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MX lookup: who receives email for your domain.
Enter your domain to list its MX records in priority order and see which provider receives its mail. We also check the mail servers' IP addresses on 6 blacklists. Free, no signup, about two seconds.
Opens at the MX result, inside the full report for your domain: MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, 9 blacklists and domain age, graded 0 to 100.
The basics
What an MX record does
MX (mail exchanger) records tell the internet which servers receive email for your domain. Each has a priority: the lowest number is tried first, the others are backups. For cold email they matter twice: with no MX record nobody can reply to you, and spam filters treat a sending domain that can't receive mail as a warning sign.
What this check looks at
- Every MX record on the domain, sorted by priority, with the host each one points to.
- The provider behind them, named for Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Mail, Proton Mail, Fastmail, GoDaddy, Mimecast, Proofpoint, Yandex and iCloud; anything else shows its main host.
- The IP addresses of the top 3 MX hosts (up to 4 addresses) on Spamhaus ZEN, Barracuda, SpamCop, UCEPROTECT L1, PSBL, Mailspike.
Problems and fixes
What the checker can find, and the fix it gives you.
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| No MX records | Add the MX records from your mail provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or your host). Without them, replies to your cold email bounce. |
| Mail server IP listed | Your mail host's IP is listed. Ask your provider, or request delisting on the list's site. |
Example records
- Google WorkspaceMX
@1 smtp.google.com - Microsoft 365MX
@0 yourdomain-com.mail.protection.outlook.com
The honest part
What this check can't tell you.
MX records only decide where mail to you goes. Sending runs through SPF, DKIM and DMARC, so a domain can receive fine and still land in spam when it sends; the full report checks all of them.
More free checks
Check the rest of your setup.
- Full domain check MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, 9 blacklists and domain age in one report, graded 0 to 100.
- SPF checker Free SPF checker: look up your SPF record, count its DNS lookups against the limit of 10 and get the exact fix for each problem. No signup.
- DMARC checker Free DMARC checker: find your DMARC record, read its policy and report address, and get the exact fix. Gmail and Yahoo require DMARC from bulk senders.
- DKIM checker Free DKIM checker: we look for your DKIM key on 23 common selectors (Google, Microsoft 365, Zoho and more) or your own. No signup.
- Blacklist check Free blacklist check: your domain on Spamhaus DBL, SURBL, URIBL, and your mail servers on 6 IP lists including Spamhaus ZEN. Results in seconds, no signup.
Questions
Ballast is cold email software with every feature on every plan. Connect unlimited mailboxes, send sequences at a pace your domains survive, and handle replies in one inbox, priced by the emails you send.
How do I check my MX records?
Enter your domain above. You get every MX record in priority order, the provider behind them and a blacklist check of the mail servers, inside the full report for the domain.
What does MX priority mean?
Senders try the MX record with the lowest number first and fall back to higher numbers if it doesn't answer. Google Workspace now uses one record, smtp.google.com with priority 1; older setups list five aspmx hosts, which still work.
Do I need MX records on a domain I only send from?
Yes for cold email. Replies go to the domain you send from, and with no MX record they bounce. Filters also look at whether a sending domain can receive mail.
Can I have MX records for two providers?
Only one provider should receive mail for a domain. Mixing hosts from two providers sends some of your replies to an inbox you don't read. Moving providers? Swap the records in one go.
Ballast runs this check every night.
For every domain you send from, with sending that pauses before a problem costs you the inbox. Every feature on every plan, from $19 a month.