Question 1

What is a PTR record?

Accepted Answer

A PTR (pointer) record is a reverse DNS record that maps an IP address back to a hostname. When you send mail, receiving servers look up the PTR for your sending IP. If there is none, or it does not match the hostname the server claims, the mail is treated as suspicious.

Question 2

What is forward-confirmed PTR?

Accepted Answer

Forward-confirmed PTR (FCPTR) means the hostname in the PTR record resolves back to the same IP address. Most major providers (Gmail, Microsoft) require this round-trip match before they trust the sender. A PTR that points to a name that does not resolve back to your IP is a common, fixable deliverability problem.

Question 3

Why does reverse DNS matter for deliverability?

Accepted Answer

Receiving mail servers use reverse DNS as an early trust signal. A sending IP with no PTR, or a PTR that does not forward-confirm, is down-ranked or rejected before your SPF, DKIM and DMARC are even evaluated. It is one of the first things to verify when mail suddenly stops arriving.

Question 4

Can I check a domain instead of an IP?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Enter a domain and this checker resolves its A record to the IP, then checks the PTR for that IP and verifies the hostname matches the domain you entered.

Question 5

Is this PTR checker free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The check is free and does not require a signup. It performs live DNS lookups, so results reflect the current state of your DNS.

Reverse DNS (PTR) checker

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