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DNS Record Checker: see where your domain points

See where your domain points: A, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, CAA and SOA records, explained in plain words.

  • Free to use
  • Nothing to install
  • No sign-up

How to use the DNS Record Checker

Read what the guide says

This is the DNS Record Checker.

It shows where your domain points, and explains each record in plain words.

Use it after a DNS change, or when your site opens with www but not without it.

It reads public DNS only: nothing connects to the addresses it finds.

Type your domain, or any page or email address on it.

Here, it's a sample domain for a made-up dental clinic.

Then press Check DNS records.

The card shows where the site points, with our checklist's score.

The tiles also show the mail service and the DNS host.

This box lists what to fix first.

Here, www has no record, so anyone who types it gets an error page.

Further down, every record is listed by type, with its time to live.

Copy them as text, or download a CSV file.

And each TXT record is explained, such as SPF and Google verification.

Keep the Google verification record: verification lasts only while Google can find it.

Open How to fix to see why it matters and the steps.

Here's the record to add: a CNAME for www that points to the bare domain.

Then redirect one name to the other with a 301.

Fix it at your DNS host, and check again once the old time to live has passed.

You can also email yourself a PDF of the result.

Your domain, such as smilestudio.example, or any page or email address on it. We read its public DNS records only and connect to nothing.

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About the DNS Record Checker

Enter your domain, for example smilestudio.example. We read its public DNS records (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, CAA and SOA, plus the www name and the DMARC record) and explain them: where your website points, whether www and the bare domain lead to the same place, which mail service and DNS host the host names suggest, what each TXT record is for, and which certificate authorities may issue certificates for you. We only read DNS: nothing connects to the addresses we find, and private addresses are flagged as unreachable. For SPF, DKIM and DMARC in depth, use the Email Deliverability Checker.

How it works

  1. Step 1

    Enter your domain, or any page or email address on it, such as smilestudio.example.

  2. Step 2

    We read the public DNS records of the domain and its www name, and explain each one.

  3. Step 3

    Fix what is flagged at your DNS host, then check again once the old records' time to live (TTL) has passed.

What the main records do

An A record (IPv4) or AAAA record (IPv6) holds your server's address. A CNAME makes one name an alias of another. MX records say where email for the domain is delivered, NS records name the servers that answer for it, TXT records hold text such as SPF and verification codes, CAA records say which certificate authorities may issue certificates, and the SOA record holds the zone's primary server and timers. RFC 1034 says no other record should sit beside a CNAME, so the bare domain, which needs SOA and NS records, should not be a CNAME.

Verification and certificate records

Search Console verifies a Domain property only through a DNS TXT record that looks like google-site-verification=…, and Search Console Help says to keep it: verification lasts only while Google can find it. Without CAA records any public certificate authority may issue certificates for your domain once it checks you control it; with them, only the ones named can. Let's Encrypt's value is letsencrypt.org.

What this tool cannot do

It asks our server's DNS resolver once, so a change you have just made may not show yet, and other networks may see old records until their time to live runs out. DNS cannot list every subdomain, so we read only the domain, www and _dmarc. Mail service, DNS host and platform names come from patterns in host names (our pattern match), not from the companies. It does not check DKIM keys or count SPF lookups: the Email Deliverability Checker does.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check where my domain points?

Enter it above. The result shows the A and AAAA records (the server addresses), any CNAME (an alias of another host name), and whether www points to the same place. If a CNAME ends in a known platform's name, such as myshopify.com or github.io, we name the platform; that is our pattern match.

Why does my site open with www but not without it?

The bare domain probably has no A record, or one that points to an old server. Add an A record for the bare domain (host "@") with your host's address, keep a CNAME for www, and redirect one name to the other with a 301. Do not put a CNAME on the bare domain itself: use an A record there, or your DNS host's ALIAS or CNAME flattening option.

What is a TXT record used for?

It holds text that other services read: SPF, which lists the servers allowed to send email for you; DMARC, at _dmarc; and verification codes from Google and other services. Search Console Help says to keep your Google verification record after verifying. The result explains each TXT record we find.

Do I need a CAA record?

No. Without one, any public certificate authority may issue certificates for your domain once it checks you control it. With one, only the authorities you name can, for example 0 issue "letsencrypt.org". If you add one, include the authority that issues your current certificate, or its next renewal fails.

Why do I still see old records after changing my DNS?

Each record has a time to live (TTL), shown in seconds in the result: resolvers may keep a copy for that long before asking again. Until it passes, some networks still get the old answer. Lower the TTL a day before a planned move, and check again later.

Related reading

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