MX Record Lookup
Look up Mail Exchange (MX) records for any domain and find out which mail servers handle its email. Our tool queries DNS-over-HTTPS to retrieve MX records with priority values, mail server hostnames, and automatically resolves each server's IP addresses. See DNSSEC validation status and copy individual records with one click - fully private, 100% free, and no signup required.
Look up Mail Exchange (MX) records for any domain. See priority, mail server hostnames, and resolved IP addresses - all queried via DNS-over-HTTPS for private, encrypted lookups.
Enter a domain name to look up its MX records (e.g., gmail.com, example.com)
Why Use Our MX Record Lookup?
Instant MX Record Lookup
Enter any domain and instantly retrieve all Mail Exchange (MX) records via DNS-over-HTTPS. Our tool queries Cloudflare's encrypted DNS resolver to fetch MX records with priority values and mail server hostnames, all without exposing your DNS queries to your ISP.
Automatic IP Resolution
Each MX record's mail server hostname is automatically resolved to its IPv4 addresses via A record lookups. See at a glance which mail servers handle email for the domain and their actual IP addresses - no manual digging required.
DNSSEC Validation Status
Every lookup includes DNSSEC validation status. Know whether the DNS response was cryptographically signed and verified, protecting against DNS spoofing and cache poisoning attacks that could redirect your email to malicious servers.
Results Sorted by Priority
MX records are automatically sorted by priority (lowest number first) so you can immediately identify the primary mail server. Each record shows its priority badge, hostname, resolved IPs, and includes one-click copy for easy configuration.
Common Use Cases for MX Record Lookup
Email Delivery Troubleshooting
When email delivery fails or bounces, use the MX record lookup to verify that your domain's MX records are correctly configured. Check that the mail server hostnames and priorities are properly set and that the DNS changes have propagated to the resolver.
Mail Server Migration Planning
When migrating from one email provider to another (e.g., Google Workspace to Microsoft 365), use this tool to verify the current MX records before making changes and confirm the new records are correctly set after the migration.
Email Security Audit
Audit the MX records of your domain and subdomains as part of a comprehensive email security assessment. Verify that no unauthorized MX records exist and that DNSSEC is properly configured to protect against DNS spoofing.
Email Provider Comparison
Compare MX records across different email providers to understand their mail server infrastructure. See which mail servers handle email for popular providers like Gmail, Outlook, and ProtonMail, along with their resolved IP addresses.
DNS Configuration Debugging
Developers and system administrators can use the MX record lookup to debug email-related DNS issues. Verify that MX records are correctly set after domain transfers, DNS provider changes, or email service provider switches.
Learning DNS & Email Infrastructure
Students and IT professionals learning about DNS and email systems can explore how MX records route email across the internet. See real-world examples of how different domains configure their mail servers with different priority levels.
Understanding MX Records
What are MX Records?
MX (Mail Exchange) records are a type of DNS record that specifies which mail servers are responsible for accepting email messages on behalf of a domain. When someone sends an email to user@example.com, the sending mail server looks up the MX records for example.com to determine which server to deliver the message to. Each MX record has a priority value (lower numbers = higher priority) and a hostname pointing to the mail server. If the highest-priority server is unreachable, the sending server falls back to the next priority level. MX records are defined in RFC 5321 and are essential for email delivery across the internet.
How Our MX Record Lookup Works
- Enter a Domain: Type any domain name (e.g., gmail.com, example.com) and click "Lookup MX Records". The tool automatically normalizes the domain by stripping protocol prefixes and trailing dots.
- DNS Query via DoH: The tool sends an encrypted DNS query to Cloudflare's DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) endpoint requesting MX records for the domain. Using DoH ensures your DNS queries are private and encrypted, preventing eavesdropping by ISPs or network intermediaries.
- Parsing & IP Resolution: The MX records are parsed to extract priority values and hostnames, then sorted by priority. Each mail server hostname is automatically resolved to its IPv4 addresses via additional A record queries, giving you a complete picture of the email infrastructure.
MX Priority and Failover
- Lower Priority = Higher Priority: The MX record with the lowest number has the highest priority and is tried first. For example, a record with priority 10 is preferred over priority 20.
- Load Balancing: Multiple MX records with the same priority enable load balancing. The sending mail server randomly picks one of the equal-priority servers to distribute the email load.
- Failover & Redundancy: If the highest-priority mail server is unavailable, the sending server automatically falls back to the next priority level. This ensures email delivery continues even if a primary mail server goes down. Most domains configure at least two MX records for redundancy.
- Best Practice: It is recommended to have at least two MX records with different priority values (e.g., 10 and 20) to ensure email delivery redundancy. The backup server should be on a different network or provider.
Privacy, Security & Availability
Our MX Record Lookup uses DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) to encrypt all DNS queries, ensuring your domain lookups remain private and cannot be intercepted by third parties. We do not log, store, or process any queries on our servers - all lookups go directly from your browser to Cloudflare's DNS resolver. The tool is 100% free with no signup, no account, and no usage limits. Note that some domains may have restrictive DNS configurations or firewalls that prevent MX record queries; in such cases, the tool will display an appropriate error message.
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Frequently Asked Questions About MX Record Lookup
An MX (Mail Exchange) record is a type of DNS record that specifies which mail servers are responsible for accepting email on behalf of a domain. When someone sends an email to your domain, the sending server looks up your MX records to find where to deliver the message. Each MX record has a priority value and a mail server hostname.
Enter a domain and click "Lookup MX Records". The tool sends an encrypted DNS-over-HTTPS query to Cloudflare's DNS resolver, requesting MX records for the domain. The records are parsed to extract priority values and hostnames, sorted by priority (lowest first), and each mail server hostname is automatically resolved to its IP addresses via A record lookups.
MX priority values determine the order in which mail servers are tried. The lowest number has the highest priority and is tried first. For example, a record with priority 10 is preferred over priority 20. If the highest-priority server is unreachable, the sending server automatically falls back to the next priority level, providing built-in failover and redundancy.
Yes, most domains have multiple MX records for redundancy and load balancing. Multiple records can have the same priority (for load balancing - the sending server picks one at random) or different priorities (for failover - lower priority servers are tried first, then fall back to higher priority servers if they are unavailable).
Absolutely. All DNS queries are made using DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH), which encrypts the queries so your ISP and network intermediaries cannot see which domains you are looking up. No queries are logged, stored, or processed on any server. Everything happens directly between your browser and Cloudflare's encrypted DNS resolver.
DNSSEC (DNS Security Extensions) cryptographically signs DNS records so that resolvers can verify they have not been tampered with. When DNSSEC is validated, you can be confident the MX records you received are authentic and have not been spoofed or modified by a man-in-the-middle attack. Our tool shows whether DNSSEC validation was successful for each lookup.
If no MX records are found, the domain cannot receive email through standard SMTP delivery. Some domains intentionally have no MX records because they do not handle email. For domains that should receive email, missing MX records indicate a configuration error that needs to be fixed through the domain's DNS provider.
Yes! 100% free with no signup, no account, and no usage limits. Look up MX records for any domain as many times as you need. All queries are made privately via DNS-over-HTTPS.