Email blacklist check

Enter a domain or an IP address. We look it up on public email blocklists and show which ones list it, with a link to each list's own removal page.

What an email blacklist is

An email blacklist, also called a blocklist or DNSBL, is a public list of IP addresses or domains that have recently sent mail the list's operator considers unwanted, such as spam or phishing. Mail providers can look up a sending server or the links in a message in these lists while deciding whether to accept a message, send it to spam, or refuse it.

Lists work differently. Some list single IP addresses that sent spam to their trap addresses. Some list whole ranges that should not send mail directly, such as home internet connections. Domain lists track domains seen in the links or sender addresses of unwanted mail. Each operator sets its own rules for listing and removal, and most listings expire on their own once the problem stops.

What a listing means for your email

A listing does not block all your email. Every receiving provider decides which lists it uses and how much weight it gives them. A listing on a large, widely used list can cause refusals or spam-folder delivery at many providers; a listing on a small list may have no visible effect. If people tell you your messages bounce, read the bounce text: it often names the list that caused the refusal.

How to get off a blacklist

Requesting removal without fixing the cause rarely helps, because the address gets listed again. First find out what sent the unwanted mail. Common causes are a mailbox whose password was guessed or stolen, a website contact form or plugin that spammers use to send mail, an infected computer on your network, or a mailing list that sends to old or purchased addresses.

Change the passwords of any affected mailboxes, turn on two-factor sign-in where you can, update or remove the abused form, and clean your mailing lists. Then open the "Removal info" link for each list that shows your domain or IP and follow its steps. Some lists remove an entry automatically after a quiet period; others ask you to submit a request.

Keep your domain off the lists

Send only to people who asked for your mail, include a working unsubscribe link in bulk mail, and watch your bounce messages. Make sure your domain has an SPF record and a DMARC record, so receivers can tell your real mail from forged mail that uses your name.

How this check works

We query a fixed set of public blocklists through normal DNS lookups and show their answers as they are. "Could not check" means a list didn't answer in time. We report only what each list says; we make no judgement about the domain or address owner.

Questions

Why is my domain or IP listed?

The list's operator saw mail it considers unwanted coming from it. The list's own page usually explains its reasons and how long a listing lasts.

Does a listing stop all my email?

Not always. Each receiving provider decides which lists it uses.

Do you save what I check?

No. Results are shown once and are not stored or indexed.

Can you remove my domain from a list?

No. Only each list's operator can remove an entry. Use the "Removal info" link next to the list.