How to check DNS records

Using DNSFetch

1. Open DNS Lookup.
2. Enter the exact hostname — www.example.com is not example.com.
3. Choose a type, or ALL for a snapshot.
4. Read TTL as well as the value. A 86400 TTL means yesterday’s mistake can linger a day.

For mail policy, use SPF & DMARC instead of hunting through TXT. For an IP, use reverse DNS.

Using dig

On macOS or Linux: dig example.com A, dig example.com MX, dig @1.1.1.1 example.com NS. +short trims noise. +trace walks root to authority so you can see a bad delegation. Windows users can install BIND tools or use Resolve-DnsName example.com -Type MX in PowerShell.

Using nslookup

Interactive nslookup, then set type=mx, then the domain. It is older and a bit less honest about DNSSEC, but it is everywhere. Specify a resolver with server 8.8.8.8 so you are not asking the coffee-shop router.

A short checklist when answers disagree

• Did you query the hostname users actually type?
• Do NS records match the panel you edited?
• Are you looking at a CNAME when you expected an A?
• Is the record on a subdomain (_dmarc, _domainkey)?

When the record is correct here but a user still fails, their path is caching or a local overlay (hosts file, VPN DNS, corporate split-horizon). That is caching, not a broken zone.