DNS Tools MX Record Checker

MX Record Checker

Free MX record lookup. Check mail exchange records and routing priority for any domain.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is an MX record?
An MX (Mail Exchanger) record is a DNS record that specifies which mail server is responsible for accepting incoming email for a domain. When someone sends an email to you@yourdomain.com, the sending server performs an MX lookup to find out which server to deliver the message to. Without MX records, a domain cannot receive email.
Why does a domain have multiple MX records?
Multiple MX records provide redundancy and load balancing. If the primary mail server is unavailable, the sending server will try the next record in priority order. For example, Google Workspace uses multiple MX records (aspmx.l.google.com at priority 1, alt1.aspmx.l.google.com at priority 5, and so on) so that email delivery continues even if one server is temporarily offline.
What does the MX priority number mean?
The priority number (also called preference) tells sending mail servers which MX record to try first. Lower numbers have higher priority. A server with priority 10 will be tried before one with priority 20. If two records share the same priority, traffic is distributed between them equally. Common values are 0, 5, 10, and 20, though any non-negative integer is valid.
My MX records look correct but email is not working. What should I check?
If your MX records are correct but email is still failing, check these common causes: the MX hostname cannot be resolved to an IP (the A record for the mail server may be missing), the mail server is not listening on port 25, a firewall is blocking SMTP traffic, or recent DNS changes have not propagated yet. Also check your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, as misconfigured email authentication can cause mail to be rejected or go to spam even when delivery succeeds.