How to add an MX record

Published: 2026-07-23

You have registered a domain and want mail for it to arrive here. That takes exactly one DNS record — an MX record — added at whoever you bought the domain from. The record is identical everywhere; the only thing that differs between registrars is where the button hides. This page points you to it.

If you have not registered a domain yet, or want the bigger picture first, start with New Email Generator domain name.

The four values — the same everywhere

Whatever the panel looks like, you are entering these four things. Copy them exactly:

Name / Host / Alias: leave blank, or @, or your domain name — all three mean “the domain itself”
Type: MX
Priority: 1
TTL: 86400 (how long the record is cached — 24 hours; any default is fine)
Value / Mail server / Destination / Target: generator.email.(note the dot at the end — some panels want it, some add it for you)

Find the DNS panel at your registrar

Pick your registrar and go straight to the right screen. The column on the right is what to watch for there specifically.

Registrar	Where the DNS records live	Watch out for
Namecheap	Domain List → Manage → Advanced DNS	Set Mail Settings to Custom MX first, then Add New Record → MX Record. Host `@`. It appends the dot for you.
GoDaddy	Domain portfolio → your domain → DNS / Manage DNS	Use the raw DNS records list, not the “Email” upsell. Add → MX. Delete GoDaddy's default parked MX rows.
Cloudflare	Select the domain → DNS → Records	Add record → MX. Name `@`. MX is never proxied, so there is no orange-cloud toggle to worry about.
Squarespace Domains (former Google Domains)	Domains → your domain → DNS / DNS settings	Add a Custom record of type MX. Host `@`.
Porkbun	Domain Management → Details → DNS Records	Type MX, Host left blank for the root. Priority is its own field.
NameSilo	Manage My Domains → domain → the blue globe (DNS)	Add/Edit an MX Record. Hostname blank = the root domain.
Hostinger	hPanel → Domains → your domain → DNS / Nameservers	Under Manage DNS records add type MX, Name `@`. Make sure the domain uses Hostinger's nameservers.
Hover	your domain → DNS tab	Add a record → MX. Hostname `@`.
Gandi	domain → DNS Records (LiveDNS)	Add an MX record; name `@`. Gandi's editor expects the target with the trailing dot.
OVHcloud	Web Cloud → Domain names → your domain → DNS zone	Add an entry → MX. Enter priority and target; the trailing dot is expected.
IONOS (1&1)	Menu → Domains & SSL → your domain → DNS	Add record → MX. Host name `@` or blank. Ignore the separate “Email” product.
Dynadot	My Domains → Manage → DNS Settings	Switch to Dynadot DNS if it is set to parking/forwarding, then add the MX row.
DreamHost	Panel → Domains → Manage Domains → DNS	Add Record → MX. Leave the name empty for the bare domain.
cPanel hosts (Bluehost, HostGator, many shared hosts)	cPanel → Zone Editor (or MX Entry)	Priority and Destination are separate boxes. Set the domain's routing to Remote Mail Exchanger so cPanel stops keeping the mail locally.
AWS Route 53	Hosted zone → Create record → type MX	Value is one line: `1 generator.email.` — priority and target together, trailing dot required.

Your registrar isn't in the list?

The wording changes, the record does not. Look for a menu item called DNS, DNS records, Advanced DNS, Manage DNS or Zone editor, then add a new record of type MX with the four values above.

💡

Two menus look similar but are not what you want. A section called Email, Mailbox or Professional Email is a paid mail product the registrar sells — skip it. So is Email forwarding. You want the plain list of DNS records.

Three things that trip people up

The trailing dot. The target is generator.email. Without the final dot, a few panels quietly glue your own domain onto the end and the record points nowhere. If the panel refuses the dot, that is fine — it adds one itself.
Host must be the root. Leave the Name / Host field empty or set it to @. If you type mail there, you create an MX for mail.your-domain.com, and the domain itself still has none.
Delete the record that came with the domain. Freshly bought and parked domains often ship with the registrar's own MX row. Two MX records send mail to two places — remove the one you did not add.

Did it work?

DNS changes are not instant — anywhere from a minute to a full day. When you are ready to check, paste the domain into Check your domain: it reads the live MX record, tells you whether mail now reaches us, and — if it still says no — walks through the handful of reasons why.

Once it goes green, every address on the domain works here. A good way to use that is a separate address for every website.

Generate an email address →

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