DNS Record Checker
Look up all of a domain's core DNS records - A, AAAA, MX, NS, and TXT - in one place.
What are DNS records?
DNS records are the phone book for the internet. They translate your human-readable domain into the addresses and instructions machines actually use - where your website lives, which servers handle your mail, and how receivers should authenticate messages from you.
This tool resolves a domain's core records in one pass: A and AAAA (the IP addresses it points to), MX (mail servers), NS (name servers), and TXT (where SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and verification records live). If your DNS records are wrong, your website won't load, your email won't arrive, and your authentication will fail.
The record types that matter
Each record type does one job. For email, MX and TXT are the ones that make or break delivery.
| Type | What it does |
|---|---|
| A / AAAA | Maps the domain to an IPv4 (A) or IPv6 (AAAA) address. This is where a browser goes. |
| MX | Names the mail servers that accept email for the domain, in priority order. |
| TXT | Free-form text. Carries SPF, DKIM, DMARC and domain-verification strings. |
| CNAME | Aliases one hostname to another. Cannot be used on the root domain - subdomains only. |
| NS | The authoritative name servers for the domain. Usually at least two for redundancy. |
| PTR | Reverse of an A record. A missing PTR on a sending IP pushes mail toward spam. |
How to read your results
Every record has four parts: a name, a type, a value, and a TTL (how long resolvers may cache it). When you scan a domain, check that there is at least one A record, that MX records are present if the domain receives mail, that SPF, DKIM and DMARC TXT entries exist, and that the NS records match your actual DNS provider.
For email specifically, four layers all have to be right: MX (where mail comes to you), SPF (who may send from you), DKIM (proof the mail wasn't altered), and DMARC (the policy when SPF or DKIM fails). At any real sending volume this isn't optional, it's table stakes.
How long DNS changes take to propagate
Propagation time is driven by the record's TTL. A pro tip: drop the TTL to 300 a day before a planned change so it takes effect quickly.
| TTL | Propagation time |
|---|---|
| Low (300s) | 5 to 30 minutes |
| Standard (3600s) | 1 to 4 hours |
| High (86400s) | 12 to 48 hours |
| Nameserver (NS) changes | 24 to 48 hours |
Common DNS problems
The most common issues are propagation delays (wait it out; if a change hasn't taken after 48 hours, something else is wrong), conflicting records (two SPF TXT records means neither works and authentication fails silently), and missing records entirely.
The other classic mistake is trying to put a CNAME on the root domain, which the spec forbids - use an A record, or a provider with CNAME flattening like Cloudflare. To clear a stale local cache, flush DNS with ipconfig /flushdns on Windows or sudo dscacheutil -flushcache on macOS.
Frequently asked questions
What DNS records matter for email?
MX records route incoming mail, and TXT records hold your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication. A and AAAA records point your domain to a web server and don't affect email directly, and PTR (reverse DNS) matters for your sending IPs.
What is a TXT record?
A TXT record stores arbitrary text in DNS. Email uses it for SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and domain-verification strings. A domain can have many TXT records, but only one SPF record among them.
How often should I check my DNS records?
After every change, as a monthly baseline, and weekly if you send at scale. Catching a broken or conflicting record early prevents silent authentication failures.
Can I have multiple A records?
Yes. Multiple A records enable simple DNS round-robin load balancing across several IPs. Multiple conflicting SPF TXT records, however, break authentication.
How long do DNS changes take?
Typically 1 to 4 hours on a standard TTL, up to 48 hours for full global propagation. Lowering the TTL to 300 before a change speeds it up.
Next steps
Stop configuring DNS by hand
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