How to read MX records
Learn how MX records work, what priority means, and how to interpret mail routing records correctly.
What MX records are
MX records are DNS records that tell other mail servers where to deliver email for a domain.
Each MX record points to a hostname and includes a preference value, sometimes called priority.
How priority works
Lower numbers mean higher priority. If a domain publishes multiple MX records, sending mail systems usually try the lowest number first.
For example, priority 0 is preferred over priority 10.
Why one MX hostname may have multiple IPs
An MX record points to a hostname, not directly to an IP address. That hostname may resolve to one or more A and AAAA records.
This is normal and often used for redundancy, load balancing, or regional service delivery.
What to check during troubleshooting
- Whether MX records exist at all
- Whether priorities make sense
- Whether the target hostnames resolve correctly
- Whether the published mail platform matches what you expect