DNS Lookup Tool

Look up A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SOA, and CAA records for any domain, or query every common type at once.

Live DNS Resolver - All Record Types in One Place

Use this DNS lookup tool to check how a domain is configured - its web server IPs, mail routing, name servers, TXT verification records, and more. It queries Cloudflare's public DNS resolver directly from your browser over DNS-over-HTTPS, so results come straight from the DNS system - nothing is proxied through our servers.

Quick answer: to look up DNS records, type a domain below, pick a record type (or leave it on All to check every common type at once), and click Lookup - results appear instantly in a table with name, type, TTL, and value.

Domain

Record type

Related Developer Tools

Last updated: Jun 17 2026

Written by Marek Mihalčin , Lead Technical Architect & Founder · Reviewed by QuickTooly Team

DNS Lookup Guide

DNS (Domain Name System) translates human-readable domain names into the information computers need to find and communicate with a server - IP addresses, mail servers, name servers, and verification text. A DNS lookup queries this system directly and shows you exactly what's published for a domain right now, which is the fastest way to confirm a DNS change has taken effect or to debug why a domain isn't resolving the way you expect.

Why Use a DNS Lookup Tool?

DNS issues are some of the hardest to diagnose because your own computer caches answers and may not reflect what the rest of the internet sees. This tool queries a public resolver fresh, every time:

Verify DNS changes: Confirm a new A record, MX record, or TXT verification record has actually published before waiting on local cache or ISP resolvers to catch up.
Debug email delivery: Check MX and TXT (SPF/DKIM/DMARC) records when email isn't being delivered or is landing in spam.
Check domain ownership and migration: Inspect NS and SOA records to see which registrar or DNS host currently controls a domain.
All record types in one place: Run "All common types" instead of repeating a lookup for A, then AAAA, then MX, then TXT separately.
Zero install: No need for a terminal or `dig`/`nslookup` - works entirely in your browser.

DNS Lookup in Action

Here's what a typical `dig`-style raw response looks like compared to this tool's output:

Raw resolver output

example.com.  300  IN  A  93.184.215.14
example.com.  300  IN  MX  0 .
example.com.  300  IN  TXT "v=spf1 -all"

This tool (table view)

A     example.com.  TTL 300  93.184.215.14
MX    example.com.  TTL 300  0 .
TXT   example.com.  TTL 300  "v=spf1 -all"

What Each Record Type Means

A:: Maps a domain to an IPv4 address - the most common record for pointing a domain at a web server.
AAAA:: Same as A, but maps to an IPv6 address.
CNAME:: Aliases one domain name to another (e.g. `www` to the root domain or a CDN endpoint).
MX:: Specifies which mail servers, in priority order, should receive email for the domain.
TXT:: Stores arbitrary text, commonly used for domain verification and email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
NS:: Lists the authoritative name servers responsible for answering DNS queries for the domain.
SOA:: Start of Authority - holds administrative details like the primary name server, serial number, and cache timers.
CAA:: Restricts which Certificate Authorities are allowed to issue TLS certificates for the domain.

This Tool vs. dig / nslookup vs. Single-Record-Type Tools

Tool	What it does	Best for
This tool	Instant in-browser lookup of any record type, or all at once, in a readable table	Quick checks from any device, no install
dig / nslookup	Command-line lookup with full control over resolver and query options	Developers and sysadmins already in a terminal
Single-record-type sites	Separate pages for MX lookup, NS lookup, etc.	Looking up exactly one record type and nothing else

Common Use Cases for DNS Lookups

Launching a new site: Confirm A/AAAA records point to your new host before going live.
Migrating email providers: Check MX records have switched over and old records are gone.
Verifying domain ownership: Look up a TXT record you were asked to add by Google Workspace, AWS, or another provider.
Investigating a domain you don't control: See where a competitor or vendor's domain is hosted via its NS and A records.
Troubleshooting SSL issuance: Check CAA records when a certificate authority refuses to issue a certificate, then confirm the chain with the SSL Certificate Checker.

How to Use This Tool

Enter a domain - or click "Load sample" to try it with an example.
Choose a record type - or leave it on "All common types" to query everything at once.
Click Lookup - results appear in a table grouped by record type, with name, TTL, and value.
Copy the result - click Copy to place the results on your clipboard.

DNS Lookup Best Practices

Account for propagation: DNS changes can take anywhere from minutes to 48 hours to fully propagate, depending on TTL and resolver caching.
Lower TTL before a migration: Reduce a record's TTL ahead of a planned change so old answers expire from caches faster.
Check from a public resolver, not just locally: Your own machine or ISP may have a stale cached answer even after the authoritative record has changed.
Look up all record types after a migration: Confirm A, AAAA, MX, and TXT records all moved together - a partial migration is a common source of outages.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a DNS lookup?

A DNS lookup queries the Domain Name System to find the records published for a domain - such as which IP address it points to, which servers handle its email, or which name servers are authoritative for it.

Why might results here differ from dig or nslookup on my computer?

This tool queries Cloudflare's public DNS resolver fresh from your browser. Your local machine or ISP resolver may be serving a cached answer with a different TTL, so results can briefly differ during DNS propagation.

What does TTL mean in the results?

TTL (Time To Live) is the number of seconds a resolver is allowed to cache a record before re-querying the authoritative name server. A lower TTL means changes propagate faster but increases query load.

What's the difference between A and CNAME records?

An A record points a domain directly at an IPv4 address. A CNAME record points a domain at another domain name instead of an IP address, which then gets resolved itself - commonly used for subdomains pointing at a CDN or hosting platform.

Is this DNS lookup tool free and private?

Yes. Lookups are sent directly from your browser to Cloudflare's public DNS resolver over DNS-over-HTTPS - nothing is logged or stored on our servers.

Why does it say "No records found"?

This means the domain doesn't currently publish a record of the type you selected - for example, most domains have no CAA or TXT records by default. Try "All common types" to see everything that is published, or double-check the domain spelling.

Does this bypass my local DNS cache?

Yes. Because the query goes directly to Cloudflare's resolver over HTTPS from your browser, it isn't affected by your operating system's or router's local DNS cache.

Can I use this to check DNS propagation worldwide?

This tool shows what Cloudflare's resolver currently sees, which is a good single data point, but different resolvers around the world may still hold different cached answers until TTLs expire everywhere. For a multi-location propagation check, query from several public resolvers (e.g. Cloudflare, Google, Quad9) and compare results.