New domain email setup check: will email on your domain land in inboxes?
A domain email setup checker reads the DNS records that decide whether mail from a new domain is trusted: MX so replies arrive, one SPF record naming your mail provider, a DKIM key and a DMARC policy. It names the provider from the MX, marks each record pass or fix, and gives the exact value to add. It checks setup, not inbox placement.
Sample result
yournewbusiness.example has Google Workspace MX and SPF, but no DKIM key yet and no DMARC record.
- Domain
- yournewbusiness.example
- Mailbox provider
- Google Workspace
- Missing
- DMARC
What this means for you
Copy the DMARC record, switch DKIM on in the Google Admin console, then run it again. Each gap comes with the exact value to add.
- MX and provider, SPF, DKIM and DMARC in one run
- Copyable records for Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho
- Up to 25 new domains at once, free
- Warm-up readiness for each domain
- New domain
- Email setup
- Bulk
By SimpleVerifier Team · Last updated
How do I check a new domain's email setup?
- Enter the domain you bought, such as yournewbusiness.com, or paste up to 25 domains one per line (100 when signed in with Google).
- Press Check readiness. Public DNS, the registry's RDAP server and the home page are each asked once; no email is sent.
- Read each domain's checklist. MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC are marked Pass, Fix or Fail, and the mailbox provider is named from the MX.
- Open the records to add. Pick Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or Zoho (the guide opens on the one your MX points at), copy each value into your DNS host, switch DKIM on in the provider's admin, then run the check again.
Example
- You enter
- The domain
yournewbusiness.example, registered 3 days ago, with Google Workspace MXsmtp.google.comand SPFv=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all, but no DKIM key and no DMARC record yet. - You get
- Not set up yet: MX and SPF pass and the provider is named as Google Workspace. DKIM is not found on the common selectors, with the Admin console steps to switch it on, and DMARC fails, with the record
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yournewbusiness.exampleready to copy. - Limits
- Up to 25 domains per ten minutes without an account and 100 when signed in with Google. DNS, RDAP and one home page request per domain; no email is sent.
What email records does a new domain need?
A new domain needs four records before you send from it: MX records so mail and replies reach your inbox, one SPF TXT record listing the service that sends your mail, a DKIM key published for that service, and a DMARC TXT record at _dmarc with at least p=none. Without them, Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook have no way to tell your mail from a forgery.
Google's email sender guidelines require SPF or DKIM from everyone and all three from bulk senders, and Yahoo's sender requirements say the same. A website or a redirect isn't required, but a domain that shows a parked page makes your email look less trustworthy, so the checker reads that too.
How do I set up email on a domain with Google Workspace?
Add one MX record, smtp.google.com at priority 1, at your DNS host (usually the registrar you bought the domain from), then an SPF TXT record v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all. In the Admin console go to Apps > Google Workspace > Gmail > Authenticate email, generate a 2048-bit DKIM key, publish it at google._domainkey and press Start authentication. Finish with a DMARC record at _dmarc.
Older Workspace setups list five aspmx hosts instead of smtp.google.com; both work. Google's MX values are the reference, and the checker copies them for your domain.
How do I set up email on a domain with Microsoft 365?
In the Microsoft 365 admin center (Settings > Domains) add the domain and copy the MX it gives you, usually yourdomain-com.mail.protection.outlook.com at priority 0, plus SPF v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com ~all and the autodiscover CNAME. DKIM is two CNAMEs, selector1._domainkey and selector2._domainkey, pointing at your onmicrosoft.com tenant; publish them, then switch signing on in the Defender portal.
Newer tenants can be given a different MX host, so use whatever the admin center shows (Microsoft's DNS records). The checker's guide shows the usual pattern for your domain and says when to prefer the admin center's value.
How long after setting DNS records does email work?
Usually minutes to a few hours. New records appear as soon as your DNS host publishes them, but resolvers that already looked the name up keep the old answer until its TTL runs out, sometimes up to 48 hours. If the checker still shows a record as missing, wait an hour and run it again, or check it with the DNS propagation checker.
Do I need to warm up a new domain before sending?
Only if you plan to send at volume. A new domain has no history, so mailbox providers watch its first sends closely. Everyday one-to-one email is fine from day one; newsletters, outreach or cold email should start small and ramp up over a few weeks. The checker flags domains registered in the last 30 days, our rule of thumb, and the email warm-up calculator builds the schedule.
If the domain is for cold email, send it from a separate domain rather than your main one, and check that domain with the cold email domain checker.
What does each record do, and who requires it?
| Record | What it does | Required by |
|---|---|---|
| MX | Routes mail and replies to your inbox | Needed to receive any mail |
| SPF | Lists the servers allowed to send as the domain | Gmail, Yahoo, Microsoft (bulk senders) |
| DKIM | Signs each message so it can't be altered | Gmail, Yahoo, Microsoft (bulk senders) |
DMARC (at least p=none) | Tells receivers what to do when SPF and DKIM fail | Gmail, Yahoo, Microsoft (bulk senders) |
Microsoft's requirements apply to Outlook.com consumer mailboxes from May 2025.
Who uses this tool, and for what?
- Founders
- Just registered the name for a new business? Check that email on it will authenticate before you put it on cards, invoices and the website.
- Cold emailers
- Bought a batch of sending domains? Paste them all and get the records each one still needs before warm-up starts.
- Agencies
- Set up email on a client's new domain and send them the checklist, with the provider-specific records for anything left to add.
- Newsletter senders
- Moving a newsletter to its own domain? Confirm SPF, DKIM and DMARC are in place before the first send.
What can’t this tool tell you?
- It checks setup, not reputation: it can't see blocklist history, complaint rates or how each mailbox provider treats the domain today.
- DKIM is tried on about 20 common selectors, so a service with an account-specific selector shows as "not found on common selectors" even when it signs correctly.
- The records in the guide are each provider's published defaults. Your admin console's values win where they differ (Microsoft can assign a different MX host; Zoho uses regional hosts outside the US).
- New records can take up to the old TTL to show; a record added minutes ago may still read as missing.
- Up to 25 domains per ten minutes without an account, 100 signed in.
Common questions
- How do I check if my domain email is set up correctly?
- Enter the domain in this checker. It reads MX, SPF, DKIM on the common selectors and DMARC from public DNS, names your mailbox provider and lists the exact record to add for anything missing.
- What DNS records do I need for email?
- MX records for receiving, one SPF TXT record for the service that sends your mail, a DKIM key for that service and a DMARC TXT record at _dmarc. Gmail and Yahoo require SPF, DKIM and DMARC from bulk senders.
- What DNS records does Google Workspace need?
- An MX record of smtp.google.com at priority 1, an SPF TXT record of v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all, a DKIM TXT record at google._domainkey generated in the Admin console, and a DMARC record at _dmarc.
- Can I have two SPF records?
- No. A domain with two SPF records fails SPF. Merge every service into one record, such as v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:sendgrid.net ~all.
- Why does it say DKIM was not found when I set it up?
- The checker tries about 20 common selectors. Some services use a selector unique to your account, which can't be listed from DNS; check yours with the DKIM checker and your selector.
- Does this tool send an email from my domain?
- No. It reads public DNS, the registry's RDAP record and the home page. Nothing is sent to or from the domain's mail servers.
Sources
Authentication and capacity are half of deliverability.
The other half is who you send to. Every hard bounce counts against the domain and inboxes you are sending from, and nothing in DNS can tell you which addresses on your list are dead.
- Bulk verification with real SMTP mailbox checks
- Hard bounces removed before a send, not discovered after
- Catch-all, disposable and role detection on every row
One plan, cancel anytime, no contract. Sign in with Google and your first 100 email checks are free, no card. The free tools stay free either way.