MX Record Lookup

Check mail exchange records and verify email server configuration from multiple locations.

What This Checks

Multiple record types (A, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, CNAME, SOA, CAA)Multi-region DNS resolutionPropagation checkingTTL informationReverse DNS lookup

About DNS Lookup

Complete DNS lookup tool that queries A, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, CNAME, and other DNS record types from multiple global DNS servers.

Key Features

Multiple record types (A, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, CNAME, SOA, CAA)

Multi-region DNS resolution

Propagation checking

TTL information

Reverse DNS lookup

Also Available via API & MCP Server

Automate dns lookup checks in your CI/CD pipelines or run them directly from your AI coding agent.

REST API

Single endpoint, JSON response. Integrate into any language or platform.

cURL

curl -X POST https://probeops.com/api/v1/run \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"tool": "dns_lookup", "target": "example.com"}'

Learn more about the API

MCP Server

Works with Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP-compatible IDE.

Claude Code

> Check the dns lookup for example.com

Claude uses the probeops_dns_lookup tool to run
the check from 6 global regions and returns
structured results.

Learn more about the MCP Server

MX (Mail Exchange) records are the cornerstone of email delivery—they tell other mail servers where to send emails destined for your domain. Misconfigured MX records are one of the most common causes of email delivery failures, bounced messages, and delayed communications.

Our multi-region MX lookup tool checks your mail server configuration from locations worldwide, helping you verify that email routing is consistent globally. This is particularly important after migrating email providers, setting up new mail servers, or troubleshooting why emails aren't being received.

Each MX record has a priority value that determines the order mail servers are tried. For complete email security, also check your TXT records for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configuration and verify reverse DNS (PTR) records for your mail server IP.

**Methodology:** MX record queries from 6 global regions showing mail server hostnames, priorities, and resolved IP addresses.

Common DNS Errors & How to Fix Them

4 relevant issues

What This Means

The domain name does not exist in DNS. This means no DNS records of any type were found for this domain.

How to Fix

1) Verify spelling: dig example.com ANY. 2) Check registration: whois example.com (look for "Status: active"). 3) Verify NS at registrar matches your DNS provider. 4) If recently registered, wait 24-48 hours and test with: dig @8.8.8.8 example.com

nxdomaindomain not foundno such domaindns lookup failed

What This Means

The domain exists but has no records of the requested type. For example, querying MX records for a domain that only has A records.

How to Fix

1) Confirm record type exists: dig example.com MX +short. 2) Check all records: dig example.com ANY. 3) Query authoritative NS: dig @ns1.yourprovider.com example.com MX. 4) For MX, verify mail is configured in your DNS panel. For AAAA, IPv6 may not be configured (this is often intentional).

no recordsempty responsemissing record

What This Means

The DNS server did not respond within the expected time. This can indicate network issues, overloaded nameservers, or firewall blocking.

How to Fix

1) Test NS connectivity: dig @ns1.example.com example.com +time=10. 2) Check if NS responds: nslookup example.com ns1.yourprovider.com. 3) Verify UDP port 53: nc -vzu ns1.example.com 53. 4) Test from different resolver: dig @1.1.1.1 example.com. If public resolvers work, your NS may be overloaded or blocking.

timeoutno responsedns slowconnection timeout

What This Means

Different DNS resolvers are returning different values for the same query. This typically occurs during DNS propagation after a recent change.

How to Fix

1) Compare resolvers: dig @8.8.8.8 example.com vs dig @1.1.1.1 example.com vs dig @9.9.9.9 example.com. 2) Check TTL: dig example.com +ttlunits (lower = faster propagation). 3) Check authoritative: dig @ns1.yourprovider.com example.com (should show new value). 4) Wait for old TTL to expire, or pre-lower TTL before changes.

propagationinconsistentdifferent resultsdns not updated

See all DNS errors →

Frequently Asked Questions

4 relevant questions

MX (Mail Exchange) records specify which mail servers handle email for your domain. Each MX record has a priority value—lower numbers mean higher priority. When sending email to your domain, mail servers try the lowest priority MX first, falling back to higher priority servers if needed. For example, with priorities 10 and 20, mail goes to priority 10 first; if it's unavailable, priority 20 handles the mail.

mxemail

Multiple MX records provide email redundancy. If your primary mail server is down, email is automatically delivered to backup servers instead of bouncing. Most email providers recommend at least two MX records. Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and other providers typically give you 2-5 MX records with different priorities to ensure email delivery even during outages.

mxemailredundancy

Without MX records, email delivery to your domain will fail or fall back to the A record (which rarely works for email). Senders will receive bounce messages like "No MX record found" or "Mail server not found." If you're not using email on a domain, you can set a null MX record (priority 0, target ".") to explicitly indicate no mail is accepted, which is better than missing records.

mxemailerrors

DNS propagation is the time it takes for DNS changes to spread across all DNS servers worldwide. When you update a DNS record, the change must propagate from your authoritative nameserver to DNS resolvers globally. Propagation typically takes 1-24 hours, though it can take up to 48 hours in rare cases. The actual time depends on the TTL (Time To Live) value of your records—lower TTLs mean faster propagation but more DNS queries to your servers.

generalpropagation

See all DNS FAQs →

DNS Propagation TroubleshootingStep-by-step guide with examples and troubleshooting tips