MX Checker
Look up the mail servers responsible for receiving email for any domain, sorted by priority.
| Priority | Mail server |
|---|
About the MX Checker
MX records tell the rest of the internet which mail servers are responsible for handling email sent to your domain. Misconfigured or missing MX records are one of the most common reasons email silently fails to arrive, often with no warning to the sender. This tool checks your domain's MX records, their priority order, and whether each listed mail server actually resolves and responds, giving you a clear picture of whether email is set up correctly before a problem shows up in someone's inbox.
How it works
DNSbyte queries the domain's MX records directly from its name servers, then checks each returned mail server hostname for a valid A or AAAA record, since an MX record pointing to a hostname that does not resolve is effectively broken. Results are shown in priority order, lower numbers are tried first by sending mail servers, with higher numbers acting as fallback or backup servers if the primary is unavailable.
A domain can have multiple MX records at the same priority, which spreads incoming mail across servers for load balancing, or at different priorities, which creates a clear primary and backup order. Either is valid, the right setup depends on your mail provider's recommendation.
Frequently asked questions
My domain has no MX records, does that mean I cannot receive email?
Correct, without at least one valid MX record, other mail servers have nowhere to deliver email addressed to your domain and it will bounce. Every domain that sends or receives email needs at least one MX record pointing to a working mail server.
What does the priority number on an MX record actually mean?
Lower numbers are preferred. Sending mail servers try the lowest priority MX record first, and only fall back to higher numbers if the preferred server is unreachable. A priority of 10 will always be tried before a priority of 20.
Can I point my MX record directly to an IP address instead of a hostname?
No, MX records must point to a hostname, not an IP address directly. That hostname then needs its own A or AAAA record for mail servers to actually connect to it.
Why does my MX record check show a warning even though email is working?
A common cause is the mail server hostname resolving correctly but with a slow response time, or a backup MX server being unreachable while the primary still works fine. Check the individual server results to see which one is flagged and why.
I switched email providers, why do I still see the old MX records?
MX records follow the same DNS caching rules as any other record type, governed by TTL. Until the previous record's TTL expires everywhere, some mail servers may briefly still attempt delivery to the old provider.