How Verification Works
Ever wondered what actually happens when you click "Verify"?
It's not magic (though it might feel like it). Behind the scenes, Valid Email Checker runs your email addresses through a sophisticated 9-step verification process—all in a matter of seconds.
The best part? We never send a single email to your contacts. Your list stays private, your contacts stay undisturbed, and your sender reputation stays intact.
Let's peek under the hood.
The 9-Step Verification Process
When you verify an email address with Valid Email Checker, here's exactly what happens:
Step 1: Syntax Validation
First, we check if the email is formatted correctly.
An email address has rules. It needs an @ symbol, a valid domain structure, and no weird characters where they shouldn't be.
Examples:
- ✅
john.smith@company.com— Perfect - ❌
john.smith@company— Missing domain extension - ❌
john.smith.company.com— Missing @ symbol - ❌
john @company.com— Space in the wrong place
You'd be surprised how many typos slip into email lists. gmial.com instead of gmail.com. yahooo.com with an extra "o". We catch all of these.
Step 2: Domain Verification
Next, we check if the domain actually exists.
Anyone can type john@totally-fake-company-12345.com, but if that domain doesn't exist, your email is going nowhere.
We verify that:
- The domain is registered
- The domain is active
- The domain hasn't expired
Example:
- ✅
sarah@google.com— Domain exists and is active - ❌
sarah@googel.com— Typo, domain doesn't exist - ❌
mike@defunct-startup-2019.com— Domain expired
Step 3: MX Record Check
MX records (Mail Exchange records) tell the internet where to deliver emails for a domain.
Think of it like a mailing address for email. If a domain doesn't have MX records configured, it can't receive email—even if the domain itself exists.
What we check:
- Does the domain have MX records?
- Are the mail servers properly configured?
- Which mail servers handle this domain's email?
A domain might exist (maybe it's just a website) but have no email capability. We'll catch that.
Step 4: SMTP Verification
This is where the real magic happens.
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is the language email servers speak. We connect to the recipient's mail server and have a polite conversation:
Us: "Hey, we'd like to deliver an email to john@company.com"
Server: "Let me check... Yes, that mailbox exists!"
Us: "Great, thanks! Goodbye."
We get our answer without actually sending anything. The server confirms whether the specific mailbox exists—or doesn't.
This is how we know:
- If the exact email address is registered
- If the mailbox is active and accepting mail
- If the account has been deleted or disabled
Step 5: Catch-All Detection
Some domains are configured as "catch-all"—they accept emails sent to any address, even ones that don't exist.
Example:
- You email
random-gibberish-12345@catch-all-company.com - The server says "Sure, we'll accept that!"
- But there's no actual mailbox—it might go to a general inbox, or nowhere
Catch-all domains make verification tricky because the server always says "yes." We detect these and flag them separately so you can decide how to handle them.
→ Learn more about Catch-All Emails
Step 6: Disposable Email Detection
Disposable emails (also called temporary or throwaway emails) are addresses people use once and forget.
Services like Guerrilla Mail, 10 Minute Mail, and Temp Mail let anyone create an instant email address that self-destructs after a short time.
Why they're problematic:
- The person doesn't want to hear from you (that's why they used a fake email)
- The address will stop working soon (or already has)
- They'll never convert, engage, or buy
We maintain a constantly updated database of disposable email providers and flag these addresses immediately.
Step 7: Role Account Detection
Role-based emails belong to a function, not a person.
Examples:
info@company.comsupport@company.comsales@company.comadmin@company.combilling@company.com
These addresses are valid—they'll receive your email. But they're often:
- Monitored by multiple people (or no one specific)
- Less likely to engage with marketing emails
- More likely to mark you as spam
We flag these so you can segment them appropriately.
Step 8: Spam Trap Detection
Spam traps are email addresses designed to catch spammers. They look like normal emails but are actually honeypots.
Two types:
Pristine Spam Traps Created specifically to catch spammers. They've never been used by a real person. If you're emailing them, you probably scraped or bought a bad list.
Recycled Spam Traps Old email addresses that were abandoned, then repurposed as traps. That contact from 2018 who left the company? Their email might now be a spam trap.
Hitting spam traps can get your domain blacklisted. We identify known spam traps and flag them before they can damage your reputation.
Step 9: Additional Checks
We also detect:
| Check | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Free Email Provider | Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, etc. (not necessarily bad, just good to know) |
| Inbox Full | The mailbox exists but can't receive new messages |
| Disabled Account | The account existed but has been deactivated |
All of this happens in seconds. You upload your list, we run every email through all 9 steps, and you get clean, verified results.
What We Never Do
Let's be crystal clear about what Valid Email Checker does NOT do:
❌ We Never Send Emails to Your Contacts
Some sketchy services actually send test emails to verify addresses. We don't. Our verification is completely passive—your contacts have no idea they were verified.
❌ We Never Store Your Data Permanently
Your email lists are automatically deleted after 15 days. We verify, you download, we delete.
→ Learn more about Data Protection
❌ We Never Share Your Lists
Your data is yours. We don't sell it, share it, or use it for anything other than verification.
Why Multi-Server Verification Matters
Valid Email Checker uses multiple verification servers located around the world.
Why does this matter?
- Speed — We route verification requests to the optimal server, processing thousands of emails in minutes
- Accuracy — Different servers can get different responses; we use this to improve accuracy
- Reliability — If one server is slow or blocked, we automatically route to another
This distributed approach is how we verify Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, and corporate domains with consistently high accuracy.
The Accuracy Question
"How accurate is email verification?"
Here's the honest answer: no verification service is 100% accurate, 100% of the time.
Email is complicated. Servers behave differently. Some domains are configured in ways that make verification uncertain.
What Valid Email Checker guarantees:
- 99.5% overall accuracy
- ≤3% bounce rate on emails we mark as "Safe"—or we refund the difference
We're confident enough in our results to put our money behind them.
Why 100% Is Impossible
Some situations make verification inherently uncertain:
| Situation | Why It's Tricky |
|---|---|
| Catch-all domains | Server accepts everything—can't confirm specific mailbox |
| Greylisting | Server temporarily rejects to fight spam, then accepts later |
| Rate limiting | Some servers limit verification attempts |
| Recent changes | Email deleted right after verification |
When we can't verify with certainty, we tell you. That's what results like "Catch-All" and "Unknown" are for.
How Long Does Verification Take?
Single email: Instant (under 1 second in most cases)
Bulk verification: Depends on list size:
| List Size | Approximate Time |
|---|---|
| 100 emails | A few seconds |
| 1,000 emails | Under a minute |
| 10,000 emails | A few minutes |
| 100,000+ emails | 15-30 minutes |
Speed depends on how quickly recipient mail servers respond. Gmail is fast. Some corporate servers are slower. We verify as quickly as the servers will allow.
You can track progress in real-time from your dashboard.
Quick vs. Power Verification
Valid Email Checker uses Power Mode verification for maximum accuracy.
What Power Mode includes:
- All 9 verification steps
- Individual mailbox verification (SMTP)
- Detailed status for every email
- Comprehensive results with confidence scores
Some services offer a "quick" mode that skips the SMTP check. That's faster but less accurate—it might tell you an email is valid when the specific mailbox doesn't exist.
We don't cut corners. Every email gets the full verification treatment.
What Happens to Your Results
After verification, each email gets:
- A status (Safe, Invalid, Catch-All, etc.)
- A confidence score (0-100)
- Detailed flags (Free email, Role account, etc.)
You can download your results and filter by any of these attributes.
The Bottom Line
Here's what happens when you verify with Valid Email Checker:
| Step | What We Do | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Syntax check | Catches typos and formatting errors |
| 2 | Domain verification | Confirms the domain exists |
| 3 | MX record check | Confirms email capability |
| 4 | SMTP verification | Confirms the specific mailbox exists |
| 5 | Catch-all detection | Flags uncertain domains |
| 6 | Disposable detection | Removes throwaway addresses |
| 7 | Role account detection | Identifies group emails |
| 8 | Spam trap detection | Protects your reputation |
| 9 | Additional checks | Full picture of each email |
All of this happens automatically, in seconds, without ever contacting your email list.
Ready to verify?