How to Check if the Websites Behind an Email List Are Online
To check whether the websites behind an email list are online, request the home page of each address's domain and read the status. The bulk email website status checker does that for every address in a pasted list or CSV: Live, Redirects, HTTP error, No answer or Doesn't resolve, with the status code and whether the domain has MX records.
A website that is down is not the same as mail that is down, and the check reads the domain, not the mailbox.
What a website result can and cannot say about an address
If the site of a company is gone, there is a fair chance its addresses are too. But mail and web are separate services, and a domain can keep one and drop the other. That is why each row also records whether the domain has MX records, and why an address is only set aside when the domain has no address record and no MX record at all.
The by-hand way
- Take the domain after the @, for example
acme.example. - Open
https://acme.examplein a browser, or request it with a status-code checker. Note the status and any redirect. - Look up the domain's MX records with the MX lookup.
- Repeat for each unique domain.
For the same check on a plain list of domains, see how to check if a list of websites is online.
Step 1: paste the addresses
Paste addresses one per line, or upload a CSV. Only the unique domains are sent, never the mailbox names, 10 a request.
Step 2: run the check
Press Check the websites. DNS is read and each home page is requested once from our server, following redirects. No mail is sent.
Step 3: read the result
| Result | What it means |
|---|---|
| Live | The domain answered with a success status |
| Redirects | It answered after sending the visitor elsewhere; the final URL is in the CSV |
| HTTP error | It answered with a 4xx or 5xx status |
| No answer | It resolves, but no web server replied |
| Doesn't resolve | There is no address record |
| Not checked | It resolves only to private or reserved addresses, which are never requested |
Status codes follow RFC 9110. The CSV adds the status, the final URL and a has_mx column.
What this check cannot do
- It checks the domain, not the mailbox.
- A site that blocks automated requests shows as an HTTP error even if the company is fine.
- A site that is down does not mean the mail is down.
- Up to 100 unique domains a run without an account, 500 signed in. Free providers such as gmail.com are requested like any domain.
For a verdict that also weighs parking signals, use the bulk email dead company website checker.
Next: the mailboxes
To find out which mailboxes exist, use the verify page: the first 100 checks are free with a Google sign-in, no card. See also how to check whether a domain accepts email.
Try it now
Paste your list into the bulk email website status checker.
Common questions
How do I check if the websites on an email list are online?
Take the domain after the @ in each address and request its home page. A bulk email website status checker does this for every address in a pasted list and shows the status code, the final URL and whether the domain has MX records.
Does a website that is down mean the email will bounce?
No. Web and mail are separate. A company can close its site and keep its mail. The has_mx column shows whether the domain still takes mail.
Why does a working site show an HTTP error?
Some servers refuse requests that are not from a browser. A 403 or 429 can be a block rather than a dead site.
What does Doesn't resolve mean?
The domain has no address record. If it also has no MX record, mail to it will bounce.
Does the check tell me whether the mailbox exists?
No. It checks the domain, not the mailbox.
Check your list before you send
Real mailbox checks over SMTP, and nothing is sent to the address. Sign in with Google and your first 100 email checks are free, no card. Plans for bigger lists are on the pricing page.