PTR Record Lookup Tool

Check PTR records instantly across global resolvers to validate your Reverse DNS configuration.

How to troubleshoot Reverse DNS with a PTR Lookup

If the emails you send are bouncing back or landing in spam folders, a missing or incorrect PTR record is often the culprit. Enter your IP address (or the corresponding reverse DNS hostname) above to instantly query its Pointer record. This confirms if your IP correctly resolves back to your mail server's hostname.

Interpreting your Reverse DNS results

  • NXDOMAIN (No Record Found): If the lookup fails, your IP address has no Reverse DNS configured. Major email providers like Gmail and Microsoft 365 will likely reject or flag your emails as spam.
  • Mismatch with A Record: For a healthy mail server, you need Forward-Confirmed reverse DNS (FCrDNS). This means the PTR record must point to a hostname (e.g., mail.example.com), and that hostname's A record must point right back to the exact same IP address.
  • Generic Hosting Hostnames: If your PTR record returns a generic hostname from your hosting provider (like ec2-198-51-100-1.compute.amazonaws.com), it is highly recommended to change it to your own custom mail server hostname to build domain reputation.

Related tools

A record validator NS record lookup DNS propagation check lookup MX record lookup