MX (Mail Exchange) records are DNS records that specify the mail servers responsible for accepting email messages on behalf of a domain. These records contain two key pieces of information: the hostname of the mail server and a priority value that determines the order in which mail servers should be contacted when delivering email.
Each MX record has a priority value (also called preference), with lower numbers indicating higher priority. Email servers will attempt to deliver messages to the mail server with the lowest priority value first, providing automatic failover capability if the primary server is unavailable.
Our DNS lookup tool and nameserver lookup complement this MX lookup tool by providing comprehensive domain analysis. For network troubleshooting, you might also need our hostname to IP converter to resolve mail server addresses.
MX lookup is essential for email administrators, web developers, and IT professionals who need to configure email services, troubleshoot delivery issues, or verify mail server configurations. Use this tool when setting up email forwarding, migrating email services, or diagnosing email delivery problems.
Email security professionals use MX lookup to analyze email infrastructure, verify SPF records implementation, and investigate potential email security threats. The tool is also valuable for competitive analysis and understanding how organizations structure their email services.
System administrators frequently combine MX lookup with our website to IP tool and domain lookup service for comprehensive email system analysis and troubleshooting.
