How to Check DNS Records for a Domain
DNS records control where a domain's website and mail go. This guide explains A, MX, TXT and other common record types.
What is the DNS Lookup Tool?
DNS records map a domain to addresses and mail servers, and checking them is a quick way to debug why a site or email is not working. This tool queries Google's public DNS-over-HTTPS service (dns.google) when you click the button, so that lookup is not purely local, and it shows the answer records it receives. If a record type has no answers, it says so plainly rather than inventing records.
How to use it
- Enter a domain without any protocol prefix.
- Choose the record type to query.
- Click Look up DNS and read the answer records.
Worked example
Looking up the sample domain example.com for A records returns its published IPv4 address records, or an honest no-answer message if none are published.
What does an MX record do?
It names the mail servers that accept email for a domain, so a wrong MX record is a common cause of missing mail.
Frequently asked questions
Does this tool query my own DNS server?
No. It uses Google's public DNS-over-HTTPS endpoint, so results may differ from what your local resolver returns.
What does no answer mean?
It means that record type returned nothing for that domain, which is normal for unpublished types, not an error in the tool.