DNS lookup: check the DNS records for a domain name

Type a domain name into the box above and we’ll show you the DNS records it currently has. DNS is the address book of the internet: these records say where a website lives, where its email is delivered and which services are allowed to send email on its behalf.

What the records mean

• A and AAAA point the domain at the server hosting the website (IPv4 and IPv6 addresses).
• CNAME makes one name an alias of another, for example www pointing at the main domain.
• MX says where email is delivered. The record with the lowest priority number is tried first.
• NS shows the name servers that hold the domain’s DNS settings. These are the settings to change if you move your DNS elsewhere.
• TXT holds text used for email security, such as SPF and DKIM, and for proving you own a domain to services like Google and Microsoft.
• DMARC is a TXT record stored at _dmarc in front of the domain. It tells receiving mail servers what to do with email that fails checks. Read more in What is email domain name authentication?
• SOA and CAA are administrative: the SOA holds details of the DNS zone, and CAA lists which companies may issue SSL certificates for the domain.

Good to know

• The lookup reads the live public DNS, so it shows what the rest of the internet sees.
• After you change a record, the old value can carry on appearing for a while. The TTL column shows how long other servers keep a copy before checking again.
• Some records are only set on a subdomain, such as mail.example.co.uk. Enter the subdomain to look at it directly.
• If you are not sure what you are looking at, contact our support team and we’ll be happy to explain it. Our guide to DNS for small business owners is a good place to start.