Find your symptom
Most Primary Name problems fall into one of three buckets: the name doesn't show somewhere, a transaction won't go through, or primary.ens.domains shows a status you don't recognise. Match your symptom in the table, then run the fix.
What you're seeing | What it means | Go to |
| Onchain state is right — the other site is downstream caching | Not showing somewhere else |
| Onchain state isn't set yet — either the transaction didn't go through, or only one of the two pieces is set | Onchain state isn't set yet |
Transaction won't go through | Gas is on the wrong chain, the wallet isn't the Manager, or the Resolver is older | Transaction won't go through |
primary.ens.domains shows Syncing | L2 is still spreading the change — wait it out | Status meanings |
primary.ens.domains shows Incomplete | Only one of the two pieces is set | Status meanings |
Set as Primary Name button is missing | Wrong wallet — switch to the ETH Address wallet |
Good to know
If your Primary Name shows in the ENS App, it's set. Other sites and apps catch up on their own schedule.
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.
L2 Primary Names sync at different speeds: Base, Arbitrum, and OP Mainnet around 6 hours; Linea 8–24 hours; Scroll around 1 hour; Mainnet around 1 block.
Etherscan doesn't show DNS-imported ENS names as Primary Names.
Setting or updating a Default or Mainnet Primary Name needs ETH on Ethereum Mainnet for gas — no other cost.
Not showing somewhere else
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 How do I fix NFT display problems with my ENS name in OpenSea or wallet 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.
Onchain state isn't set yet
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. A Primary Name needs both the Primary Name on the chain and the ETH Address on the name. 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.
The same rule explains why a Default Primary Name might show on some chains but not others: the Default covers a chain only when the name has an address set for that chain too. Go to the Profile tab, check the address rows, and add any missing chains. Two common reasons addresses go missing: the address record transaction wasn't approved when you set up the Default, or the records were cleared later. Add them and the Default starts showing on those chains.
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 Mainnet for the ETH Address transaction.
Top up the chain that's missing gas and try again. If your wallet popup never appeared, refresh primary.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 Manager is the wallet that controls a name's records — it can change the ETH Address, set text records, and so on. If you're not on it, the ENS App tells you which wallet to switch to.
You need ETH on Ethereum Mainnet for gas — 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 How do I update my Resolver?
Status meanings 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.
What's next?