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Email DNS diagnostics

Check how a domain
sends and receives mail.

Identify receiving mail servers, preference order and the provider those public MX records indicate.

Try
Your connection
Detecting… Checking IPv4
Locating network Checking provider

What the result means

MX records describe where inbound mail is delivered

Each MX answer combines a preference number with a receiving hostname. Lower preference values are tried first. Provider detection is based on the published hostname and is reported as routing evidence, not proof that every outbound message uses the same service.

  • Mail exchanger hostnames
  • Preference order
  • Provider recognition

Diagnostic field guide

Use the evidence, not the guess.

Three practical ways to use this lookup, followed by the boundary the result cannot cross.

Reviewed Sep 2026
01

Confirm inbound routing

List the servers a remote sender is instructed to try when delivering mail to the domain.

02

Check preference order

Verify that primary and backup exchangers use the intended numerical priority.

03

Review a provider move

Spot old and new receiving hostnames during a Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or gateway migration.

How to read the result

  1. Read the lowest preference number first because SMTP senders normally try it before higher values.
  2. Compare every published exchanger; duplicate priorities can be intentional load distribution.
  3. Use provider badges as hostname evidence and verify authentication policies separately.

Common questions

Before you act on the result

Which MX priority is used first?

The lowest numerical preference is normally tried first. Exchangers with equal preference may be selected in any order by the sending server.

What happens when a domain has no MX record?

SMTP can fall back to the domain's address record unless a null MX explicitly states that the domain accepts no mail. Modern managed-mail setups normally publish explicit MX records.

Choose the question

One system, fourteen focused tools.

Each tool has its own indexable page and opens the report at the evidence that answers its question.

Evidence before certainty

The internet has layers.
We keep them separate.

A nameserver identifies the DNS operator. An edge address identifies a public delivery network. An ASN identifies the organization announcing a route. None automatically proves where a hidden origin application runs.

ObservedCorrelatedUnknown stays unknown
Read the detection methodology

Field notes

Read the signal correctly.

All guides

Agent-ready JSON

Give your script or your AI the same public evidence.

GET /api/dns?target=example.com&type=MX
API reference llms.txt

One input, several sources

What a full lookup includes

DNSTrace.dev resolves published DNS answers, follows the primary address to its network owner, and reads registry data for the domain or IP. Your own IP is detected separately and only when this page is open.

DNSRDAPASNGeo IP

Your public network address

What is “My IP”?

Your public IP is the address websites see for your internet connection. It is assigned by your ISP, mobile carrier, workplace, VPN, or proxy and is used to route traffic back to you.

Why it is useful Diagnose your connection

Inspect your ISP, ASN, approximate network location, reverse DNS, and whether traffic is passing through a VPN or hosting network.

What it cannot reveal Not your exact location

IP location usually identifies a city or network region. It does not expose your home address or your device's GPS position.

Privacy Relay-aware, not bypassing

The primary address comes from Cloudflare. An IPv4-only check uses ipify with icanhazip as fallback. Apple Private Relay is verified against Apple's published egress ranges. The original address hidden by a relay cannot be recovered.

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