Reverse Lookup an IP Address
From address to name: find out what sits behind an IP.
How to use it
- Enter an IP address such as 8.8.8.8, not a domain name.
- Press Check.
- Compare the returned name with the one the server announces.
A reverse lookup works in the opposite direction to a normal one: you give it an IP address and it returns the hostname associated with it via a PTR record. Useful for identifying a suspicious visitor in your server logs, or confirming a mail server's identity.
The most important practical use concerns email. Major receiving servers reject or flag as spam any message from an address with no PTR record, or one whose PTR doesn't match the server's announced name. If you run your own mail server, this is the first thing to get right.
Frequently asked questions
For ordinary websites, no. For mail servers, yes — and it's a serious problem: many providers reject mail outright from an address with no PTR record.
You can't add one from your domain panel. PTR records are controlled by whoever owns the address block — your hosting provider or AWS. Ask them to set it for your address.
Yes — the tool handles both IPv4 and IPv6, converting the address into the form the query requires automatically.