A primary name needs both pieces — the primary name on the chain and the ETH Address on the name. If only one is set, it won't show. Match your symptom below.
yourname.eth shows in the ENS App but not elsewhere
If yourname.eth shows in the ENS App but not on the site you're checking, the onchain state is right and the other site is the holdout. Common cases:
Etherscan. Three reasons it might not show:
Weekend maintenance. Etherscan sometimes runs weekend work that hides primary names or shows older ones. Check back in two or three days.
DNS-imported names. Etherscan doesn't display DNS-based ENS names as primary names. The name still works everywhere else that supports ENS.
L2 primary names. Etherscan doesn't read Network primary names yet, so an L2-only setup won't show on its address pages.
OpenSea. Same situation — OpenSea, not ENS. See Fix NFT display problems in OpenSea and other apps.
A wallet or dApp. The app doesn't support primary names yet, or doesn't read ENS records in real time. Try a different wallet or site to confirm.
yourname.eth doesn't show in the ENS App either
If yourname.eth doesn't show in the ENS App's More tab either, the onchain state isn't right yet. Either the transaction didn't go through, or only one of the two pieces is set.
Only one of the two pieces is set. Open the name's profile in the ENS App and check the ETH Address row. If it's empty for the chain you care about, add it there.
A Default primary name covers a chain only when the name has an address set for that chain too. Check the Profile tab's address rows and add any missing chains — the Default starts showing on them once the transaction confirms.
The transaction didn't go through. See the next section.
Transaction won't go through
The primary name transaction needs gas in the right place:
Default or Mainnet primary name — you need ETH on Ethereum Mainnet.
Network (L2) primary name — you need ETH on the L2 itself (Base ETH on Base, and so on) for the primary name transaction, plus ETH on Ethereum Mainnet for the ETH Address transaction.
Top up the chain that's missing gas and try again. If your wallet popup never appeared, refresh app.ens.domains and reconnect your wallet.
If you're trying to update the ETH Address itself and the transaction won't go through, check these in order:
You need to be on the Manager wallet — the wallet that controls a name's records. If you're not on it, the ENS App tells you which wallet to switch to.
You need ETH on Ethereum Mainnet for gas. There's no other cost.
Your name might be on an older resolver. Update to the latest Public Resolver from the name's profile, then try again. See Update your resolver.
Set as Primary Name button is missing
You're connected with the wrong wallet — the button shows only for the ETH Address wallet. Switch to it and try again. See Set your primary name.
What Syncing, Incomplete and Active mean on primary.ens.domains
Syncing — you set or changed a Network (L2) primary name, and the L2 is still spreading the change. Sync times: Base, Arbitrum, and OP Mainnet around 6 hours; Linea 8–24 hours; Scroll around 1 hour. The primary name shows once syncing finishes.
Incomplete — you've set a Default primary name but the ETH Address on the name isn't set yet for that chain. Only one of the two pieces is in place. Open the name in the ENS App, add the missing ETH Address, and the status switches to Active once that transaction confirms.
Active — both pieces are in place. The primary name is set.