Free DNS Lookup

Type a domain to see its A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT and NS records, with a plain-English note on what each one does. Useful when you are connecting a domain to a new website and want to check whether your changes have taken effect.

How it works

  1. Enter a domain such as example.com or a subdomain such as www.example.com. Do not include https:// (we strip it if you do).
  2. Your browser asks a public DNS-over-HTTPS resolver (Cloudflare 1.1.1.1, with Google Public DNS as a backup) for each record type.
  3. Results show each record, its value and its TTL (how many seconds resolvers may cache it), with an explanation of what the record is for.

The records that matter when you connect a domain

A record: points a name at an IPv4 address. Your root domain (example.com) normally has one or more A records pointing to your website host. AAAA is the same for IPv6 addresses.

CNAME: says 'this name is an alias for that name'. The www subdomain usually has a CNAME pointing to your host. A name with a CNAME cannot have other records, which is why root domains use A records instead.

MX: tells the world which servers accept email for your domain. These belong to your email provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho and so on) and should not change when you move your website.

TXT: free-form text used for verification and email security. SPF (starting v=spf1) lists who may send email for you, and many services ask you to add a TXT record to prove you own the domain.

NS: the nameservers, meaning the company whose DNS settings actually count. If you edit DNS at your registrar but NS points to Cloudflare, only Cloudflare's settings are used.

Checking a change step by step

First confirm the NS records, so you know where to edit. Then make the change your website host asked for, look it up here, and compare the value with what they gave you. If it still shows the old value, look at the TTL: the new value appears once that many seconds have passed since the old answer was cached.

If you are connecting a domain to a site built with We.Inc, the builder shows the exact records to add, and you can use this lookup to confirm them.

Tips

Frequently asked questions

Which DNS server does this use?

Cloudflare's public resolver (1.1.1.1) over HTTPS, falling back to Google Public DNS if Cloudflare does not answer. The query goes straight from your browser to the resolver, not through We.Inc.

Why do I see a different result than my friend?

DNS answers are cached by resolvers for the TTL shown. Right after a change, some resolvers still hold the old answer. This is usually what people mean by 'DNS propagation'. It clears once the old TTL has passed.

What does NXDOMAIN mean?

The name does not exist in DNS. Either the domain is not registered, it is spelled wrongly, or the subdomain has no records.

Why is there no A record for www?

www often has a CNAME instead, which points to another name that has the A record. Resolvers follow it automatically, and the tool shows both.

Can I check a domain I do not own?

Yes. DNS records are public by design, so anyone can look them up.

Related: Domain Name Generator, Website Checker, Robots.txt Generator, Downtime Cost Calculator.

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