Free · live registry data · no login

Zone File Import / Export

Convert BIND zone files to and from a simple record list.

How it works

Convert a BIND zone file to CSV, or a record list to a zone file

DNS hosts disagree on export formats: some give you a BIND zone file with $ORIGIN and relative names, others a spreadsheet of host, type, TTL and value. This converter parses either one in your browser, handles multi-line SOA records, quoted TXT strings, MX and SRV priorities and $TTL defaults, and returns a normalised table plus the opposite format ready to paste into MailShrine DNS, Cloudflare, Route 53 or a hosting control panel.

Results appear here after you click Convert.

How this works

1
Detect the format
A header row of name/type/value means CSV; $ORIGIN, tabs or a known record type in column two means BIND.
2
Parse in the browser
Comments, parentheses, $TTL defaults, inherited owner names, TTL units and quoted strings are handled without sending data anywhere.
3
Normalise and re-render
Names become fully qualified, duplicates collapse, and the table is written back out in the other format.

Frequently asked questions

What is a BIND zone file?: The plain-text format DNS servers have used since the 1980s: one resource record per line with owner name, TTL, class, type and data, plus $ORIGIN and $TTL directives. Almost every DNS provider can export or import it, which makes it the lingua franca for moving zones.
Why does my CSV export not import into another provider?: Providers name their columns differently and disagree on whether names are relative or fully qualified and where MX priority lives. Converting through a normalised zone file removes those differences; the output here uses fully qualified names and priorities inline.
Should I import the SOA and NS records?: Usually not. Hosted DNS services generate the SOA and set apex NS records to their own servers automatically. Keep the SOA only if you run your own authoritative server; delete it otherwise.
How are TXT records with semicolons or quotes handled?: Semicolons start a comment in BIND unless inside quotes, so TXT values are kept quoted, and inner quotes are escaped. SPF, DKIM and DMARC strings survive the round trip unchanged.
Is my zone data uploaded anywhere?: No. Parsing and conversion run entirely in your browser; nothing is sent to MailShrine or any other server. Only the optional email button, if you use it, transmits the result.

Every MailShrine domain includes WHOIS privacy, transfer lock, Anycast DNS with DNSSEC and two business mailboxes.