MX (Mail Exchange) records are DNS records that specify which mail servers are responsible for receiving emails for your domain. When someone sends an email to an address like [email protected], the sending mail server checks your domain’s MX records to determine where the email should be delivered.
To receive emails properly, you must configure the correct MX records provided by your email hosting provider.
Before setting up MX records, obtain the correct MX record values from your email provider.
Common providers such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or other email hosting services provide specific MX records that must be added to your domain’s DNS.
Each MX record typically includes:
• a mail server hostname
• a priority value
Example MX records:
Priority 10
mail1.examplemail.com
Priority 20
mail2.examplemail.com
These values are provided by your email provider and must be added exactly as specified.
Log in to the DNS management panel where your domain is hosted. This may be your domain registrar or DNS provider, such as Cloudflare, GoDaddy, or Namecheap.
Navigate to the section where DNS records can be managed.
Create new MX records using the values provided by your email provider.
Typical configuration:
Host / Name
@
Type
MX
Priority
10
Value / Mail Server
mail.yourprovider.com
If multiple MX records are provided, add each record separately with the correct priority value.
If a domain has multiple MX records, mail servers use the priority value to decide which server should receive the message.
Example configuration:
Priority 10
mail1.yourdomain.com
Priority 20
mail2.yourdomain.com
In this case:
• The server with priority 10 is tried first.
• If it is unavailable, the server with priority 20 is used.
Lower numbers represent higher priority.
If there are existing MX records that do not belong to your current email provider, remove them to avoid delivery conflicts.
Your domain should only contain the MX records required by the email service you are using.
After adding the MX records, save the changes.
DNS updates may take several minutes to propagate, but in some cases it may take up to 24 hours for all mail servers to recognize the new records.
Incorrect mail server hostname
The mail server address must match exactly what your email provider specifies.
Wrong priority values
MX priorities determine the order in which servers are used for delivery.
Old MX records still present
Existing MX records from previous providers can interfere with email delivery.
DNS propagation delay
Changes may take time to propagate across global DNS servers.