Verify MX records are correct and mail can be received

20 min Impact: high Effort: low ✓ Scan-verified — no manual checkbox

MX records tell the internet which mail servers actually handle email for your domain — without correctly configured MX records, email sent to your domain simply fails to deliver, and this is also foundational to configuring SPF/DKIM/DMARC correctly.

MX records tell the internet where to deliver email for your domain. Without them, no one can email you at @yourdomain.com. Missing MX is also a red flag for spam filters evaluating your outbound mail.

How to fix it

1

Check your current MX records

Use a DNS lookup tool to confirm your MX records point to your actual email provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or your host's mail servers).
2

Verify priority values are sensible

Lower numbers are tried first — if you have backup mail servers, confirm the priority ordering matches your intended primary/backup setup.
3

Test actual delivery

Send a test email to an address at your domain from an external account and confirm it arrives.

Common mistakes

MX records are easy to get wrong during a domain or email provider migration — double-check them specifically any time you switch email providers, not just when first setting up.

How you'll know it's done

MX records correctly point to your actual mail provider, and test email delivery succeeds.

Tools that help

MX Toolbox ↗

Free lookup and validation for MX records and general email DNS health.

H.I.V.E. checks this automatically

Fix it, then re-scan — the check confirms itself. No manual checkbox, the scan is the truth.

Run this check in H.I.V.E. →