MX records tell sending mail servers where to deliver email for your domain. Copy the destinations and priorities supplied by your email host into the active DNS zone. Adding MX records does not create a mailbox or move existing messages.
Before you begin
- Create the mailbox service first.
- Copy the exact MX values and priorities.
- Test both incoming and outgoing mail.
Get the settings from the mailbox provider
First create or identify the email service that will receive mail. Its setup page should provide the required MX hostnames and priority values. Use the instructions for your account and domain, not a record copied from another business.
The MX destination is normally a mail-server hostname, not an email address or a web URL. Do not put your support mailbox or an https:// address into that field. Check the provider’s format for the root name and any trailing dot.
Understand priority without inventing a fallback
Lower numerical MX priority values are preferred. Multiple records can be part of a provider’s intended setup, but mixing records from unrelated old and new mail services is not a reliable way to send the same messages to both.
For a migration, follow the receiving provider’s plan. Keep the old account available if you still need its message history, and distinguish mailbox migration from routing new incoming messages. DNS cannot copy old mail between inboxes.
Before saving the records
A few checks prevent common mistakes.
- Confirm which nameservers are authoritative.
- Copy every required MX destination and priority.
- Review whether old MX records should be removed under the provider’s instructions.
- Check that the intended recipient mailboxes exist.
- Preserve website and other unrelated records.
Test receiving and sending separately
Send a message from an independent mailbox to the new address, then reply. If receiving works but sending fails, inspect the mail account and sender-authentication configuration rather than repeatedly changing MX. SPF, DKIM and DMARC have different roles.
At NameUK, DNS records can be managed in the domain dashboard when supported provider DNS is active. If your nameservers point elsewhere, make the MX change at that external DNS host. The domain registration and annual renewal remain separate from the mailbox subscription.
Prepared with AI-assisted drafting and illustration, then checked against the linked sources and NameUK’s current service. The artwork is conceptual; setup values must come from your own provider.
Further readingCloudflare: DNS MX records ↗NameUK registration and renewal prices ↗Extension rules and provider processes can change. Check the current registrar instructions before a registration, transfer or renewal.
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