Mailbox provider · WEB.DE
How to verify a web.de email address
How do I check if a @web.de address exists? Paste the address into a checker for the syntax, mail server, disposable and role checks; the mailbox step often fails at WEB.DE, because its server refused our checking connection before the mailbox question on 23 October 2026. Those results come back risky ("Server refused our check"), never invalid, because a refusal says nothing about the address.
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Can you verify @web.de addresses?
PartlyPartly. @web.de often refuses checking servers before the mailbox question.
The checker does probe @web.de, but its server screens or defers unfamiliar checking connections. A refusal at that stage is about the connection, not the address, so it comes back risky ("Server refused our check" or "Mailbox check unavailable") and never invalid. It always checks the syntax, the domain's MX records, disposable domains and role addresses such as info@ first.
Server refused our checkMailbox check unavailableWhat we can and cannot confirm at @web.de
We can confirm
- The address is written correctly (syntax), and the domain publishes working mail servers (MX).
- Whether it is a disposable or role address (info@, sales@) or a likely typo of a bigger domain.
We cannot confirm
- Usually, whether a @web.de mailbox exists: WEB.DE refused our check before the mailbox question, so results come back risky ("Server refused our check"), never invalid.
- Why one verifier gets an answer and another doesn't. The refusal judges the checking server, not the address.
- Whether a person reads the inbox, wants your email or agreed to receive it. No checker can see that.
Anything we cannot confirm comes back risky, never valid.
What we measured at web.de
Measured by SimpleVerifier on 23 October 2026 through our production checker and public DNS. No message was sent and no real person's address was used.
| Made-up address, checked twice ~10.5 hours apart | risky both times ("Server refused our check") |
|---|---|
| Primary mail server (MX) | mx-ha03.web.de |
| Mail host | United Internet |
| DMARC policy | p=quarantine |
| SPF | published, ends redirect |
| MTA-STS | published |
| DNSSEC | signed (DS record) |
Sources: How 51 mailbox providers answer verification checks, SPF, DMARC, MTA-STS and DNSSEC at 51 mailbox providers, both with CSVs (CC BY 4.0). All datasets: research.
Where your @web.de addresses live
Already paying another verifier?
WEB.DE addresses usually come back inconclusive from a mailbox check. On 12 October 2026 the web.de mail server mx-ha03.web.de refused our checking server at the greeting stage, citing the connecting server's reverse DNS (PTR) record. A refusal like that says nothing about whether the address exists.
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Live DNS snapshot: web.de
Checked 6 November 2026, 11:11 UTCRead from DNS at the time shown and refreshed at most once a day. MX says where mail for web.de goes; SPF and DMARC describe mail sent from it, not whether any one address exists.
- 100
mx-ha03.web.deGMX / Web.de - 100
mx-ha02.web.deGMX / Web.de
First MX host belongs to GMX / Web.de.
v=spf1 redirect=_spf.web.dep=quarantine: meets the requirement and enforces it.
v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:[email protected]Look up any other domain with the MX lookup or the email provider lookup.
WEB.DE at a glance
| Operated by | 1&1 Mail & Media GmbH, Karlsruhe branch, GermanySource: WEB.DE imprint (German) |
|---|---|
| MX hosts | mx-ha02.web.de, mx-ha03.web.deObserved 12 October 2026 (dig MX) |
| Answer to a made-up address | Connection refused at the greeting: 554 Nemesis ESMTP Service not available. No SMTP service. Bad DNS PTR resource record.Observed 12 October 2026 (SMTP probe of a made-up recipient, no message sent) |
| Inactive accounts | FreeMail messages may be deleted after six months with no login by browser, app or mail programSource: WEB.DE terms, section 5.3 (German) |
| Inactive accounts | After one year of inactivity WEB.DE may release the address and give it to other usersSource: WEB.DE terms, section 5.3 (German) |
| Postmaster rules | A DKIM signature aligned with the From domain is mandatory; SPF and DMARC are recommended; generic reverse DNS usually leads to rejectionSource: WEB.DE postmaster requirements (German) |
What WEB.DE's server says about a missing mailbox
WEB.DE's server replied 554 Nemesis ESMTP Service not available. No SMTP service. Bad DNS PTR resource record.. That refusal happened at the greeting stage, before the checking server could name any recipient, so it is a verdict on the connecting server, not on the address. SimpleVerifier returns these as risky with "Mailbox check unavailable" and never as invalid, because treating a refusal as "mailbox not found" would delete real customers from your list.
Servers screen connections this way to keep spam out: missing reverse DNS, a low sending reputation or a blocklist listing are the usual triggers. The same screen applies to every checking service that connects from a shared or new IP, which is why web.de results differ between verifiers. SMTP verification false positives explains how much to trust each answer.
mail.com's server sent the identical refusal on the same day, and GMX screens connections on reverse DNS too. WEB.DE's reply links to its postmaster pages for the explanation.
WEB.DE addresses can change hands after a year
Under WEB.DE's terms (section 5.3), a FreeMail mailbox with no login for six months can have its stored mail deleted, and after a year of inactivity the address itself can be released to another user. An old @web.de address on your list may now belong to someone who never agreed to hear from you, so re-confirm consent for contacts gathered more than a year ago.
WEB.DE's postmaster requirements make an aligned DKIM signature mandatory and say generic reverse DNS usually leads to rejection. That is the same screen that refuses checking servers at the greeting, so check your own sending setup before blaming the list.
Cleaning web.de addresses you can't check
Treat inconclusive web.de results as unknown, not bad. The checks that don't need the mailbox still work: format, typo domains, duplicates and whether the domain can receive mail. The free list health check runs those in the browser.
For the rest, use the address's history. An address that signed up, bought or replied recently is very likely live. For old or bought data at web.de, send a small batch first and suppress anything that hard-bounces. If the web.de share of your list is small, it's often simpler to keep those rows out of a high-risk campaign than to guess.
Common questions
- How do I check if a @web.de address exists?
- Paste the address into a checker for the syntax, mail server, disposable and role checks; the mailbox step often fails at WEB.DE, because its server refused our checking connection before the mailbox question on 23 October 2026. Those results come back risky ("Server refused our check"), never invalid, because a refusal says nothing about the address.
- Can you verify @web.de addresses?
- Partly. @web.de often refuses checking servers before the mailbox question. The checker does probe @web.de, but its server screens or defers unfamiliar checking connections. A refusal at that stage is about the connection, not the address, so it comes back risky ("Server refused our check" or "Mailbox check unavailable") and never invalid. It always checks the syntax, the domain's MX records, disposable domains and role addresses such as info@ first.
- Can I check if a web.de address exists without emailing it?
- Usually not from a checking service. On 12 October 2026 WEB.DE's server refused our checking connection at the greeting stage, before any mailbox question, so the result is inconclusive rather than valid or invalid.
- What mail servers does web.de use?
- On 12 October 2026, web.de published these MX hosts: mx-ha02.web.de, mx-ha03.web.de. You can look them up yourself with the free MX lookup tool.
- Should I delete web.de addresses that come back risky?
- No. For web.de, risky reflects how the server treats checks, not the address. Remove the ones that fail format, typo-domain and duplicate checks, then send to the rest in a small batch and suppress whatever hard-bounces.
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