Windows nslookup Command

The nslookup command in Windows is used for querying the Domain Name System (DNS) to obtain domain name or IP address mapping information.

Syntax

The general syntax of the command are as follows:

/> nslookup [hostname] [DNS_server]

nslookup Command-Line Flags

Flag	Description
/?	Displays help information.
-d2	Enables extensive debugging output.
-debug	Displays debugging information.
-timeout=<seconds>	Specifies the query timeout duration. Default is 2 seconds.
-retry=<number>	Sets the number of retries before giving up. Default is 4.
-type=<record>	Specifies the DNS record type to query (e.g., A, MX, NS, TXT, CNAME).
-querytype=<record>	Same as -type, defines the DNS record type to query.
-class=<class>	Specifies the query class (IN, CH, HS). Default is IN (Internet).
-server=<address>	Specifies the DNS server to use for the lookup.
-port=<number>	Specifies the port number for DNS queries (default is 53).
-vc	Forces the use of TCP instead of UDP for queries.
-norecurse	Disables recursion (queries only the specified DNS server, without forwarding requests).
-retry=<number>	Sets the number of retries.
-timeout=<seconds>	Sets the timeout for the query response.
-exit	Exits nslookup interactive mode.

Examples

Basic Domain Name Lookup

nslookup example.com

Resolves the IP address of example.com

 

Reverse DNS Lookup (Find Domain from IP)

/> nslookup 8.8.8.8

This command returns the domain name associated with the IP address 8.8.8.8.

Query a Specific DNS Server

/> nslookup example.com 8.8.8.8

Uses Google’s public DNS server (8.8.8.8) to resolve example.com.

Find Mail Servers (MX Records)

/> nslookup -query=mx example.com

Displays mail exchange (MX) records for example.com

Find Name Server Records (NS Records)

/> nslookup -query=ns example.com

Shows the authoritative name servers for example.com.

Find Start of Authority Record (SOA Record)

/> nslookup -query=soa example.com

Displays the SOA record for example.com.

Find All Available DNS Records

/> nslookup -query=any example.com

Retrieves all available DNS records.

Interactive Mode

/> nslookup

Enter interactive mode where multiple lookups can be performed.

> set type=mx
> example.com

Change Default DNS Server

nslookup
> server 8.8.8.8

Uses Google’s DNS for subsequent queries.

Debug Mode for More Details

/> nslookup -debug example.com

Provides detailed output for troubleshooting.

Uses

• Diagnosing DNS resolution issues.
• Checking if a domain’s DNS records are correctly configured.
• Finding mail server settings for a domain.
• Testing DNS propagation after changes.