HOW-TO

How to check a domain’s MX record

Look up which mail servers handle a domain’s email and in what priority order. Step-by-step, plus how to read the results.

A domain’s MX records decide where its email is delivered. Checking them is the first move when mail bounces or you want to know which provider runs a domain’s email. Here is how.

Read the hosts and priorities

Run a DNS lookup and open the MX records. Each lists a mail-server hostname and a priority number — senders try the lowest number first, with higher numbers as fallbacks. The hostnames often reveal the email provider (e.g. Google or Microsoft), and each should resolve to an A/AAAA record.

Debugging delivery

A missing MX means mail has nowhere to go; a wrong hostname or a priority mistake misroutes it. If email to a domain bounces, confirm the MX records exist, point at the right provider, and their target hosts resolve.

Step by step

1

Enter the domain in the DNS lookup tool.

2

Open the MX records and read each server hostname and priority.

3

Lowest priority number is tried first; higher ones are fallbacks.

4

Confirm each MX hostname resolves to an A/AAAA record if mail is bouncing.

Try it now — free, no signup

Use the DNS lookup in your browser. Then, when you need it at scale with an API key and higher limits, grab the full Eveses API.

FAQ

What does a lower MX priority mean?›
It is tried first. Higher-numbered servers are backups used when the primary is unreachable.
No MX record — what happens to email?›
Delivery fails; there is nowhere to route the domain’s mail. Some senders fall back to the A record, but you should always set MX.

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