MX Record

MX records tell the world where to deliver email for your domain. Each record has a priority and a target host. Lower numbers are tried first, with higher numbers used as fallback.

How MX affects email delivery

If your MX target is incorrect or missing, inbound mail can fail. Use the MX lookup tool and compare results across resolvers when diagnosing intermittent delivery issues.

Common mistakes

• Pointing MX to an IP address instead of a hostname.
• Using the wrong priority order during a migration.
• Missing A or AAAA records for the MX target host.

How to check MX online

Combine MX checks with SPF and DMARC validation. The Email DNS Check shows MX, SPF, DMARC, and DKIM together. For SPF specifics, see the SPF wiki.

Practical examples

• 10 mail.example.com
• 20 backup-mail.example.com

Related records

MX works closely with TXT (SPF/DMARC) and A records for target hostnames. For broader troubleshooting, run a DNS propagation check.