Email with your own domain: the basics

Email on your own domain looks professional, but it works differently from a website. Be careful here, because mistakes can mean lost mail. Check what your plan includes first, since not every hosting plan provides mailboxes.

Website hosting is not always email hosting

Some plans include mailboxes, and others do not. Many people use a dedicated email provider and only change DNS records. Ask us in our Discord what is available on your plan before relying on it.

The records that matter

• MX records: tell the world which server receives mail for your domain.
• SPF: a TXT record listing which servers may send mail for your domain.
• DKIM: a signature that proves the message was not changed. Your email provider gives you the record to add.
• DMARC: a TXT record that tells receivers what to do when SPF or DKIM checks fail.

Your mail provider will usually show the exact values to copy. Use those, not examples from random websites.

Setting up mail

1. Choose a mail provider or confirm that your hosting offers mailboxes.
2. Add the MX records they give you at your DNS provider.
3. Add the SPF and DKIM records they provide.
4. Create your mailbox and send a test to another account.
5. Reply to it, to test receiving too.

Be careful with

• Existing MX records. Replacing them changes where mail goes, so move old mail first.
• Only one SPF record per domain. Combine entries instead of adding a second.
• Websites that send mail, like contact forms. Using plain PHP mail often lands in spam, so SMTP with proper authentication is usually more reliable.

Delivery is not guaranteed

Even with correct records, some providers may still mark messages as spam. Good records improve your chances but cannot promise inbox delivery.