MX Lookup
Discover mail servers for any domain
Look up Mail Exchange (MX) records and priorities.
Type a domain to check MX records.
What is an MX record?
MX records list mail servers responsible for receiving email on behalf of a domain.
Understanding priorities
Lower priority numbers are preferred. Multiple MX records provide redundancy if one server is unavailable.
Email troubleshooting
Missing or incorrect MX records can cause email delivery failures or misrouting.
MX records explained
MX records tell email systems which servers should receive mail for a domain. Each entry includes a priority and a mail host.
Lower priority values are preferred. If the top server is unavailable, mail falls back to the next priority.
Example MX record
MX records list a priority and a mail server hostname.
| Host | Priority | Mail Server | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
| @ | 10 | mail.example.com | 3600 |
| @ | 20 | backup.example.com | 3600 |
Lower priority numbers are preferred.
Mail server hostnames should resolve to A or AAAA records.
Error glossary
NXDOMAIN
The domain does not exist in DNS. Check the spelling or registration status.
SERVFAIL
The resolver failed to answer. This can be caused by DNSSEC issues or upstream outages.
Timeout
The DNS server did not respond in time. Try again or check connectivity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all domains need MX records?
Only domains that receive email require MX records. Domains without MX can still host websites.
Why are there multiple MX records?
Multiple MX records provide backup mail servers for reliability and load distribution.
What if MX records point to another domain?
That is normal. The target hostnames identify the mail servers handling delivery.