MX Record
Review how MX records route email for your domain and how to configure them correctly before enabling warm-up.
MX Records (Mail Exchange)
MX records tell the internet which server should receive email for your domain.
What it is
An MX record is a DNS entry that points your domain to the server that handles incoming email, such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or your own mail server.
Why it matters for deliverability
If your MX records are wrong or missing, emails sent to your domain may bounce or disappear, and inbox providers may distrust your domain, hurting deliverability.
How it works
When someone sends an email to `you@example.com`, their mail server looks up the MX records for `example.com` in DNS and delivers the email to the listed mail server with the lowest priority number.
Example MX records for Google Workspace
Example MX setup for `example.com` using Google Workspace:
Host/Name: example.com
Type: MX
Priority: 1
Value: ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM.
Host/Name (backup): example.com
Type (backup): MX
Priority (backup): 5
Value (backup): ALT1.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM.
Common problems
- No MX records at all, so emails to your domain cannot be delivered.
- MX records pointing to an old or incorrect mail provider.
- Using IP addresses directly in MX records instead of hostnames.
- Priority values misconfigured, causing fallback servers to be used unexpectedly.
- Conflicts between different sets of MX records when switching providers.
How to improve
- Confirm the official MX settings from your email provider’s documentation and apply them exactly.
- Remove old MX records that are no longer used when you move to a new email provider.
- Use hostnames (like `mail.example.com`) instead of raw IP addresses for MX records.
- Check MX records with an online DNS checker to verify visibility worldwide.
- Coordinate MX changes with your team to avoid downtime during migrations.
Best practices
- Have at least two MX records (primary and backup) when your provider recommends it.
- Avoid mixing MX records from different providers for the same domain unless you know why.
- Do not point MX records to servers that cannot actually receive email.
- When changing MX records, lower the DNS TTL in advance so changes propagate faster.
- Test receiving email after any MX change by sending from a few different providers.