DNS Lookup: Check A, MX, TXT, NS & CNAME Records Online

How to look up DNS records

Type a domain such as example.com. You can also paste a full web address; the page takes the host name from it. Type an IP address for a reverse (PTR) lookup.
Pick a record type, or keep All common to see A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, TXT, SOA and CAA at once.
Press Look up. Choose Compare both to ask Cloudflare and Google at the same time and see whether they agree.
Press Test DNS server speed to time eight public DNS resolvers from your connection; the shortest bar is the fastest for you.

What the results mean

Record	What it holds
A	The IPv4 address of the site, such as 93.184.215.14. Several A records spread visitors over several servers.
AAAA	The IPv6 address. No AAAA record means the site is reachable over IPv4 only.
CNAME	An alias: "www.example.com is really example.net". The lookup then follows it to the final address.
MX	The mail servers that receive email for the domain. The lower number is tried first.
TXT	Free text, mostly used for email security (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and to prove ownership to Google, Microsoft and other services.
NS	The name servers in charge of the domain, usually at your registrar, host or Cloudflare.
SOA	The zone's admin record: main name server, contact and a serial number that rises with each change.
CAA	Which certificate authorities may issue HTTPS certificates for the domain.
PTR	Reverse DNS: the host name an IP address points back to.

TTL is how long other servers may cache the answer. After you change a record, the old answer can stay in caches for up to the old TTL, which is why changes take time to "propagate". Status NXDOMAIN means the domain does not exist; SERVFAIL usually means its name servers are broken or its DNSSEC signature failed. DNSSEC validated means the answer was cryptographically signed and checked.

Why Cloudflare and Google can give different answers

Each public resolver keeps its own cache. Right after you change a record, one may still hold the old value until its TTL runs out while the other already has the new one; Compare both shows this at a glance. Big sites and content networks also answer differently depending on where the question comes from, to send you to a nearby server, so different IPs for google.com or netflix.com are normal and not a fault.

About the DNS server speed test

The speed test sends the same small DNS questions for popular domains to eight public resolvers, one after another, using DNS over HTTPS (the encrypted way browsers can talk to DNS). It reports the median time. That mostly shows how close each provider's nearest server is to you, which is the main thing that makes DNS fast. Your router and operating system may use plain DNS on port 53 instead, which can be a few milliseconds quicker, but the order of the resolvers is usually the same. Your provider's own DNS is not in the list because browsers cannot reach it this way; it is often fast but may be less reliable.

Once you know the fastest, see our guide on how to change your DNS server on Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone and your router.

Common problems and fixes

My new A record still shows the old IP

Caches keep the old answer until its TTL runs out. Check the TTL in the result, wait that long, and look again with Compare both. Lower the TTL to 300 seconds a day before a planned move next time.

Email is not arriving at my domain

Look up the MX records: they must point to your mail provider's servers exactly as its setup page says. Check the TXT records for one SPF record (starting v=spf1) and a DMARC record at _dmarc.yourdomain.com.

The lookup says NXDOMAIN for my domain

The domain is not registered, has expired, or its name servers are not set at the registrar. Check the NS records at the registrar and the expiry date.

Every lookup fails with an error

Some networks and ad blockers block DNS over HTTPS. Try another network, or allow cloudflare-dns.com and dns.google.

Frequently asked questions

What is a DNS lookup?

It asks the Domain Name System for the records of a domain, such as the IP address a name points to or the servers that take its email. Your device does this every time you open a website.

How do I check if my DNS changes have propagated?

Look up the record with Compare both. When Cloudflare and Google both return the new value, most of the internet has it. Some providers' caches can lag behind until the old TTL runs out.

What is the fastest DNS server?

It depends on where you are. Cloudflare (1.1.1.1), Google (8.8.8.8) and Quad9 (9.9.9.9) are usually the quickest worldwide. Press Test DNS server speed to measure them from your own connection.

Can changing DNS make my internet faster?

It can make websites start loading a little sooner, because names resolve faster, but it does not change your download speed or ping in games. It can also fix sites that do not open because of a broken provider DNS.

What is reverse DNS?

Reverse DNS (a PTR record) turns an IP address back into a host name. Mail servers use it to check senders. Type an IP address into the box to look it up.

Does this tool use my own DNS settings?

No. Lookups go from your browser straight to Cloudflare or Google over HTTPS, so they show what the public internet sees, not your router's or provider's cache.