How to Set Up MX Records for Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or Zoho

To set up MX records, add the rows your mail provider gives you at your DNS host, delete any old provider's rows, then check the live records. The MX record generator writes the exact rows for your provider and your DNS host's form. Pick both, copy the values or the zone-file lines, and add them.

Which records each provider needs

Always confirm against your provider's own setup page, because values change.

• Google Workspace: one record, host @, priority 1, value smtp.google.com, per Google's MX setup guide.
• Microsoft 365: one record, usually yourdomain-com.mail.protection.outlook.com at priority 0. The value is account-specific, so copy it from the admin center.
• Zoho: mx.zoho.com, mx2.zoho.com and mx3.zoho.com at 10, 20 and 50, or the zoho.eu hosts on the EU data centre.
• Titan: mx1.titan.email and mx2.titan.email. Hostinger Email: mx1.hostinger.com and mx2.hostinger.com. Proton: mail.protonmail.ch and mailsec.protonmail.ch.

Step 1: choose your provider and DNS host

Enter the domain, then the mail provider and the company that hosts your DNS. The DNS host is where you publish the record, which may differ from your registrar.

Step 2: add the rows

• Namecheap: Advanced DNS, set Mail Settings to Custom MX, then add each row with Host @, Value and Priority.
• Cloudflare: DNS, Records, Add record, type MX, Name @, Mail server and Priority. MX records cannot be proxied.
• GoDaddy: DNS Records, Add New Record, type MX, Name @, Value and Priority.
• Route 53: one record holds every server, one per line, as priority host. Only the host gives the error "MX record doesn't have 2 fields", explained by the email DNS error checker.

Step 3: delete the old rows

Remove any MX rows left from a previous provider or the registrar's own email. Mixed rows split mail between providers.

What priority means

Senders try the lowest number first and fall back to higher ones, as RFC 5321 sets out. Only the order matters. Equal numbers share the load.

Step 4: check the live records

Press Check my live MX records, or run dig +short MX yourdomain.com. Missing and leftover records are listed. A change can take until the old TTL to show, so for a live domain plan it with the TTL change guide. If mail still fails, see MX record errors explained. MX only gets mail in; add SPF, DKIM and DMARC too, as in SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained.

What this tool cannot do

• It covers MX only, not SPF, DKIM or DMARC.
• Microsoft 365's value is account-specific, so the admin center's value wins.
• DNS hosts change their forms, so field names can drift.
• The live check reads public DNS, which can lag until the old TTL expires.

Check your list before the first campaign

Mail set up; now make sure the new domain starts with a low bounce rate. Upload your list on the verify page: the first 100 email checks are free with a Google sign-in, no card. Each address comes back valid, risky or invalid with a reason, and nothing is sent to anyone on the list. For larger or recurring lists, see bulk email verification, list cleaning and pricing.

Get your records now

Open the MX record generator.