
| First copy much later than the registration date | The domain was registered and left without a website for a while. |
| No copy at all | A new site, a site that blocks the archive, or a domain that never had a website. |
Before Buying a Domain: Check What It Was Used For
A domain keeps its past. If it carried spam, adult content or a scam, some of that reputation can follow the new owner. Open a copy from each period of the timeline before you pay. Then check the registration with the Domain Age Checker and the technical set-up with the Domain Reputation Checker. The full list of checks is in our guide on how to evaluate a domain name before buying.
What This Checker Cannot Tell You
- Who owned the site. The archive stores pages, not owners.
- The exact day a site went online or offline. It only knows the days it visited.
- Inner pages. The counts are for the homepage. The Wayback Machine link under the result opens the full calendar.
- Sites that asked to be left out. A site owner can ask the Internet Archive to exclude a site, and some sites block its crawler.
How do I check a website’s history?
Enter the website address in the checker above. It shows the first and latest archived copies, the number of copies for each year, and a link to open the site as it looked in any of those years.
Where does the history come from?
From the Wayback Machine, run by the Internet Archive, a non-profit library. Its crawlers visit websites and keep dated copies of the pages. This checker reads its public index.
How far back does website history go?
As far back as the archive’s first visit to that site. Its oldest copies date from 1996: the first copy of apple.com, for example, is dated October 22, 1996.
Why does a website have no history?
Three common reasons: the site is new, the site blocks the archive’s crawler or asked to be excluded, or the domain never had a website. A typing error in the address gives the same result.
What does a gap in the history mean?
The archive saved no copy in that period. The site may have been offline or parked, it may have blocked the archive, or the archive may simply not have visited. A gap alone does not prove the site was down.
Is the first copy the date the website was created?
No. It is the first time the archive saw the site. The site, and the domain registration, can be older. Use a domain age checker to see the registration date.
Can I see who owned a website in the past?
Not from the archive: it stores pages, not owners. Old copies can still help, since contact and about pages often name the business behind the site at that time.