DNS Lookup

A DNS lookup queries the Domain Name System to retrieve the records associated with a domain name. Every website, email server, and online service relies on DNS records to direct traffic to the right place. When you type a domain into your browser, a DNS lookup happens automatically to find the IP address of the server hosting that site.

This tool lets you run those queries manually, so you can check what DNS records are currently published for any domain, verify changes have propagated, troubleshoot email delivery issues, or research how a domain is configured.

DNS Record Types Explained

A Record

An A record maps a domain name to an IPv4 address. This is the most fundamental DNS record, it tells browsers which server to contact when someone visits your domain. Most domains have at least one A record pointing to their web server’s IP address.

AAAA Record

An AAAA record does the same job as an A record but for IPv6 addresses. IPv6 uses a longer address format to support the vastly larger number of internet-connected devices. Many modern servers support both IPv4 and IPv6, so you’ll see both A and AAAA records on well-configured domains.

MX Record

MX (Mail Exchange) records tell email servers where to deliver messages for your domain. If someone sends an email to your domain, their email server checks the MX records to find which mail server should receive it. MX records include a priority value, lower numbers have higher priority, so you can configure fallback mail servers.

NS Record

NS (Nameserver) records identify which DNS servers are authoritative for your domain. These are the servers that hold the definitive copy of your DNS records. When you point your domain at a new host, you update the NS records at your registrar to point at the new host’s nameservers.

TXT Record

TXT records store text-based information about a domain. They’re used for a wide range of purposes including domain verification, SPF records (which define which servers can send email on behalf of your domain), DKIM public keys for email authentication, and DMARC policies.

CNAME Record

A CNAME (Canonical Name) record creates an alias from one domain name to another. Instead of pointing to an IP address directly, it points to another domain name. For example, www.example.com might be a CNAME pointing to example.com, so both resolve to the same server. CNAMEs are also used to connect subdomains to third party services like CDNs or email providers.

SOA Record

The SOA (Start of Authority) record contains administrative information about a DNS zone, including the primary nameserver, the email address of the zone administrator, and timing values that control how long other DNS servers should cache the zone’s records. Every DNS zone has exactly one SOA record.

PTR Record

PTR (Pointer) records are used for reverse DNS lookups mapping an IP address back to a domain name. While A records go from domain to IP, PTR records go from IP to domain. They’re important for email deliverability because many mail servers perform a reverse DNS check on incoming connections.

How to Use This Tool

Enter a domain name in the field above without http://, https://, or www. Select the record type you want to query, or leave it on “All Records” to retrieve every record type at once. Click Look Up DNS and the results will appear within a few seconds.

Results are queried via Cloudflare’s DNS over HTTPS (DoH) service, which means you get accurate, up-to-date results that reflect current DNS propagation rather than cached data from a regional resolver.

Troubleshooting with DNS Lookup

DNS lookups are one of the first steps when troubleshooting website or email problems. Here are the most common scenarios where this tool helps.

Site not loading after changing hosts. After updating your nameservers or A record, use this tool to verify the new record is live. If the tool shows the old IP address, DNS propagation is still in progress.

Email not being received. Check the MX records for your domain. Missing or incorrect MX records are the most common cause of email delivery failures. The record should point to your mail provider’s server.

Verifying a domain with a third party service. Many services ask you to add a TXT record to verify domain ownership. After adding the record, use this tool to confirm it’s showing up correctly before submitting the verification request.

Checking nameservers after a registrar transfer. NS records tell you which nameservers are authoritative for your domain. If a transfer is in progress, you can verify which nameservers are currently active.