Free DNS tool
TXT Record Lookup
Read the SPF, DKIM, DMARC and domain-verification text records for any domain, exactly as receiving mail servers see them.
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Lookups run in your browser over Google public DNS-over-HTTPS (Cloudflare as fallback). Nothing you enter is sent to Pulsetic.
DNS decides where your domain and email actually go. Pulsetic watches your domain and SSL certificate around the clock.
What is a TXT record?
A TXT record holds free-form text attached to a domain. DNS never interprets it; other systems do. In practice TXT records carry your email-authentication policies and the verification strings services ask you to add to prove you own a domain.
A name can have many TXT records, and a single record can hold several quoted strings that are joined together. That is why an SPF or DKIM value can look like one long line made of smaller pieces.
SPF, DKIM and DMARC live in TXT records
SPF (starting v=spf1) lists which servers may send mail for your domain. DMARC (at _dmarc.yourdomain, starting v=DMARC1) tells receivers what to do with mail that fails checks. DKIM publishes a public key at a selector subdomain so receivers can verify a signature.
When email lands in spam, these three are the first things to read. A TXT lookup shows them verbatim, so you can spot a typo, a missing include or a policy left at none.
Look it up from the terminal
Prefer the command line? These return the same records this tool shows:
dig example.com TXT +short
nslookup -type=TXT example.com
Every DNS record type
What each record does. Each one has a dedicated lookup in the tabs above.
| Record | What it does | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| A | Maps a domain to an IPv4 address. | example.com → 93.184.216.34 |
| AAAA | Maps a domain to an IPv6 address. | example.com → 2606:2800:220:1:: |
| CNAME | Points one name at another name, as an alias. | www → example.com |
| MX | Names the mail servers that accept email for the domain, each with a priority. | 10 mail.example.com |
| TXT | Holds free-form text, used for SPF, DKIM, DMARC and domain verification. | v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all |
| NS | Lists the authoritative name servers for the domain. | ns1.example.com |
| SOA | Start of authority: the primary name server and the zone refresh, retry and expiry timers. | ns1.example.com . 2026010101 |
| PTR | Reverse record: maps an IP address back to a host name. | 34.216.184.93.in-addr.arpa |
| SRV | Locates the host and port for a specific service. | _sip._tcp → 5060 sip.example.com |
| CAA | States which certificate authorities may issue SSL certificates for the domain. | 0 issue "letsencrypt.org" |
Frequently asked questions
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What is a TXT record?
A TXT record stores arbitrary text on a domain that other systems read. Its most common uses are email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and proving domain ownership to a service that asks you to add a verification string.
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How do I check my SPF record?
Run a TXT lookup on your domain and look for the value beginning with v=spf1. That line defines which servers may send mail for you, often authorizing other providers through include: entries rather than listing every address directly; if a sender is not authorized directly or through one of those includes, its mail can fail SPF and be filtered.
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Where is my DMARC record?
DMARC is a TXT record published at the _dmarc subdomain, for example _dmarc.example.com, and begins with v=DMARC1. Look it up there rather than on the bare domain.
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Why is my long TXT record split into parts?
A single TXT string is limited to 255 characters, so longer values such as DKIM keys are stored as several quoted strings. Resolvers join them back together, and this tool shows the combined text.
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