How to add MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records in Namecheap

You can add records in Advanced DNS only while the domain uses Namecheap's BasicDNS, PremiumDNS or FreeDNS nameservers. If it's pointed at Namecheap's web hosting, Namecheap says the records go in cPanel instead. If it uses another company's nameservers, such as Cloudflare or your web host, add them there; Namecheap's own records then have no effect.

Have the records from your email service ready: type, host and value for each. Copy them with the service's copy buttons rather than retyping them.

Sign in to Namecheap, select Domain List in the left sidebar and select Manage next to the domain. Open the Advanced DNS tab at the top of the page. The Host Records section lists what the domain already has; look for an existing TXT record starting v=spf1 or a host named _dmarc before adding anything.

In Host Records, select Add New Record and choose TXT Record as the type. Namecheap adds SPF, DKIM and DMARC all as TXT records; there's no separate type for them.

Enter @ for the root domain. For anything else, enter only the part before your domain: _dmarc for _dmarc.example.com, s1._domainkey for s1._domainkey.example.com. Namecheap's DNS adds the domain name automatically, and its help says to enter the host this way even if your provider asks for the full name. Typing _dmarc.example.com would publish the record at _dmarc.example.com.example.com.

Paste the value exactly as your provider gives it, on one line and without surrounding quotation marks. Namecheap supports both 1024-bit and 2048-bit DKIM keys. Leave TTL on Automatic unless you have a reason to change it.

Select the green check mark next to the new record, or Save All Changes to save everything you've added.

Namecheap says new host records normally take about 30 minutes to work. Check them with the commands in Check that the records work before you press verify at your email service.

MX records aren't added under Host Records. They live in the Mail Settings section of the same Advanced DNS tab, and Namecheap only keeps MX records you enter yourself while that section is set to Custom MX.

On the Advanced DNS tab, scroll down to Mail Settings. Note what it's set to now: if it's Namecheap's Email Forwarding or Private Email, that's where the domain's email currently goes.

Choose Custom MX from the drop-down. Switching turns off Namecheap's own mail setup for the domain (Email Forwarding, Private Email or the Gmail option), and from then on mail follows only the MX records you list. If you still want that service on the root domain, add its MX records here too, or keep the old setting and receive the new mail on a different domain.

In the fields that appear, enter the Host (@ for mail to you@example.com, or a subdomain such as inbound), the mail server's host name as the Value, and the Priority: lower numbers are tried first. Namecheap's examples write the mail server with a trailing dot, such as mx.zoho.eu., and its help says mail server names should end with one. Never enter an IP address as an MX value.

Select the green check mark or Save All Changes. Then make sure no old MX records are left on the same host pointing at a service you've stopped using; mail would still be sent to them.

Namecheap's own help warns that several SPF records on the same host interfere with each other and stop email services working. Merge every sender into one record:

If the domain uses Namecheap's free Email Forwarding, Namecheap adds an SPF record that forwarding needs (it includes spf.efwd.registrar-servers.com) and says it can't be deleted. Keep that include and add your sending service's include to the same record. If your account won't let you change it, send from a subdomain such as mail.example.com: a subdomain has its own SPF record, separate from the root's.

SPF also allows at most 10 DNS lookups, counting the includes inside each include. The SPF checker counts them for you.

Add the key as a TXT Record with Host selector._domainkey, or a CNAME Record if your provider gives you a target instead of a key. Paste a TXT key as one line, without quotes and without splitting it: a 2048-bit key is about 400 characters, and DNS stores it as several strings that receivers join back together. If you use Namecheap Private Email too, it has its own selector (privateemail._domainkey on newer subscriptions), and the two keys live side by side.

Add one TXT Record with Host _dmarc. Start with v=DMARC1; p=none; plus a rua= address you read, so reports show every service sending as your domain, then tighten the policy to quarantine and reject once they're clean. If _dmarc already exists, edit it; two DMARC records make receivers ignore both. The SPF, DKIM and DMARC guide has the rollout plan.

Choose CNAME Record, enter the prefix in Host and the target host name in Value. A CNAME blocks every other record on the same host, so remove any A, URL redirect or other record there first. Don't put a CNAME on @: Namecheap warns it can break the domain's MX records and with them your email.

On Windows, nslookup -type=MX example.com 1.1.1.1 and nslookup -type=TXT _dmarc.example.com 1.1.1.1 do the same job.

When you add a domain to Groundmail, you get the records below. Here they are written the way Namecheap's Host field wants them for example.com. Add the TXT and CNAME records under Host Records; the MX record, only if you receive mail with Groundmail, goes under Mail Settings set to Custom MX.

The dashboard shows full host names, such as _groundmail.example.com. Your DNS host adds the domain itself, so type only the part before it. If you added a subdomain such as mail.example.com, keep the subdomain in the name: _groundmail.mail, ss-abc123._domainkey.mail, rp.mail, mail for SPF and _dmarc.mail.

If the domain already has an SPF record, add include:spf.groundmail.dev to it rather than creating another. Copy the real values from any of these:

Then select Verify DNS on the domain's page. Home reads your public DNS and names any record it can't find yet, and the DNS records tab marks each record and keeps re-checking while the domain is pending, so you can see which one is missing instead of waiting and guessing. Verifying also switches signing to your own domain, so messages carry a DKIM signature for example.com and DMARC can pass.

New to Groundmail? It sends your app's sign-in codes, password resets and receipts, and the free plan includes 3,000 emails a month with no time limit. Create a free account, add your domain, and the records above are generated for you.