MX Lookup
Look up the mail exchanger (MX) records of a domain: which mail servers accept its email, in which priority order, with their IP addresses and the email provider behind them.
Other records of the same domain: TXT Lookup (SPF, DMARC, verification tokens), A Record Lookup, CNAME Lookup.
Frequently asked questions
What is a mail exchanger (MX) record?
The DNS record that tells other mail servers where to deliver email for a domain. Each MX record names a mail exchanger host and a priority number. Without one, mail to the domain has nowhere reliable to go.
What does the MX priority number mean?
Lower is tried first. Senders deliver to the lowest-priority mail exchanger and fall back to the next one only if it does not answer. Two records with the same priority share the load.
Can an MX record point to an IP address or a CNAME?
No. An MX record must name a host that has its own A or AAAA record. Pointing it at a bare IP or a CNAME breaks the standard, and some senders refuse to deliver.
What if a domain has no MX record?
Senders fall back to the domain's A record and try to deliver there, which usually fails. A domain that should never receive mail can say so explicitly with a null MX record: priority 0 and a single dot as the host.
How long does an MX record change take?
As long as the old record's TTL, often one hour, sometimes a day. Check the change across resolvers with the DNS Propagation Checker, and keep the old mail server accepting mail until it has propagated.