Free tool

Email domain checker: can this domain receive email?

Enter a domain or an email address, or paste up to 200 in bulk mode. You'll see whether each can receive mail, who hosts it, and its SPF and DMARC records, with a CSV download. Free, no sign-up.

What the domain checker looks up

  • MX records. The servers that accept mail for the domain, in priority order. No MX records usually means no email.
  • Mail provider. Recognized from the MX hostnames: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho, GoDaddy, security gateways like Mimecast or Proofpoint, and others.
  • SPF. The TXT record listing which servers may send mail for the domain. Its presence says someone maintains the domain's email.
  • DMARC. The policy at _dmarc.domain telling receivers what to do with mail that fails SPF or DKIM.

When to use it

Before you add a business to a cold-email list, check that its domain can receive mail at all. Domains expire, businesses move to a new website, and contact pages keep listing addresses at domains nobody renews. A domain without MX records is a guaranteed bounce, and bounces cost you sender reputation.

What a domain check can't tell you

It can't confirm that maria@brightsmiledental.com exists. For that, a verifier opens an SMTP conversation with the mail server and asks about that one recipient, then hangs up before sending anything. And some servers are catch-all: they accept every address, so even a mailbox check can't separate real from made-up. We explain the whole process in how email verification works, and our own grading in the verification methodology.

Privacy

The lookups go directly from your browser to Cloudflare's public DNS-over-HTTPS resolver (Google's as a fallback). Leadraft never sees the domains you check.

Questions

What does an email domain checker do?
It looks up the domain's DNS records to see whether it can receive mail (MX records), which provider hosts its mail, and whether it publishes SPF and DMARC policies. It doesn't contact any mailbox.
What is an MX record?
A DNS record that names the mail servers that accept email for a domain, each with a priority. Senders try the lowest number first. A domain with no MX record and no address record can't receive mail.
Does a valid domain mean the email address is valid?
No. The domain check only proves the domain accepts mail. Whether a particular mailbox exists takes an SMTP check against the mail server, and catch-all servers accept every address, so even that can't always tell.
Can I check many domains at once?
Yes. Switch to bulk mode, paste up to 200 domains or email addresses, and download the results as a CSV with whether each accepts mail, its mail provider, MX hosts, SPF and DMARC.
What is a null MX record?
An MX record pointing to '.', defined in RFC 7505. It means the domain deliberately accepts no email. Every address at that domain will bounce.
Why does it matter if a business uses Google Workspace or Microsoft 365?
Both run strict spam filtering and both are common among small businesses. Knowing the provider helps you plan warm-up and sending volume, and it tells you the business has a real, maintained mailbox rather than a forgotten hosting account.

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