How to Check Website and Mail Records for a List of Domains

To check website and mail records for a list of domains, look up each domain's A, AAAA and MX records. The bulk domain website and mail checker does that for up to 100 domains (500 after a free Google sign-in) and shows a verdict per row, with the addresses and the mail servers, lowest priority first.

It uses DNS only. No web page is requested and no mailbox is probed.

The by-hand way

Run dig for each record type. dig A example.com +short and dig AAAA example.com +short show the website addresses. dig MX example.com +short shows the mail servers. A domain that does not exist at all returns nothing for every type.

For a list, that is three or four lookups per domain and a sheet to merge the answers. If you want the record types explained, see checking whether a domain accepts email.

Step 1: paste the domains

Paste domains, emails or URLs, one per line, or upload a CSV. No account is needed for up to 100 a run; sign in with Google for up to 500.

Step 2: run the check

Each domain's A, AAAA, MX and NS records are looked up, five at a time. Nothing else is contacted.

Step 3: read the verdicts

Verdict	What it means	What to do
Website and mail records	Address and MX records both exist	Normal
Website records only, no MX	A website may exist, but no mail is routed	Contacts there will likely bounce
Website, mail refused (null MX)	The domain says it accepts no mail	Remove from an email list
Mail records only, no website record	Often a mail-only domain	Not necessarily unused
Neither website nor mail records	Nothing set up	Look the company up by name
Domain doesn't exist	It does not exist in DNS	Remove
Mail lookup failed	The MX lookup timed out or failed	Run it again

The CSV lists each record and its value. The mail rules come from RFC 5321, section 5, and the null MX from RFC 7505.

What the records tell you, and what they do not

An address record means a name points at a server, and an MX record means mail is routed somewhere. Neither proves a page loads or a mailbox exists. A domain with a website and no MX cannot receive email, so addresses there bounce. A domain with mail and no website record may simply be a mail-only domain.

To see whether the site answers, use the bulk website status checker. To combine DNS, the home page and parking signals into one verdict, read removing dead companies from a lead list. For MX detail only, there is the bulk MX lookup.

What this check cannot do

• DNS only; no web page is requested and no mailbox is probed.
• An address record does not prove a site loads.
• An MX record does not prove a mailbox exists.
• The limit is 100 domains a run without an account and 500 signed in.

If the company is still alive, check the contact emails

A site that answers does not mean a given mailbox exists. Once you know which companies are still around, check the addresses on your list on the verify page: the first 100 email checks are free with a Google sign-in, no card. Each comes back valid, risky or invalid with a reason, and nothing is sent to anyone on the list. To confirm every site still answers first, run the list through the bulk website status checker. For larger or recurring lists, see bulk email verification, list cleaning and pricing.

Check your list now

Paste your domains into the bulk domain website and mail checker.