DNS record checker
Type a domain name to see where its website and email point. The checker looks up the nameservers, website address, www, MX, SPF and DMARC records, and tells you in plain English what's missing or set up wrong.
We don't see or save what you type. The lookup goes straight from your browser to Cloudflare's public DNS service.
Your result
Fill in the form to begin
Type a domain and your result appears here in a second or two.
What the DNS checker looks up
The checker asks Cloudflare’s public DNS service (1.1.1.1) for seven sets of records, the same way any computer on the internet would:
- NS: the nameservers, which decide who controls the rest of the records. Ours are ns1 to ns4.whgbdns.com.
- A and AAAA: the server your website is on.
- www: whether www.yourdomain.co.uk is set up as well.
- MX: the servers that receive email for the domain.
- TXT: text records, which include SPF and records used to prove you own the domain to Google, Microsoft and others.
- DMARC: the TXT record at _dmarc.yourdomain.co.uk that tells other mail servers what to do with mail that fails SPF and DKIM.
Each check passes or gets a note. Two SPF records count as a failure, because receiving servers treat that as an error.
Reading your DNS results
DNS is the internet’s address book. When someone types your domain or sends you an email, their computer asks DNS where to go. If a record is missing or points at the wrong place, the website won’t load or mail won’t arrive, even if everything on the server is fine.
Nameservers come first
The nameservers decide where every other record is edited. If they’re ns1 to ns4.whgbdns.com, you change records in cPanel’s Zone Editor. If they point at Cloudflare, your old host or your domain registrar, that’s where the changes have to be made. Editing records anywhere else has no effect. See how to change your nameservers.
Website not loading
Check the A record first. It should show the IP address of the server your site is on. If you’ve just moved to us, compare it with the shared IP address on your cPanel home page. If the A record is right but the www check fails, people who type www will get an error, so add a CNAME or A record for www.
Email problems
No MX records means the domain can’t receive any email at all. MX records pointing at an old provider mean mail is still going there. A missing or doubled SPF record, or no DMARC record, is a common reason for mail landing in junk. Our guides on email not arriving and email not sending take you through the rest.
Moving a website or email
Before you switch nameservers or records, run the checker and keep a copy of the result. It’s a quick record of where everything pointed, which makes it easy to put back if something goes wrong. You can also preview your site on the new server before you change anything.
Questions about this tool
Why does my website still show the old site after I changed DNS?
Your computer, browser and broadband provider all keep copies of DNS answers for a while. Most changes reach everyone within a few hours, and nameserver changes can take up to a day or two. Our guide on how long DNS changes take explains how to check.
What should my MX records be?
It depends who handles your email. If your mailboxes are on our hosting, the MX record normally points to your own domain or our mail server. If you use Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, it points to them. See how to change MX records in cPanel.
Can I have two SPF records?
No. A domain should have exactly one TXT record starting v=spf1. If you send through more than one service, combine them into one record, for example v=spf1 include:one include:two ~all.
Do I need a DMARC record?
It’s strongly recommended. Gmail and Yahoo require one from businesses that send a lot of email, and it helps every business’s mail reach the inbox. Start with a policy of none, which only reports, then tighten it later. See how to set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
Is the domain I typed sent to WebHostGB?
No. Your browser sends the lookup straight to Cloudflare’s public DNS service, the same as any DNS lookup. Nothing reaches our servers.
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