Where the domain points.
IPv4 (A) and IPv6 (AAAA) answers, CNAME targets and a warning when the apex uses a CNAME.
- A and AAAA listed
- CNAME at the root flagged
What it checks
What does a DNS lookup show?
A DNS lookup asks the public DNS system what each record type says about a domain: which IP addresses the name points at (A and AAAA), whether the apex is a CNAME, which servers receive mail (MX), which name servers are authoritative (NS), and any TXT records, including SPF and DMARC.
SPF is published as a TXT record starting with v=spf1 and lists which servers may send mail for the domain. DMARC is published at _dmarc.yourdomain.com as a TXT record starting with v=DMARC1 and tells receivers what to do with mail that fails SPF or DKIM.
SOA names the primary name server and zone timing; CAA lists which certificate authorities may issue TLS certificates for the domain. This tool reads what resolvers return today; it does not change DNS. For registration dates and registrar, use the WHOIS lookup or domain age checker.
Clear answers,
with the reason shown.
MX, SPF and DMARC.
MX hosts sorted by priority with a guessed mail provider, TXT records, SPF count and DMARC policy (p=).
- Missing SPF or DMARC noted
- More than one SPF flagged
Worked example
Mail on Google, but no DMARC yet.
The fictional northwind-plumbing.example points its site at one IPv4 address, sends mail through Google Workspace, publishes SPF, but has not added DMARC. A lookup of northwind-plumbing.example shows:
https://northwind-plumbing.example/1 to fix
- FixNo DMARC record at _dmarc.northwind-plumbing.example. Receiving servers have no published policy for this domain.
- Domain
northwind-plumbing.example- IP addresses
- 203.0.113.55
- Mail (from MX)
- Google Workspace
SPF: 1 record.
| IPv4 |
|---|
| 203.0.113.55 |
AAAA records: no records.
CNAME records: no records.
| Priority | Host |
|---|---|
| 1 | aspmx.l.google.com |
| 5 | alt1.aspmx.l.google.com |
| Name server |
|---|
| ns1.northwind-plumbing.example |
| ns2.northwind-plumbing.example |
| Value |
|---|
| v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all |
| ns1.northwind-plumbing.example |
| hostmaster.northwind-plumbing.example |
| 2026010101 |
| 7200 |
| 3600 |
| 1209600 |
| 3600 |
CAA records: no records.
Example result for a fictional website (northwind-plumbing.example). It is produced by the checker's own code from the setup described above; run the checker for your own pages.
Google Workspace is a sensible choice, and SPF is present, but without DMARC receivers only see SPF failures in isolation. Add a TXT record at _dmarc.northwind-plumbing.example, start with p=none to collect reports, then tighten to quarantine or reject when you trust the data. Compare registration dates with the WHOIS lookup or domain age checker, and use the HTTP header checker when the site itself misbehaves after DNS looks fine.
Reading the result
How do you read the dns lookup result?
- The summary row
- The domain queried, every IPv4 and IPv6 address returned, and a mail-provider guess from the MX hostnames (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or the first MX host when it is unknown).
- Record tables
- One table per type when records exist; otherwise a short “no records” line. MX rows are sorted by priority. TXT shows the full string, including SPF.
- SPF and DMARC lines
- SPF count comes from TXT values starting with v=spf1. DMARC is always queried at _dmarc.yourdomain and shown with its p= policy when present.
- The findings
- Warnings cover missing A/AAAA, missing MX, missing or duplicate SPF, missing DMARC and CNAME at the apex. DMARC p=none is a note, not a failure.
Common errors
What DNS problems affect email and hosting?
No SPF record
Publish one TXT record starting with v=spf1 that lists every server allowed to send mail for the domain.
Two SPF TXT records
Merge into a single v=spf1 string; receivers treat multiple SPF records as invalid.
No DMARC
Add _dmarc.yourdomain TXT with v=DMARC1 and a policy (start with p=none if you need reports first).
CNAME at the apex
Point the root with A/AAAA or ALIAS/ANAME at your DNS host instead of a root CNAME when you also need MX or TXT.
No MX records
Add MX records at your mail host, or confirm the domain is intentionally not used for email.
When to check
When should you look up DNS records?
Check DNS when mail fails, after a migration, or when verifying a domain you do not control yet.
- After changing web or mail hosts
- Confirm A/AAAA and MX point at the new provider before you turn the old service off.
- When email lands in spam
- Read SPF, DKIM alignment and DMARC together; this lookup shows SPF and DMARC as published in DNS.
- Before buying or transferring a domain
- See whether NS and MX already point somewhere unexpected, alongside WHOIS dates.
- When a site loads but mail does not
- MX and SPF are separate from A records; a working website does not prove mail is configured.
- After a security incident
- Check NS and TXT for records you did not add, and review DMARC policy strength.
Go further
Guides for this check.
More free checkers
Other quick checks.
- Redirect checker
- Robots.txt tester
- SERP snippet preview
- Hreflang checker
- Broken link checker
- On-page SEO checker
- Keyword intent checker
- Keyword density checker
- Schema markup validator
- Schema markup generator
- Robots.txt generator
- Open Graph checker
- Indexability checker
- AI crawler checker
- Sitemap validator
- HTTP header checker
- Backlink checker
- Whole-site audit
Questions
About the dns lookup.
What is a DNS lookup?
A DNS lookup asks public resolvers for the records stored for a domain name: IP addresses, mail exchangers, name servers, TXT strings and related types. This page runs those queries live and shows the answers in tables.
How do I find a domain's MX records?
Enter the domain above and read the MX table. Each row is a mail exchanger hostname with its priority (lower numbers are tried first). The summary row guesses common providers from the MX hostnames.
How do I check SPF and DMARC?
SPF appears in the TXT table as a value starting with v=spf1. DMARC is read from a separate query to _dmarc.yourdomain.com; this tool shows the record and the p= policy when one exists.
Why do DNS changes take time to show?
Each record has a TTL (time to live). Resolvers and browsers cache answers until the TTL expires, so an update at your DNS host can take minutes to a day or more to appear everywhere. Query again after the TTL on the old record.
What does an NS record do?
NS (name server) records say which DNS servers are authoritative for the domain. Registrars and DNS hosts publish NS records so the world knows where to ask for A, MX, TXT and the rest.