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DNS Record Lookup
Look up DMARC, SPF, DKIM, BIMI, and MX record for any domain. Results are explained in plain English.
Look Up DNS Records
Look up and analyze DNS records for email authentication (DMARC, SPF, DKIM), BIMI, and mail servers (MX). Get detailed explanations in plain English.
What Do These Records Mean?
DMARC, SPF, DKIM, BIMI, and MX are all DNS records that control how your email is sent, received, and authenticated. Here's what each one does:
π DMARC - Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance
DMARC tells receiving mail servers what to do when an email fails authentication checks. A DMARC policy of p=none means "just monitor, don't take action." A policy of p=quarantine sends failing mail to spam, and p=reject blocks it entirely.
The rua tag specifies where aggregate reports are sent β this is how you find out if someone is spoofing your domain.
π‘οΈ SPF β Sender Policy Framework
SPF lists which mail servers are allowed to send email on behalf of your domain. If you send from Google Workspace, your SPF record includesΒ include:_spf.google.com. When a server receives email claiming to be from your domain, it checks SPF to verify the sender is authorised.
Common problem:Β SPF has a hard limit of 10 DNS lookups. Exceeding this causes SPF to fail silently.
π DKIM β DomainKeys Identified Mail
DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to every email you send. The receiving server checks your DKIM DNS record to verify the signature is valid and the email wasn't tampered with in transit. DKIM requires aΒ selectorΒ β a label your mail provider uses to identify which key to use.
πΌοΈ BIMI β Brand Indicators for Message Identification
BIMI is a newer standard that displays your company logo next to emails in supported inboxes (Gmail, Yahoo). It requires a valid DMARC policy ofΒ p=quarantineΒ orΒ p=rejectΒ before it will work.
π¬ MX β Mail Exchanger
MX records tell the internet which servers receive email for your domain. The priority value (lower = higher priority) determines which server is tried first. Most domains have two MX records for redundancy.
Other Free Tools
π DNS Record Lookup
β DMARC Record Validator
π SPF Record Validator
βοΈ DMARC Record Generator
π‘οΈ SPF Record Generator
π DKIM Key Generator
π§ Email Header Analyzer
Monitor These Record 24/7
This tool gives you a one-time snapshot. MonitorDMARC watches your DNS records continuously and alerts you the moment something changes.
Quick Reference
DMARC policies:
p=noneΒ β monitor onlyp=quarantineΒ β send to spamp=rejectΒ β block entirely
SPF mechanisms:
include:Β β add a provider-allΒ β reject others~allΒ β soft fail (safer)