Network Diagnostic Tools

MX Lookup

Mail servers for a domain

What is an MX record?

An MX (Mail Exchanger) record tells sending servers which hosts accept email for a domain and in what priority order. When someone emails you, their server queries your MX records to find where to deliver. A missing or misconfigured MX record means inbound mail cannot be delivered and messages bounce or vanish.

How MX records and priority work

Each MX record pairs a mail host with a priority number. Lower numbers win: a sending server tries the lowest-priority host first and falls back to higher numbers only if it cannot connect. To balance load across equally capable servers, give them the same priority and traffic spreads between them. A typical Google Workspace setup, for example, points to smtp.google.com at priority 1. The MX value must be a hostname with its own A or AAAA record, never an IP address or a CNAME, or delivery breaks.

How to read your MX lookup results

IPeek lists every MX host for the domain with its priority, sorted lowest-first so the preferred server sits at the top. Confirm the hosts match your email provider: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, your own server or a filtering gateway. Watch for duplicates, typos in hostnames, or trailing dots that signal a misconfigured zone. If the list is empty, the domain has no MX records and cannot receive mail. Cross-check the listed hosts resolve to valid IP addresses before trusting them.

Common MX problems and how to fix them

The most frequent failure is no MX record at all, which forces senders to fall back to the domain's A record or bounce. Pointing an MX at a CNAME violates the spec and many servers reject it, so always target a hostname with a direct A/AAAA record. After switching email providers, stale MX records keep routing mail to the old host until DNS propagates and caches expire. Misordered priorities can send mail to a backup before the primary. Verify changes with a fresh lookup and allow for TTL-based caching.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if a domain has no MX record?

Without an MX record, sending servers fall back to the domain's A or AAAA record and attempt delivery there. If that host does not run a mail server, the message bounces. Domains that handle email should always publish at least one MX record so inbound mail reaches the correct server reliably.

What does the priority number in an MX record mean?

The priority sets the order in which sending servers try your mail hosts, and lower numbers are preferred. A server attempts the lowest-priority host first and moves to higher numbers only if it cannot connect. Equal priorities let servers share load. The actual values are arbitrary; only their relative order matters.

Can an MX record point to an IP address or a CNAME?

No. An MX record must point to a hostname that has its own A or AAAA record. Pointing it at an IP address is invalid, and pointing it at a CNAME violates RFC rules and is rejected by many mail servers. Always target a real mail-host name that resolves directly.

How long do MX record changes take to take effect?

MX changes propagate according to the record's TTL, which controls how long resolvers cache the old values. With a low TTL, changes can apply within minutes; with a higher TTL, sending servers may keep using stale records for hours. Lower the TTL before a planned migration to speed the cutover.

Can a domain have multiple MX records?

Yes. Domains commonly publish several MX records for redundancy and load balancing. Different priorities create a primary-and-backup arrangement, while identical priorities spread mail across equally capable servers. A sending server walks the list in priority order until it finds a host that accepts the connection.

Related tools

Deutsch | English | Español | Français | Italiano | Português | Русский | Українська | 日本語 | 简体中文 | 한국어