---
title: "Catch-All Email Checker | Free Accept-All Lookup | Emvero"
description: "Look up a domain's known catch-all state for free, without an account. Read yes, no or unknown; the lookup makes no new SMTP probe."
url: https://emvero.io/catch-all-email-checker/
language: en
updated: 2026-10-07
---

Free catch-all domain checker

# Look up a domain's catch-all state

Catch-all, also called accept-all, means a mail server accepts invented recipient names as well as real ones. Enter a domain or email address to look up Emvero's existing evidence of that behaviour.

Catch-all lookup

Enter a domain or email address and select Check. Only the domain is used. This free lookup reports existing catch-all evidence without contacting a mail server or sending email.

The lookup is free and needs no account or credits. It contacts no mail server and cannot establish whether a particular mailbox exists.

Start for free

See an example check

Domain lookup · No SMTP session · No email sent

## What the result means

### Accept-all: yes

The available evidence indicates that the domain accepts invented recipient names. A server accepting an address there does not confirm that a matching mailbox exists.

### Accept-all: no

The available evidence indicates that the mail system rejects recipient names it does not recognise. A check of a real address may therefore provide useful mailbox evidence. This lookup has not performed that check.

### Unknown

Emvero’s current sources do not establish whether the domain accepts invented recipient names. The question remains open; unknown must not be treated as no. This lookup does not run a new mail-server test to resolve it.

### No mail routing

The domain has no usable route for incoming internet mail, so catch-all behaviour does not apply. Mail routing is reported separately from the three accept-all states.

A service error or rate-limit notice means the lookup could not return a result. Follow the notice’s instructions to wait or try again. An unavailable lookup provides no evidence about the domain.

## Check where the answer came from

The source beside the result tells you what supports it:

- A prior probe records behaviour observed at this domain during an earlier mail-server check.
- An operator record is a finding recorded manually for the domain.
- A reviewed provider entry describes known behaviour of the operator hosting the domain’s mail. It does not represent a measurement at this specific domain.

A displayed date tells you when the existing record was established. It does not mean the tool contacted the mail server during your request.

If you enter a full email address, the part before `@` is discarded. A yes or no result still describes the domain’s behaviour, without establishing whether that mailbox exists. The [catch-all glossary entry](https://emvero.io/glossary/catch-all-domain/) explains why accepting an address cannot always confirm a mailbox.

## When to run a full check

A full verification can ask the receiving mail server about a real recipient. When the destination permits it, the check compares that reply with the reply for a control address constructed so that nobody owns it. A server accepting both can reveal catch-all behaviour.

The mail-server conversation uses SMTP and stops before `DATA`, when message content would be sent. No email is delivered. Server limits or delayed replies can still leave the result inconclusive.

A domain check opens no SMTP connection and can only report an already-known catch-all state. The [full versus domain comparison](https://emvero.io/compare/full-check-vs-domain-check/) explains which depth to choose. For a closer look at the testing process, read [how to verify catch-all email addresses](https://emvero.io/blog/how-to-verify-catch-all-email-addresses/).

## Decide how to handle the address

For a signup or stored contact, read the full verification’s catch-all finding (`checks.accept_all`), recommended action (`action`) and reasons (`reason_codes`) together. The `ACCEPT_ALL_DOMAIN` reason identifies catch-all behaviour; it does not establish that an address or person is fraudulent. An inconclusive result is separate from `undeliverable`, which requires evidence of a permanent technical problem.

If you need to establish control of the mailbox, send your own confirmation email. Confirmation shows control at that time. Neither confirmation nor technical verification guarantees future delivery.

## Look up catch-all behaviour through the API

To use the same lookup in your application, call the API from your server with a bearer credential. The domain field accepts a domain or full email address:

```
curl -sS https://api.emvero.tech/v1/accept-all \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer emv_your_credential" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"domain":"example.com"}'
```

Illustrative response for a domain with no incoming mail route:

```
{
  "domain": "example.com",
  "ascii_domain": "example.com",
  "accept_all": "unknown",
  "provider_profile": "provider:unknown",
  "mail_routing": false
}
```

This example shows the separate no-mail condition: catch-all behaviour does not apply. The lookup costs no credits, and rate limits still apply. See the [lookup reference](https://docs.emvero.io/using/accept-all/) for response fields and errors. To check a particular address, use the [email verification API](https://emvero.io/email-verification-api/).

Questions

## Frequently asked.

**What does this catch-all email checker do?**

It reports whether Emvero has evidence that a domain accepts invented recipient names. The result can be yes, no or unknown. The lookup contacts no mail server and does not verify an individual mailbox.

**How do I check a domain for catch-all behaviour?**

Enter the domain or a full email address in the form above and select Check. Only the domain is used. If its catch-all state is unknown, a full verification of a real address may gather new evidence, though server limits can still leave the result inconclusive.

**Can an address at a catch-all domain receive mail?**

Yes. A real mailbox at a catch-all domain can receive mail. But the server also accepts invented recipient names, so its acceptance does not confirm that the mailbox you asked about exists. This lookup cannot settle that question.

**Should I reject all catch-all addresses?**

Catch-all behaviour alone does not establish that an address is invalid. Read the full verification's recommendation and reasons, then apply your service's rules. If you need to establish control of the mailbox at signup, use email confirmation.

**Is there a catch-all lookup API?**

Yes. `POST /v1/accept-all` accepts a domain or full email address, requires a bearer credential and costs no credits. It reports existing catch-all evidence for the domain. Full address verification includes this evidence in `checks.accept_all`, alongside the status, recommended action and reason codes.

## Compared side by side

### A score, or the evidence behind it

An evidence score summarises the result. Individual checks and reason codes explain what was found and where uncertainty remains.

### Email domain check vs full verification

A domain check tests the address and its mail route without asking about the recipient. Full verification may add recipient-level SMTP evidence when the destination permits it.

### Catch-all domain

A domain that accepts arbitrary recipient names, so an accepted address may have no individual mailbox.

### SMTP handshake

The command-and-reply exchange with a mail server; a mailbox check uses it to observe the server’s recipient response.

Full email verification

## Run a full verification

A full check can gather new recipient and catch-all evidence when the mail server permits it. Confirm a new account for 1,000 credits without a card. They cover 100 full checks.

Start for free

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