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. This is an OpenSea display problem, not an ENS one. 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. The piece people miss is the address on the name for that chain. A Default primary name is no exception — it covers a chain only where the name has an address there. Open the name in the ENS App, check the Profile tab's address rows, and add the chain that's missing. It starts showing once that 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 Ethereum 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.
Nothing happens when I select Remove
Clearing a primary name is a transaction, so three things have to be true:
Connect the wallet the name is set on. Only that wallet can clear its own primary name. Another wallet cannot, even if it owns the name.
Keep enough ETH for gas on the network you are clearing on.
Clear it on the network it was set on. A primary name set on Base or another L2 is cleared there, not on Ethereum Mainnet.
If the button still does nothing after all three, contact support with your wallet address and the name. It may be a bug in the app, and we can only find those when someone reports one.
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. This takes from about an hour to a day, depending on the chain. The sync times table in Set a primary name on Base, Arbitrum, or other L2s has the figures. The primary name shows once syncing finishes.
Incomplete — you've set a Default primary name but the Default address on the name isn't set yet. Only one of the two pieces is in place. Open the name in the ENS App, add the Default address, and the status switches to Active once that transaction confirms.
Active — both pieces are in place. The primary name is set.