PTR records, also commonly known as reverse DNS lookup or reverse DNS resolution, map an IP address to a host/domain name. This is the opposite of resolving a domain name to an IP address which is commonly known as the A record in IPv4 and the AAAA record in IPv6.

Published Standard: RFC 2317

Why is a PTR Record Important?

This record is used by spam filters. Spammers often use fake domain names to send out email and generally won't have a correct PTR record set up in DNS. This is one of the main requirements of many spam filters and if you don't have a PTR Record set up many of your emails will be blocked and never reach the intended recipient.

How Do I Set Up My PTR Record?

If you need a PTR Record set up for your mail server you'll need to contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider) as this is something they'll set up for you. If your mail server's domain name were mail.yourdomain.com, then you would ask your ISP to set up a reverse PTR Record for your mail server and give them the IP address of the server. You can check to see if your mail server has a PTR Record set up by using our lookup tool: PTR Record Lookup Tool



This company receives an average of 1348 messages per hour. On average 33 of those messages per hour are rejected because there isn't a correct PTR Record set up. The rejection line is in blue across the bottom.

Source: Unlock The Inbox