Is my IP blacklisted? Why and How to Find Out?

Alex B

Author

The phrase “Is my IP blacklisted” sounds alarming, but in fact it describes a fairly simple situation: your IP address has been included in a special list of “bad” ones. These lists are created by websites, email services, and providers to block suspicious or malicious traffic.

Why is it important to ask yourself the question “Is my IP address blacklisted”? Because access to Internet services directly depends on it. If the address is included in the list, you may encounter that the site will stop opening, the email will go to spam, and the game or forum will issue a connection error.

However, there are different formulations:

• “Is my IP blacklisted” is a general question about whether the address is currently blocked.
• “Has my IP been blacklisted” — focus on the past: whether the address was once blacklisted.
• “Am I blacklisted IP” is the same question, only in different words, and it is more common in verification tools.

Thus, blacklist is not forever, but it is a real problem that prevents you from using the Internet the way you are used to.

Common Reasons Why an IP Address Gets Blacklisted

To understand why you are faced with the question “Is my IP blacklisted”, you need to know how IP addresses are blacklisted in general.

• Spam mailings and suspicious activity. If your computer is infected with a virus and sends emails without your knowledge, mail services may blacklist your IP address. As a result, the emails will stop reaching you.
• A hacked device. Hackers often use other people’s IP addresses to attack, scan, or brute force passwords. If your address is seen in such traffic, then the question arises “Has my IP been blacklisted?”
• Massive use of a proxy or VPN. When hundreds of people are using the same IP address, services quickly mark it as suspicious. This is where the classic “Am I blacklisted IP” error occurs, although it’s not your fault personally, but the “noisy neighborhood”.
  • Violation of the rules of the services. Forums, online games, and streaming platforms also keep their own lists. If your IP address has been used for fraud, bots, or overly frequent requests, welcome to the blacklist.

In other words, the reason is almost always the activity that the system has deemed unsafe. Even if you didn’t do anything personally, your address could have inherited a bad reputation from the previous owner or provider. Sometimes even little things can have an impact on the IP address online reputation, for more information you can read our article.

Is My IP Address Blacklisted by Google?

One of the most frequent user questions is “Is my IP blacklisted by Google?And this is not surprising: We all use Search, Gmail, YouTube, and other Google services on a daily basis.

At such moments, the thought arises: “Is my IP address blacklisted by Google?”. In fact, this is more often a temporary block: Google does not create global lists, but marks the IP as risky.

When should I sound the alarm? If you constantly see reCAPTCHA on different devices on the same network, this is already a reason to check — perhaps your address really fell into the “gray zone”. In this case, the question is “Has my IP been blacklisted by Google?”it’s becoming more than relevant.

Email Issues: Has My IP Been Blacklisted by Mail Servers?

When emails suddenly stop reaching you or steadily fall into Spam, the logical question is: Has my IP been blacklisted by mail providers? The email ecosystem is tightly regulated: there are dozens of e-mail blacklists (DNSBL/RBL), the most famous are Spamhaus (ZEN/SBL/XBL/PBL), Barracuda, SpamCop, Proofpoint, SORBS, UCEPROTECT. If your outgoing IP is marked there, the recipient’s mail servers may reject the email (550 5.7.1) or reduce its reputation so that it ends up in spam.

Typical symptoms:

• Most of the emails to external domains are not delivered or returned by bounce messages;
• emails to Gmail/Yahoo/Outlook arrive, but almost always in Spam;
• filter labels are visible in the headers (for example, X-Spam-Status: Yes).

How to check Am I blacklisted IP for e-mail:

1. Find out the public outgoing IP of your mail server (not local): see Received: in the header of the sent email, or ask the admin/SMTP provider.
2. Run the address through the checkups (see point 6): MXToolbox, whatismyipaddress blacklist-check, Spamhaus.
3. Check SPF/DKIM/DMARC in parallel: weak authentication often enhances filtering even without blacklists.
4. If my IP address is indeed blacklisted— read the delist policy on a specific DNSBL, eliminate the cause (malicious mailing, open relay, infected host), then submit a request to unblock it.

Important: Is my IP blacklisted by Google for e-mail is more often Gmail’s reputation (based on a set of signals), rather than a formal DNSBL. This will help you set up authentication, warm up, and Google Postmaster Tools.

Signs That Indicate “Am I Blacklisted IP”

A number of behavioral signs will tell you that it’s time to ask the question Am I blacklisted IP:

• Sites require a captcha or do not open. Constant reCAPTCHA, redirects, and “unusual traffic” errors are typical markers of a “gray” reputation. This is where my IP is blacklisted by Google (search, YouTube, other Google services) pops up.
• Emails are not being delivered. Massive bonuses (550/554) and spam from key providers are a reason to check if my IP has been blacklisted on DNSBL.
• Restrictions in games, forums, and messengers. Temporary bans, the requirement for additional verification, and a “ten minute timeout” for suspicious activity — resources are often marked by VPN/proxy IP pools or addresses with noisy activity.

Clarifying points:

• If your address hides a NAT, an office gateway, a provider’s CGNAT, a VPN or a proxy, the “sins of the neighbors” easily become yours.: this creates a situation where my IP is blacklisted through no fault of your own.
• One-time captcha blacklist. Look at the frequency and consistency: if everything and everywhere is “captcha”, the probability is high.
• Check not only IP, but also DNS settings, reverse PTR, and the presence of malicious software on devices: sometimes the reason is a local compromise.

How to Check If My IP Is Blacklisted Using Online Tools

The fastest way to answer the question Is Is my IP blacklisted or safe? — online checkers.

Recommended services:

• mxtoolbox.com → Blacklists: aggregated run through dozens of DNSBLs, plus delist hints.
• whoerip blacklist check: a quick overview of the status and links to specific sheets.
• Additionally for mail: Spamhaus Check, Barracuda Reputation Lookup, Talos Reputation.

Step by step:

• Determine the correct IP address. For web access, your current public IP (whatismyip). For e-mail, the outgoing SMTP IP from the sent email header (Received: from [X.X.X.X]).
• Run the check on MXToolbox and at least one alternative checker.
• Check the results. One “low-priority” list is not always critical; many reputable DNSBLs are already a problem.
• Further actions:
  • Eliminate the root cause (infection, open SMTP relay, messenger script, aggressive parsing).
• Interpretation:
  • To be clear: the answer to the question Is my IP is blacklisted is “no”, but keep the logs/screenshots.
  • If there are hits: read the description of each entry (for what they were made), see the status (temporary / permanent), the timing of the auto-withdrawal.
• Configure SPF/DKIM/DMARC, correct PTR (reverse DNS), adequate rate limit.
  • Submit delist requests according to the rules of each list and confirm the corrections.

Tip: fix the basic reputation status once every 1-2 months. Then, in the event of an incident, it is easy to prove that the problem has occurred recently, and it is faster to convince the list provider to remove the lock.

Manual Ways to Check: DNSBL and WHOIS

Online services are good for their speed, but sometimes you need to double-check everything manually. Especially when the question arises Has my IP been blacklisted on critical resources.

• DNSBL (Domain Name System Blacklists). These are lists where IP addresses are marked as sources of spam, attacks, or suspicious activity. The verification is simple: it is enough to make a DNS query to a specific list. For example, if you suspect that I have a blacklisted IP, you can contact Spamhaus or SORBS directly. This gives the result without intermediaries.
• WHOIS query. Sometimes you need to understand who the IP belongs to. Enter the address in the WHOIS service, and you will receive information about the organization that manages this range. This is important if you think: Is my IP address blacklisted not because of your fault, but because your ISP gave you an address with a “bad reputation”.
• A combination of methods. Automatic online checkers are useful for speed, but manual verification allows you to eliminate false alarms. In difficult cases, it is worth using both methods.

This approach gives you confidence: if you are wondering If my IP is blacklisted, manual checks will help confirm or deny the problem.

What to Do If My IP Address Is Blacklisted

So, the check showed: Is my IP address blacklisted? The answer is yes. What to do?

• Contact your provider. Sometimes the easiest way is to ask for a new IP address. Many providers easily change the address on request.
• Clean the devices. If your IP address is blacklisted due to spam or suspicious activity, check your computer and network for viruses. It is important to eliminate the root cause, otherwise the situation will repeat.
• Request to be removed from the blacklist. Most DNSBLs give you the opportunity to submit a delist application. But before that, they require proof that the problem has been fixed.
• Correct PTR/DNS for e-mail servers. When it comes to sending emails, setting up reverse recording (PTR) and adding SPF/DKIM/DMARC often solves the problem.

In fact, if the verification result gave “Yes” to the question Am I blacklisted IP, then you have two ways: either fix the root cause and apply, or change the IP to a new one. To understand ways of how to remove your IP address from blacklist you can check our article.

Preventing the Question “Is My IP Blacklisted” in the Future

In order not to come back to the question of Is my IP blacklisted over and over again, it is worth taking care of prevention.

• Regular checks. Run an online checker once a month or watch the DNSBL manually. Then you’ll know right away If my IP has been blacklisted.
• Reliable VPNs and proxies. If you use such services, choose only trusted providers. Otherwise, there is a good chance that you will share the IP with dozens of other users who have already “lit up”.
• Correct configuration of the e-mail servers. If you have your own server or business account, be sure to set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. This reduces the risk of being blacklisted.
• Digital hygiene. Update your systems and antivirus software, and monitor the security of your devices. An infected computer can cause you to ask yourself one day: Is my IP address blacklisted?

Prevention is simple, but it allows you to live in peace and not be afraid of the question of Am I blacklisted IP every time the site starts behaving strangely.

My IP Is Blacklisted in Corporate or Public Networks: What It Means

The situation when Is my IP blacklisted pops up not at home, but in the office or in a cafe, is much more complicated. In corporate and public networks, the IP address is shared. Dozens or hundreds of users can share a single address.

• Office networks. NAT is often used here, and hundreds of employees access the Internet using the same IP address. If one of the colleagues ran suspicious scripts or tried to bypass the filters, the entire office may face lockdowns. The question arises: Am I blacklisted IP, although it’s not your fault, but the common channel.
• Hotels, universities, coworking spaces. These networks are particularly susceptible to the problem: people use torrents, scripts, automation, and service providers quickly add a shared address to the lists. You sit down to check your mail, and the service responds with a captcha or reports an error. It’s natural to ask the question: Is my IP address blacklisted just because I’m here?
• How to figure out whose fault it is. If the problem occurs only on one network, but disappears when connected via mobile Internet or VPN, then it’s not about you. The question here is rather “collective”: Has my IP been blacklisted because of the network?

The solution is simple: use a VPN or a mobile channel to bypass, or contact the network administrator. It is important to remember that in such cases, blacklist is not about you personally, but about the entire network.

Frequently Asked Questions