Set Your Primary ENS Name (Guide)

If you have not registered an ENS name, or if you do not own an ENS name yet, then please review our “Step-By-Step Guide” on How to Register an ENS Name.

What is a Primary ENS Name?

The ENS (Ethereum Name Service) protocol has a built-in “reverse resolver” on Ethereum, which automatically works with “Sign-In With Ethereum”, (when a user connects their wallet via EIP-4361/SIWE).

This creates a universal benefit for every Web3 wallet address, by automatically setting “any ENS name as a Web3 username for any wallet address”, (if the wallet owner chooses to set the Primary Name for that Web3 wallet).

On the technical side, a “primary ENS username” is “an ENS name that points to an Ethereum-address” (as its primary name), and at the same time, “the Ethereum-address also reverse-points to that ENS name”. This “reverse resolution” automatically allows Web2 or Web3 “Website, Apps or dApps” to “find-and-display your ENS/Web3 Name”, whenever you connect your Web3 wallet to their website or app.

You can see how this applies on @Worldwide_WEB3:

How Many Name Have Been Set as Primary ENS Names?

We are able to check the statistics of the ENS primary names registered, here.

As of this article, there have been 407,465 user-names that have been registered, and set as unique “Primary ENS Names” for different wallet-addresses.

How to Set Up a Primary ENS Domain Name

The primary address must be set by you through the ENS app, as this is not done automatically when you register an ENS name.

1. To start you must go to the ENS app official site here’s the link:

• app.ens.domains
• app.ens.eth.limo
• app.ens.eth.link

2. Once you connect your wallet to the app you click on “My Account” on the top right.

3. You will then click on the drop-down tab on the Primary ENS name section.

IMPORTANT: If the ENS Name you are expecting to see in this dropdown box is missing.

At this step, if you were expecting to see an ENS name and it does not display in this dropdown box,
then you need to check these additional data fields, and add records if they are missing in the ENS name:

• The “Controller-address” must be your wallet address your control,
  • and be the same wallet address that you want to label as the “Primary Name” for that wallet;
• The “Resolver” record should be set to the “Public Resolver”,
  • which happens automatically if you register you name via the ENS Manager app,
  • but needs to be manually set if you register an ENS name via other sites, like ENS.Vision;
• In the “Cryptocurrency addresses”, you must have an ETH-address set,
  • which is typically the same address as the “Controller address”,
  • and this is the address that tokens are sent to, when this specific ENS name is used as a payment address.

4. Select the name you want as your primary name and then click on save.

5. You will have to pay a small gas fee to complete the transaction.

6. Once the transaction is completed you have now officially your primary ENS name set!

Final Thoughts & Conclusions

When you login to any Web3 website, (which uses “Sign-In With Ethereum”, EIP-4361 or ENS Names), then your Primary ENS Name will be used as your Web3 username within that website or dApp!

Also, if you have other fields set, such as your Avatar-Profile picture or other data, those Web3 sites that leverage those fields will display your data automatically, without having to reset all you data for each website!

The power of Web3 is truly amazing, and your individual power is increased significantly when users owns and controlling the own decentralized digital identities.

Each of your Web3 wallets can have their own Primary ENS/Web3 usernames, to identify each wallet with a human-readable name (if you choose to add them).

Lastly, it is important to note, your ENS/Web3 username for any wallet can use ENS Subdomains. This means you do not need to purchase a unique ENS name for each wallet!