Forwarding emails to the proper mail servers, MX records—an essential element in email communication. Ever pondered what occurs when you click “send” on an email? An MX record serves as your email’s delivery instruction behind the scenes, instructing the system on the precise path to take. Your email may bounce back or not be delivered at all if this record does not have a proper configuration. Therefore, in 2025, it is essential to comprehend what is an MX Record.
With an estimated 376 billion emails sent per day, which will increase to 408 billion in 2027, email continues to be the mainstay of contemporary corporate communication. The MX record, a crucial part of this enormous email infrastructure, makes sure that messages get to their intended recipients safely and effectively.
Keep reading and exploring to learn what is a MX record. We will also discuss the MX entry for Gmail and other related topics.
Table of Contents
What is the MX Record?
An MX record is a sort of DNS record that allows clients to ask for the name of the subdomain linked to the mail server, which controls email sending and receiving. Control panels, such as cPanel, are useful in this situation since they give users an interface to manage these DNS entries.
The Domain Name System (DNS), which is essential for email message routing, includes mail exchange data. MX records give email clients information about the domain to which a mail server may be accessed. You can find them in DNS zone files, which are straightforward text files that include all of the entries for a certain domain. They are in charge of forwarding emails to the appropriate mail server via the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).
Typically, a domain name has a number of Gmail MX servers, such as web, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and mail servers, all of which are reachable through distinct subdomains that are controlled by DNS records.
Key components of MX records are twofold. They start by defining the hostname of the mail server that receives emails on your domain’s behalf. Sending mail servers can then use this hostname to search for the IP address of the mail server and deliver the message. Second, a priority number is present in every what is an MX record.
What is an MX Record Used For?
Understanding the function of DNS servers and Message Transfer Agents (MTAs) in the email delivery process is crucial to comprehending how MX records operate. When a user sends an email, MTAs look for MX records, and DNS servers maintain and supply the MX records required for email message routing.
When a sender sends the email, the sender’s MTA looks up the relevant MX records and starts a DNS query to find the recipient’s mail servers. The recipient’s DNS server receives this query and provides the necessary MX records, along with their priority values.
Starting with the mail server with the highest priority, the sender’s MTA creates an SMTP connection with the recipient’s mail server. If necessary, it then proceeds down the priority list until the email is delivered successfully.
Also Read: How To Fix DNS Server Not Responding: Step by Step Guide To Fix
What Are the Components of an MX Record?
Understanding the fundamental components of a DNS MX (Mail Exchange) record is essential before beginning to deal with what is an MX record.
Below is a summary of every component:
Setting Priorities
Every MX server record contains a priority value, which is often an integer. Higher priority is indicated by lower numbers. Emails are sent to the server with the lowest value first when there are several mail servers defined.
Emails will be sent to the next available server if the primary server is unavailable because levels of priority are assigned to different servers.
Specifications For The Hostname
The hostname, which is frequently denoted by the “@” symbol or a particular subdomain (such as “mail. [yourdomain].com”), identifies the precise server that is in charge of managing your emails.
In order for this hostname to resolve to the right IP address of your mail server, it must point to a proper A (Address) or AAAA (IPv4 or IPv6 Address) record.
The Mail Server At The Destination
The domain name of the email server that will receive emails for your domain is indicated by this component. Instead of pointing to an IP address, this must link to a fully qualified domain name (FQDN).
Precise setup guarantees that incoming emails are routed to the appropriate server, avoiding delivery problems.
Time To Live (TTL)
TTL establishes the amount of time that DNS resolvers, servers, and devices keep cached DNS information. Although a lower TTL speeds up the updating of your MX records. Moreover, it may result in an increase in DNS query traffic.
Choosing the right TTL makes sure that changes to your mail server settings are detected as soon as possible. This keeps your DNS infrastructure from being overloaded while balancing efficiency and performance.
By properly establishing each MX record component, you may eliminate all of your email delivery problems. It is important to know these components if you want to know what is an MX record in detail.
Also Read: What is Private DNS: How To Use it on iPhone, Android & Laptop
How Can I Look Up My MX Record?
Online tools are among the most popular ways to confirm the MX records for your domain. These include Google’s G Suite Toolbox and MXToolbox.com, which let you search for other kinds of DNS records (CNAME, TXT, PTR, TLSA, etc.).
By entering your domain name, you may use these tools to find out the current MX records linked to your domain name. You can confirm that your mail servers have the correct settings and have a correct priority to guarantee effective email delivery by looking at the results.
Remember that these tools do DNS lookups and get MX record information by using authoritative name servers. Let’s say your domain makes use of private or custom name servers.
If so, you may need to configure your DNS or submit more information so that these tools can retrieve the information from your MX records.
Maintaining an effective and dependable email system for your domain requires routinely checking its MX records and taking care of any possible problems that could be hindering email delivery. Typical issues include:
- Missing MX records: Since senders’ MTAs must know where to route messages, email delivery is likely to be interrupted if your domain lacks any MX records.
- Inaccurate mail server information: Email delivery may not work or may take longer if your MX records indicate the incorrect mail server. It is important to know what is an MX record.
- Incorrect priority values: Due to diverted messages or inefficient DNS load balancing, email delivery may be less dependable or efficient if your MX records include inconsistent or unclear priority values.
What Is An MX Record For Email?
A crucial component of an email’s online operation is an MX record, or Mail Exchange record. Email servers use this kind of DNS (Domain Name System) record to determine where to send messages for a certain domain. To determine which mail server is responsible for receiving an email sent to [email protected], for instance, the sending mail server looks for mydomain.com’s MX record. Because each MX record includes a priority value, emails may be sent to a backup server if one server is unavailable or busy.
Emails wouldn’t know where to go without MX records, and messages sent to your domain would just not work. To put it briefly, MX records serve as your international domains email system’s “postal address,” making sure that every message reaches its planned recipient. They are necessary for safe and dependable email correspondence.
How Can Temok Help With Configuring MX Records?
Even with a thorough grasp of what is an MX record, it takes constant administration to keep the email system dependable. Communication and business activities can be negatively impacted by disruptions due to misconfigurations, out-of-date records, and a lack of redundancy.
That’s where Temok professional email services come in.
Professional Email Service From Temok
We provide the resources and assistance required to keep everything functioning properly.
1. Expert Email Support
Branded email addresses are domain-specific emails that complement your domain and provide legitimacy and professionalism.
- Email administration made easy: We use a custom inbox to easily manage your inboxes and templates. Manage, update, and configure MX records with ease without having to deal with intricate DNS settings.
- Putting security first: Your inbox is safe with our premium spam filtering and virus protection.
2. Temok Connection With Google Workspace
- Professional email powered by Google: Get a branded, domain-matching email with Temok Google Workspace that you can easily control with your Temok Control Panel and perfectly have a link with your Gmail.
- Collaboration simplified: Use Temok’s integrated productivity tools, including Google Drive, Docs, and Sheets, to keep your team connected from any location.
- Security and dependability in one location: Take advantage of Temok’s SpamExperts and CodeGuard for further email security and data protection, as well as Google’s spam filtering and encryption.
3. Easy-To-Use DNS Administration
- Simple control panel: Temok’s user-friendly interface makes it simple to manage DNS settings, including MX records.
- Clear instructions: Temok Technologies offers straightforward, understandable tutorials to help you configure an MX record if you’re not aware of what is an MX record.
4. All-Inclusive Support Materials
Temok offers 24/7 professional support. Whether you’re resolving a problem or making changes to your email setup, Temok’s support staff is always accessible via phone or chat.
- Large knowledge base: Even without technical experience, you may easily configure email settings by using comprehensive guidelines and resources.
The cornerstone of dependable email delivery is a properly set MX record system. However, continuous support and basic governance elevate it to a new level. With Temok Technologies, your business Gmail will get full support.
Conclusion
Effective email communication starts with a correctly set MX record. Emails may bounce, disappear, or never get to the correct mailbox without it. Moreover, workflow disruptions and missed opportunities may result from this. Reliable email delivery requires knowing what is an MX record and making sure it has the correct configuration. However, you can comment below if you have any queries about what is MX record.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What Is An Example Of MX Record?
The sending email server will check the MX record for example.com when you send an email to [email protected]. After that, it will try to deliver the email to the mail server. In this case, you will get mail.example.com—that has a list in the MX record.
What Is The MX Record For Gmail?
The primary MX record for Gmail for customers of Google Workspace (previously G Suite) is aspmx.l.google.com.
What Is The Difference Between An A Record And An MX Record?
In DNS, your web server has a reference to your records, for example, site.com. Moreover, MX records also refer to your mail servers.
Where Do I Find My MX Record?
You must access your domain’s DNS settings. Your hosting company or domain registrar controls that. You can also use different online tools to find your MX record.