Why are there several MX records?

They provide redundancy. Large providers publish many; a small domain might have one or two.

How long do MX changes take?

As long as the record's TTL. After you change it, resolvers that cached the old value keep using it until it expires, often within an hour or two.

Can an MX record point to an IP address?

No. MX records must name a host, which then resolves to an address. We flag a record that contains a bare IP.

← Free tools

MX record lookup

Enter a domain to see which servers receive its email, in the order senders will try them, and whether each one actually resolves.

What an MX record is

MX (mail exchanger) records are the DNS entries that tell the world which servers accept email for a domain. Each has a priority number: senders try the lowest number first and fall back to higher ones if it is unavailable.

If a domain has no MX record at all, the mail rules say senders should fall back to the domain's own A or AAAA address. Many do, but it is better practice to publish explicit MX records.

Reading the result

We list every MX host in priority order along with the IP addresses it resolves to, and guess the mail provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 and so on) from the host names. A host that does not resolve to an address is flagged, because senders will skip it and your mail may queue or bounce.

A single dot as the only MX record is a null MX: the domain is announcing that it does not accept email, and our checker reports it as such.

When mail is not arriving

Start with this lookup. If the records point at a provider you no longer use, or at a host that does not resolve, that is your answer. If they look right, check the domain's SPF, DKIM and DMARC records with the other free tools on this site.

Frequently asked questions

Why are there several MX records?: They provide redundancy. Large providers publish many; a small domain might have one or two.
How long do MX changes take?: As long as the record's TTL. After you change it, resolvers that cached the old value keep using it until it expires, often within an hour or two.
Can an MX record point to an IP address?: No. MX records must name a host, which then resolves to an address. We flag a record that contains a bare IP.