Verify an email address.
Paste an address and we will tell you whether it can receive mail — and why we think so, in a sentence you can act on.
10 free checks an hour. No signup, no card.
What this actually checks
Is it a valid address at all?
Malformed addresses and near-misses like gmial.com are caught instantly, with the correction suggested.
Does the domain accept mail?
We resolve the domain and its mail servers. A domain with no MX record cannot receive anything.
Is it a throwaway?
Disposable providers are matched against lists we refresh continuously, including their subdomains.
Is it a person or an inbox?
Addresses like support@ and info@ are shared team inboxes. Real, but a poor target — and often spam traps.
Does the mailbox exist?
A real SMTP conversation with the mail server, stopped before any message is sent. You never appear in anyone’s inbox.
Why some addresses come back “risky” or “unknown”
Some domains accept every address you offer them, whether the mailbox exists or not — a catch-all. For those, no verifier on earth can confirm a specific mailbox by SMTP, and anyone telling you otherwise is guessing.
Others deliberately defer first contact, or decline to answer verification probes at all. We report that honestly as unknown rather than inventing a verdict. In the paid product those checks cost you nothing. Read more: what is a catch-all email?
How to verify an email address without sending an email
You can check whether an email address exists without sending it a message. The checker above runs these steps in a few seconds:
- Check the format. Make sure the address is well formed and the domain is not a misspelling such as gmial.com.
- Look up the domain. Find the domain’s MX records — the mail servers that receive its email. No MX record means no mailbox can exist.
- Screen disposable and role addresses. Flag temporary-email providers and shared addresses such as info@ or support@.
- Ask the mail server. Open an SMTP conversation and ask whether it will accept mail for the address, then stop before any message is sent.
- Test for catch-all. Ask about an address that cannot exist. If that is accepted too, the domain accepts everything and the result is risky.
What each result means
| Result | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Valid | The mail server confirmed the mailbox exists. | Safe to send. |
| Invalid | The mailbox or domain does not exist, or the address is malformed. | Remove it. |
| Risky | Catch-all domain, role address, full mailbox or similar. | Send only if you know the contact. |
| Unknown | The server did not give a clear answer, for example a timeout. | Check again later. |
Frequently asked questions
Can I check if an email address exists for free?
Yes. The checker on this page is free and needs no sign-up. For whole lists or many addresses, PickusMail gives you 100 free credits when you create an account.
Does verifying an email send a message to the person?
No. The check talks to the recipient’s mail server and stops before any email is sent, so the person never sees anything.
How accurate is email verification?
For most domains the mail server gives a clear answer, so valid and invalid results are reliable. Catch-all domains and servers that refuse to answer cannot be confirmed by anyone, so they are reported as risky or unknown rather than guessed.
Why is an address I know is real marked risky?
Usually because its domain is catch-all: it accepts every address, so a single mailbox cannot be confirmed. The address may well be real; the result tells you it cannot be proven.