TXT Record Lookup: Free Online DNS Checker

A TXT record lookup shows the text records published in a domain's DNS, including SPF, DKIM, DMARC and site verification codes. Enter a domain name and this free tool lists every TXT record it finds, labels each one by type and shows its TTL, so you can confirm your email authentication and ownership settings in seconds.

What Is a TXT Record in DNS?

A TXT record is a DNS entry that stores plain text against a domain name. Originally meant for human-readable notes, it is now mostly read by machines: mail servers, search engines and cloud services look for specific text strings to check who controls a domain and which servers may send its email.

Every TXT record has two parts you will see in the results: a value (the text itself) and a TTL, the time in seconds that resolvers may keep the answer before asking again. A domain can have many TXT records at once, and that is normal. Long values are often stored as several quoted strings that DNS software joins together, and this tool shows them as one continuous value.

Common kinds of TXT records

• SPF lists the servers allowed to send mail for the domain. The value starts with v=spf1.
• DKIM publishes a public key used to verify signed email. The value contains v=DKIM1.
• DMARC tells receivers what to do when SPF or DKIM checks fail. The value contains v=DMARC1.
• Verification records prove ownership to services such as Google, Microsoft and Facebook.

How to Use the TXT Record Lookup

You can run a lookup in four steps, and the whole process takes a few seconds.

1. Type or paste the domain into the Domain Name field, for example example.com.
2. Click Lookup TXT Records. The button changes to "Looking up..." while the request runs.
3. Read the line "TXT record(s) found for" followed by your domain. It tells you how many records exist.
4. Review each record. Every one shows a type label, its TTL in seconds and the full text value.

If you paste a full address such as a URL with https:// or a trailing path, the tool trims it down to the domain for you. The input must contain at least one dot, so a bare word like "localhost" is rejected with the message "Please enter a valid domain name."

Worked Example: Checking a Small Business Domain

Say you run an online shop on shopexample.com and customers report that your order emails land in spam. You enter the domain and the tool returns three records.

• Type SPF, TTL 3600s, value v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all
• Type Google Verification, TTL 3600s, value google-site-verification=abc123...
• Type Other, TTL 300s, a value from a third-party service

The SPF record authorizes Google's mail servers and ends in ~all, a soft fail for everything else. That is a valid record, but it does not mention the separate platform you use to send order confirmations. Mail from that platform will fail SPF. The fix is to add that platform's include to the same record, keeping a single SPF record. The Google verification record confirms the domain is already verified for Google services and should be left alone.

How Do You Read and Act on the Results?

Each result card has a colored type label that tells you what the record is for, followed by the TTL and the raw value. The label is assigned by looking for known text patterns in the value, so treat it as a quick guide and read the value itself before you change anything.

What a healthy SPF result looks like

A good result shows exactly one SPF record. Two SPF records on the same domain cause a permanent error for many receivers, so merge them into one. The SPF standard also limits a record to 10 DNS-querying mechanisms (such as include), so a long chain of includes can break authentication even when the text looks correct.

What a healthy DMARC result looks like

A DMARC record starts with v=DMARC1 and includes a policy. A policy of p=none only monitors, p=quarantine sends failures to spam and p=reject blocks them. Many domain owners start with monitoring, review the reports sent to the address in the rua= tag, then tighten the policy.

Reading the TTL

A TTL of 300 to 3600 seconds is common. A low TTL means changes spread faster, which helps while you are fixing something. A very high TTL, such as 86400 (one day), means old data may linger after an edit.

Why Don't My DKIM and DMARC Records Show Up?

DKIM and DMARC records live on specific subdomain names, not on the root domain, so a lookup of example.com will not list them. The tool returns the TXT records for exactly the name you enter.

• For DMARC, enter _dmarc.example.com.
• For DKIM, enter selector._domainkey.example.com, replacing "selector" with the name your email provider gave you. Google Workspace commonly uses google as its default selector, so you would enter google._domainkey.example.com.

The tool accepts names with underscores, so these lookups work as typed. If your provider gave you a different selector, check the DKIM setup page in your email admin console.

Who Uses a TXT Lookup and When?

Anyone who manages a domain, sends email from it or connects it to an online service will need to read TXT records at some point.

• Email administrators confirm SPF, DKIM and DMARC after changing mail providers.
• Marketers and SEOs check that a Google site verification record is still in place before setting up Search Console or other Google services.
• Web developers and freelancers verify that a client added the record a vendor asked for.
• IT and security teams audit old records left over from services the company no longer uses.
• Domain buyers inspect an inherited domain to see which services were attached to it.

Best Practices and Troubleshooting Tips

Most TXT problems come from small typos or timing, and a quick lookup usually points to the cause.

• Look up the exact name. A record added to www.example.com will not appear when you query example.com.
• Copy values carefully. Stray spaces, smart quotes or a missing semicolon in a DMARC value can make the record invalid even though it appears in the list.
• Keep one SPF record. If you see two cards labeled SPF, combine them into a single value.
• Wait after edits. If a new record is missing, the old answer may still be cached by resolvers until the TTL runs out. Check again later, or use the DNS propagation checker to compare resolver answers.
• Do not delete unknown records blindly. A record labeled Other may belong to a payment, analytics or support service. Search for the vendor name in the value first.
• Re-check after every DNS change. A lookup after a migration, a new email service or a verification request takes seconds and prevents days of silent delivery trouble.

If you see an error message

"No TXT records found for this domain" means the name resolves but has no TXT data, so add the record at your DNS host. A message that the name does not exist (NXDOMAIN) means the domain or subdomain is not in DNS at all, which is often a typo or an unregistered name. "DNS lookup unavailable" means the answer could not be retrieved this time, so simply retry.

Limitations and Accuracy Notes

This tool reads and displays records; it does not judge them. It will not tell you whether an SPF record exceeds the 10-lookup limit, whether a DKIM key matches your mail server or whether a DMARC policy suits your business. Type labels depend on recognizable text, so an unusual or misspelled record may appear as Other or Verification even when you intended something else.

Results reflect what DNS returns at the moment you search, and DNS changes can take time to reach every resolver. For a full overview of other record types on the same domain, run a complete DNS lookup. To check where your email is delivered, use the MX record lookup, and to see who hosts your DNS, try the NS record lookup. If a subdomain points elsewhere through an alias, the CNAME record lookup shows that. More utilities are collected in the Network and IP tools hub.

Enter your domain above and click Lookup TXT Records to see exactly what is published today. Then fix any duplicate, missing or outdated entries and run the lookup again to confirm the change.