Using a Domain with Another Provider's Mail Servers (Editing MX Records)

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var OAO = OAO || {}; OAO.q = OAO.q || {}; OAO.q.pageintegration = OAO.q.pageintegration || []; </script> <div class="page-content"> <div class="oao-navi-navigation oao-navi-light" xmlns:f="http://www.w3.org/1999/html"> <div class="oao-navi-left"> <div class="oao-navi-application-name"> <a class="oao-navi-app-name" href="https://www.ionos.com/help/"> <span class="oao-navi-app-logo"></span> <span> Help Center </span> </a> </div> </div> </div> <main id="content" class="clearfix knowledge" data-iframe-height=""> <a class="skip-target" name="skip-to-content"></a> <header class="page-header page-header--narrow"> <div class="page-header__block"> <div class="breadcrumb"> <a href="/help/" class="breadcrumb__item">Home</a> <a href="/help/domains/" class="breadcrumb__item">Domains</a> <a href="/help/domains/dns-settings/" class="breadcrumb__item">DNS Settings</a> </div> <h1 class="page-header__headline">Using a Domain with Another Provider's Mail Servers (Editing MX Records)</h1> </div> </header> <div class="page-section page-section--narrow has-sticky-sidebar"> <div class="page-section__block"> <div class="grid"> <div class="grid-col grid-col--8 grid-col--medium-12 grid-col--small-12 grid-col--article"> <div class="sheet"> <section class="sheet__section sheet__section--activating" style="display: none;" id="displayDownloadPdfHint"> <p class="lead-paragraph">Please use the “Print” function at the bottom of the page to create a PDF.</p> </section> <section class="sheet__section"> <p class="lead-paragraph">If you want to use a IONOS-registered domain with email accounts of another provider, you can specify the corresponding mail servers in the DNS settings of your domain.</p> </section> <section id="c111480" class="sheet__section "> <a class="in-page-anchor" id="c111481"></a><h3 class="headline headline--sub"> Using Different Mail Servers </h3><p class="content-paragraph">To do this, you must define the mail servers of the external provider in the MX records of your domain. You use these to determine which mail servers are responsible for receiving emails for this domain.</p><p class="content-paragraph">Your email provider can tell you which mail servers you need to specify for your domain.</p> </section> <section id="c111482" class="sheet__section sheet__section--secondary"> </section> <section id="c111484" class="sheet__section sheet__section--secondary"> <a class="in-page-anchor" id="c111485"></a><h3 class="headline headline--sub"> Checking DNS Settings for Existing MX Records </h3><div class="ce-textpic ce-center ce-above"><div class="ce-bodytext"><p class="content-paragraph">You can check your current MX records right in the <strong>Domains & SSL</strong> section of the Control Panel.</p><ul class="content-list bullet-list"><li class="content-paragraph"><p class="content-paragraph">Click on the <span class="control-element">gear symbol</span> for the desired domain under <strong>Actions</strong> and select <span class="control-element">DNS</span>.</p></li><li class="content-paragraph"><p class="content-paragraph">Check whether an MX record already exists.</p></li><li class="content-paragraph"><p class="content-paragraph">If an MX record has already been added to the DNS settings, check the entered value. If the MX record belongs to a service, it must be deactivated.</p></li></ul></div></div> </section> <section id="c111486" class="sheet__section "> <a class="in-page-anchor" id="c111487"></a><h3 class="headline headline--sub"> Editing Your MX Records </h3><div class="ce-textpic ce-center ce-above"><div class="ce-bodytext"><p class="content-paragraph">You can edit existing MX records at any time. To do this, simply follow these steps:</p><ul class="content-list bullet-list"><li class="content-paragraph"><p class="content-paragraph">Log in to <a href="https://my.ionos.com/?&utm_source=helpcenter&utm_medium=knowledge&utm_campaign=413&utm_term=&utm_content=deeplink&skipIntcpts=true" target="_blank" class="link-standard button-icon-before external-action-icon">IONOS</a> and go to the <strong>Domains & SSL</strong> section.</p></li><li class="content-paragraph"><p class="content-paragraph">Next to the desired domain, click the <span class="control-element">gear symbol</span> under <strong>Actions</strong> and select <span class="control-element">DNS</span>.</p></li><li class="content-paragraph"><p class="content-paragraph">Next to the desired MX record and click <span class="control-element">Edit Record</span> under <span class="control-element">Actions</span>.</p></li><li class="content-paragraph"><p class="content-paragraph"><strong>Optional:</strong> Enter the desired host in the <span class="control-element">HOSTNAME</span> field, for example @ or a subdomain. The @ character is used as a placeholder in this case and ensures that the domain is called with www and all subdomains.</p></li><li class="content-paragraph"><p class="content-paragraph">In the <span class="control-element">Points to</span> field, enter the appropriate record, such as mx1.mailprovider.com.</p></li><li class="content-paragraph"><p class="content-paragraph"><strong>Optional:</strong> Specify the desired priority in the <span class="control-element">Priority</span> field, such as 10 or 20. If you use several mail servers, you can use the priority to determine which mail server is preferred. The mail server with the smallest priority code is given highest priority. Then, the mail server with the next higher priority is selected if the first mail server is not or cannot be reached. If the priority is the same for both, the decision is made randomly.</p></li><li class="content-paragraph"><p class="content-paragraph"><strong>Optional:</strong> Select the desired <a href="/help/domains/glossary-important-terms-and-topics-explained/ttl-time-to-live/" target="_self" class="link-lookup oao-pi-open-in-flyin reveal-title-by-hover" title="Look up"><strong>TTL</strong></a>.</p></li><li class="content-paragraph"><p class="content-paragraph">Click <span class="control-element">Save</span>.</p></li></ul><p class="content-paragraph">Your changes are effective at IONOS immediately. It can take up to an hour for the change to be updated worldwide due to the decentralized structure of the Domain Name System.</p></div></div> </section> <section id="c111488" class="sheet__section sheet__section--secondary"> <a class="in-page-anchor" id="c111489"></a><h3 class="headline headline--sub"> Adding MX Records </h3><p class="content-paragraph">To add a new MX record, simply follow these steps:</p><ul class="content-list bullet-list"><li class="content-paragraph"><p class="content-paragraph">Log in to <a href="https://my.ionos.com/?&utm_source=helpcenter&utm_medium=knowledge&utm_campaign=413&utm_term=&utm_content=deeplink&skipIntcpts=true" target="_blank" class="link-standard button-icon-before external-action-icon">IONOS</a> and go to the <strong>Domains & SSL</strong> section.</p></li><li class="content-paragraph"><p class="content-paragraph">Next to the desired domain, click the <span class="control-element">gear symbol</span> under <strong>Actions</strong> and select <span class="control-element">DNS</span>.</p></li><li><p class="content-paragraph">Click <span class="control-element">ADD RECORD</span> and select the entry <span class="control-element">MX</span>.</p></li><li class="content-paragraph"><p class="content-paragraph">In the <span class="control-element">Host name</span> field, specify the desired host, such as <strong>@</strong> or a <strong>subdomain</strong>. The <strong>@ character</strong> is used as a placeholder in this case and ensures that the domain is called with <strong>www</strong> and all <strong>subdomains</strong>.</p></li><li><p class="content-paragraph">In the <span class="control-element">Points to</span> field, enter the appropriate record, such as mx1.mailprovider.com.</p></li><li><p class="content-paragraph">Enter the desired value in the <span class="control-element">Priority</span> field, for example 10 or 20. If you are using several mail servers, you can use the priority to determine which mail server is preferred. The mail server with the smallest priority is given highest priority. Then, the mail server with the next higher priority is selected if the first mail server is not or cannot be reached. If the priority is the same for both records, the decision is made randomly.</p></li><li class="content-paragraph"><p class="content-paragraph"><strong>Optional:</strong> Select the desired <a href="/help/domains/glossary-important-terms-and-topics-explained/ttl-time-to-live/" target="_self" class="link-lookup oao-pi-open-in-flyin reveal-title-by-hover" title="Look up"><strong>TTL</strong></a>.</p></li><li class="content-paragraph"><p class="content-paragraph">Click <span class="control-element">Save</span>.</p></li></ul><p class="content-paragraph">Your changes are effective at IONOS immediately. It can take up to an hour for the change to be updated worldwide due to the decentralized structure of the Domain Name System.</p> </section> <section id="c111490" class="sheet__section "> <p class="content-paragraph"><a href="https://my.ionos.com/start-with-domain/dns?&utm_source=helpcenter&utm_medium=knowledge&utm_campaign=413&utm_term=dns&utm_content=deeplink&skipIntcpts=true" target="_top" class="button-primary"><span class="public">Log In and Edit MX Records</span><span class="private">Edit MX Records</span></a></p> </section> <hr class="sheet__separator survey" /> <section class="sheet__section sheet__section--secondary"> <script type="text/javascript" id="oao_feedback_script"> var OAO = OAO || {}; OAO.q = OAO.q || {}; OAO.q.ias = OAO.q.ias || []; OAO.q.ias.push(['setApplication', "HELP_CENTER"]); OAO.q.ias.push(['setPage', "SetupAssistant"]); </script> <a id="oao_feedback_link" class="oao-decision-survey" data-oao-decision-survey-type="helpful-article" data-oao-decision-survey-id="domains_413" data-oao-decision-survey-context="hosting" ></a> </section> </div> </div> <div class="grid-col grid-col--4 grid-col--medium-hidden grid-col--small-hidden grid-col--article-sticky-sidebar"> <div class="card"><div class="card__content"><section class="card__section"><h4 class="card__headline">Content</h4><ul class="link-list"><li class="c111481"><a class="link-list__link" href="#c111481"> Using Different Mail Servers </a></li><li class="c111485"><a class="link-list__link" href="#c111485"> Checking DNS Settings for Existing MX Records </a></li><li class="c111487"><a class="link-list__link" href="#c111487"> Editing Your MX Records </a></li><li class="c111489"><a class="link-list__link" href="#c111489"> Adding MX Records </a></li><li class="jump-to-top hidden"><a href="https://www.ionos.com/help/domains/configuring-mail-servers-and-other-related-records/using-a-domain-with-another-providers-mail-servers-editing-mx-records/#top" 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Using a Domain with Another Provider's Mail Servers (Editing MX Records) - IONOS Help