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Glossary Web & HTTP

MX record

An MX (mail exchanger) record is a DNS record that names the servers that accept email for a domain, with a priority number.

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In more detail

A sending server looks up the MX records of the recipient's domain and tries the server with the lowest priority number first, falling back to the others if it is down. A domain with no MX records usually cannot receive email. MX records must point to a hostname, not directly to an IP address.

Try these tools

DNS Record Lookup

Look up A, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, or CNAME DNS records for any domain in real time.

Email Deliverability Checker

Check a domain's SPF, DMARC, and MX DNS records to verify its email deliverability configuration.

See also

  • Glossary DNS
    DNS (Domain Name System) is the internet's directory that translates domain names like example.com into IP addresses and holds other.
  • Glossary SPF
    SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a DNS record listing which servers may send email for a domain.
  • Guide How DNS Works
    How a name becomes an IP address through resolvers, root, TLD and authoritative servers, the record types, TTL and caching.
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