Free MX Record Lookup: Check Any Domain's MX Records
What is an MX record lookup?
MX stands for Mail Exchange. An MX record is a DNS record that tells sending mail servers where to deliver email for a domain. Every domain that receives email has at least one MX record pointing to a mail server hostname.
An MX lookup queries a domain's DNS and returns:
- The mail server hostnames that accept email for the domain.
- The priority of each server (lower numbers are tried first).
- Whether the servers are reachable and configured correctly.
If a domain has no MX records, it cannot receive email. This is one of the first checks in any email verification workflow.
How MX record lookup works
When you submit a domain, the lookup runs three steps:
- DNS query. The tool sends a DNS query for MX records on the domain. The authoritative name server returns all MX entries with their priority values and server hostnames.
- Server validation. Each mail server in the MX record list is checked for reachability. The tool connects to the server on port 25 and verifies it responds to SMTP commands. An MX record that points to an unreachable server means email delivery will fail.
- Response. The result includes the full list of MX records, their priorities, and whether the mail servers are valid. Additional context like SMTP status, SPF configuration, and domain age helps you assess overall email readiness.
MX records only tell you where email should be delivered. To confirm a specific address exists at that domain, use an email verifier that performs SMTP mailbox checks.
How to read MX records
An MX record has two parts: a priority value and a mail server hostname.
Priority determines the order mail servers are tried. A domain with MX records at priority 10 (aspmx.l.google.com) and priority 20 (alt1.aspmx.l.google.com) will receive mail at the priority-10 server first. If that server is down, the sender retries at priority 20.
The hostname reveals the email provider. Common patterns:
- aspmx.l.google.com: Google Workspace
- mail.protection.outlook.com: Microsoft 365
- mx.zoho.com: Zoho Mail
- inbound-smtp.us-east-1.amazonaws.com: Amazon SES
Most domains have 2-5 MX records for redundancy. A single MX record is a single point of failure: if that server goes down, all inbound email bounces until it recovers.
Use cases for MX record lookup
Email deliverability verification: Before sending a campaign or onboarding a new contact, check that the recipient's domain has valid MX records. A domain with no MX records or records pointing to unreachable servers will bounce every message you send. Checking upfront saves your sender reputation and reduces bounce rates.
Domain and DNS troubleshooting: When email stops working, MX records are the first thing to check. Misconfigured priorities, deleted records, or records pointing to decommissioned servers are common causes of delivery failure. An MX lookup shows the current state of the records so you can pinpoint the problem without logging into the DNS console.
Email provider identification: MX records tell you which email service a domain uses. This matters for sales teams qualifying leads (a company on Google Workspace signals different things than one on a custom mail server), for deliverability teams adjusting send strategy by provider, and for security teams assessing a domain's email infrastructure.
Fraud and phishing detection: Newly registered domains with no MX records or records pointing to free hosting are common in phishing. Checking MX records during email verification helps flag suspicious domains before they reach your users. Combined with domain age data, MX records provide a fast signal for domain trust.
See what the API returns
Response parameters
email_address
email_deliverability.status
email_deliverability.status_detail
email_deliverability.is_format_valid
email_deliverability.is_smtp_valid
email_deliverability.is_mx_valid
email_deliverability.mx_records
email_quality.score
email_quality.is_free_email
email_quality.is_username_suspicious
email_quality.is_disposable
email_quality.is_catchall
email_quality.is_subaddress
email_quality.is_role
email_quality.is_dmarc_enforced
email_quality.is_spf_strict
email_quality.minimum_age
email_sender.first_name
email_sender.last_name
email_sender.email_provider_name
email_sender.organization_name
email_sender.organization_type
email_domain.domain
email_domain.domain_age
email_domain.is_live_site
email_domain.registrar
email_domain.date_registered
email_domain.date_last_renewed
email_domain.date_expires
email_domain.is_risky_tld
email_risk.address_risk_status
email_risk.domain_risk_status
email_breaches.total_breaches
email_breaches.date_first_breached
email_breaches.date_last_breached
email_breaches.breached_domains
email_breaches.breached_domains[].domain
email_breaches.breached_domains[].date_breached
API Endpoint
curl --request GET \
--url https://emailreputation.abstractapi.com/v1{
"email_address": "benjamin.richard@abstractapi.com",
"email_deliverability": {
"status": "deliverable",
"status_detail": "valid_email",
"is_format_valid": true,
"is_smtp_valid": true,
"is_mx_valid": true,
"mx_records": [
"gmail-smtp-in.l.google.com",
"alt3.gmail-smtp-in.l.google.com",
"alt4.gmail-smtp-in.l.google.com",
"alt1.gmail-smtp-in.l.google.com",
"alt2.gmail-smtp-in.l.google.com"
]
},
"email_quality": {
"score": 0.8,
"is_free_email": false,
"is_username_suspicious": false,
"is_disposable": false,
"is_catchall": true,
"is_subaddress": false,
"is_role": false,
"is_dmarc_enforced": true,
"is_spf_strict": true,
"minimum_age": 1418
},
"email_sender": {
"first_name": "Benjamin",
"last_name": "Richard",
"email_provider_name": "Google",
"organization_name": "Abstract API",
"organization_type": "company"
},
"email_domain": {
"domain": "abstractapi.com",
"domain_age": 1418,
"is_live_site": true,
"registrar": "NAMECHEAP INC",
"registrar_url": "http://www.namecheap.com",
"date_registered": "2020-05-13",
"date_last_renewed": "2024-04-13",
"date_expires": "2025-05-13",
"is_risky_tld": false
},
"email_risk": {
"address_risk_status": "low",
"domain_risk_status": "low"
},
"email_breaches": {
"total_breaches": 2,
"date_first_breached": "2018-07-23T14:30:00Z",
"date_last_breached": "2019-05-24T14:30:00Z",
"breached_domains": [
{ "domain": "apollo.io", "date_breached": "2018-07-23T14:30:00Z" },
{ "domain": "canva.com", "date_breached": "2019-05-24T14:30:00Z" }
]
}
}API Response
MX record lookup FAQ
What is an MX record?
An MX (Mail Exchange) record is a DNS record that specifies which mail servers accept email for a domain. Each MX record includes a priority value and a server hostname. When someone sends an email to your domain, the sending server queries your MX records to find where to deliver the message. Without valid MX records, a domain cannot receive email.
How do I check MX records for a domain?
Enter any domain name in the lookup tool above. It queries the domain's DNS and returns all MX records with their priority values and server hostnames. You can also check MX records from the command line using nslookup (nslookup -type=mx domain.com) or dig (dig mx domain.com), but the online tool is faster and shows additional context like SMTP validity and domain age.
What does MX record priority mean?
MX priority is a number that tells sending mail servers which server to try first. Lower numbers have higher priority. If the primary server (lowest priority value) is unavailable, the sender falls back to the next server in the list. For example, a domain with MX records at priority 10 and 20 will receive mail at the priority-10 server first.
Why would a domain have no MX records?
A domain with no MX records cannot receive email. This happens when the domain was registered without email service, when MX records were accidentally deleted, or when the domain is used only for a website. Some domains intentionally skip MX records if they only send email (transactional or marketing) and never receive it.
Can I tell which email provider a domain uses from MX records?
Yes. MX record hostnames reveal the email provider. Google Workspace domains point to aspmx.l.google.com, Microsoft 365 domains point to mail.protection.outlook.com, and Zoho domains point to mx.zoho.com. The lookup tool shows the full MX record list so you can identify the provider at a glance.
More email intelligence tools
