Network & DNS › Network & DNS Tools
MX Record Lookup
mx-lookupCheck mail exchanger records and priorities for a domain in seconds.
Enter a target and run the tool.
Results
| Type | TTL | Value |
|---|
About MX Lookup
MX (Mail Exchanger) records tell sending mail servers where to deliver email for a given domain. Each MX record points to a hostname and carries a priority value — lower numbers are tried first, and higher numbers act as fallback servers. A correct MX setup is essential for inbound email reliability: misconfigured records cause bounces, delays, and spam-filter penalties. Our free MX lookup tool queries DNS in real time and returns every MX record for the domain you enter, sorted by priority, so you can immediately see which servers handle mail and in what order. Use it before migrating an email provider to confirm the cutover, after a DNS change to verify propagation against an authoritative resolver, or as a sanity check when troubleshooting why messages are not arriving. The lookup happens in your browser through a public DNS-over-HTTPS resolver, so the data you see matches what real mail servers will see when they try to deliver email to the domain. No account, no rate limits for normal use, and no advertising injected into results.
Common use cases
- Verify MX records after switching from one email provider to another.
- Diagnose why inbound email is bouncing or being delayed.
- Confirm priority ordering of primary and backup mail servers.
- Inspect a partner or vendor domain before sending bulk email.
- Audit a portfolio of domains for missing or misconfigured MX entries.
How to use this tool
- Type the domain whose mail routing you want to inspect (for example, example.com).
- Click "Run lookup" to query the live DNS for MX records.
- Review each MX record returned, noting its priority and target hostname.
- Cross-check the targets against the mail provider you expect to be receiving email.
Frequently asked questions
What does MX priority mean?
Lower numbers are higher priority. A sending server tries the MX with the lowest priority value first; higher values act as fallbacks if the primary is unreachable.
How long do MX changes take to propagate?
Propagation depends on the TTL of the previous record. After the TTL expires (often 1–4 hours), all resolvers should return the new MX values.
Is it normal to have multiple MX records?
Yes. Most production domains have two or more MX records for redundancy. Receiving the same priority on several records distributes load.
Can a domain have no MX record?
Technically yes — many sending servers will fall back to the A record. Best practice is to publish explicit MX records, even if they point to a "null" entry meaning "this domain does not accept email."