DNS Lookup Tool

About the DNS Lookup Tool

This DNS lookup tool queries live DNS records directly for any domain name, covering the seven most common record types: A, AAAA, MX, CNAME, NS, TXT and SOA. Choose All Records above to see every record type on a single page with clear headings for each section, or select one record type at a time for a focused result. No data is stored — every lookup runs in real time against the public DNS system.

Need something more specific? The dedicated NS Lookup and MX Lookup tools resolve each nameserver or mail server to its IP address as well, and the DNS Health Checker runs a full pass/fail audit of a domain's DNS and email configuration in one click.

What are DNS records?

DNS records are entries stored in a domain's DNS zone that tell the internet how to reach that domain and its services. They act like a directory, mapping human-readable domain names to the machine-readable information — IP addresses, mail servers, and other configuration — that computers actually use to connect.

• A record — points a domain (or subdomain) to an IPv4 address.
• AAAA record — points a domain to a 128-bit IPv6 address.
• CNAME record — creates an alias, pointing one hostname to another domain name.
• MX record — tells the internet which mail servers handle email for the domain, and in what priority order.
• NS record — lists the nameservers with authority over the domain's DNS zone.
• TXT record — holds arbitrary text, commonly used for domain verification, SPF and DMARC policies.
• SOA record — the "start of authority" record, holding the zone's primary nameserver, admin contact, and refresh/retry/expire timers.

How DNS lookup works

Every time you visit a website, your device performs a DNS lookup behind the scenes to translate the domain name into an IP address. The process typically involves several steps:

1. Request: your browser or device asks a DNS resolver (often your router or ISP) to look up a domain.
2. Cache check: the resolver checks whether it already has a cached (recently looked-up) answer, and returns it if so.
3. Root nameserver: if not cached, the resolver queries a root nameserver, which points it toward the correct top-level domain (TLD) nameserver — e.g. the .com nameservers.
4. TLD nameserver: the TLD nameserver responds with the authoritative nameservers for the specific domain.
5. Authoritative nameserver: the resolver queries that domain's authoritative nameserver, which returns the actual DNS record.
6. Response: the resolver returns the record to your device, which connects to the resulting IP address.

Each response includes a TTL (time to live) value, in seconds, telling resolvers how long to cache the answer before checking again. This is why DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours to propagate fully across the internet.

Forward vs. reverse DNS lookup

A forward DNS lookup (what this tool does) takes a domain name and returns its IP address and other records. A reverse DNS lookup does the opposite: given an IP address, it returns the associated hostname via a PTR record — commonly used to verify mail server identity. Try the Reverse IP Lookup tool for that.

Why DNS record lookups matter

• Domain name resolution — resolving domain names to IP addresses so browsers and apps can connect.
• Migration checks — confirming DNS records point to a new host or server correctly after moving.
• Email deliverability — verifying MX, SPF and DMARC records are correctly configured so mail doesn't bounce or land in spam.
• Security auditing — spotting stale, misconfigured or unexpected DNS entries before they cause problems.
• Troubleshooting — diagnosing "site not loading" or "email not arriving" issues by checking the actual live records.

Can I look up subdomains?

Yes — enter the full subdomain (e.g. blog.example.com) in the domain field just as you would a root domain, for any of the tools on this site.

How to run a DNS lookup from the command line

Prefer the terminal? Both major operating systems ship with built-in DNS lookup tools:

Windows: open Command Prompt and run:

nslookup example.com

To query a specific record type: nslookup -type=MX example.com

macOS / Linux: open Terminal and run:

dig example.com

To query a specific record type: dig example.com MX

Frequently asked questions