MX (Mail Exchanger) records in your domain's DNS tell the internet which server handles email for your domain. Correctly configured MX records are essential for receiving email.
Please note: Screens and options may vary slightly depending on your cPanel version and hosting plan.⚠️ Caution: Incorrect changes here can make your website inaccessible. If you are unsure about any step, please contact our support team before proceeding.
Viewing Your MX Records
- Log in to your cPanel account.
- In the Email section, click Email Routing.
- Select your domain to see the current MX records and routing configuration.
Alternatively, check MX records via the Zone Editor under the Domains section.
Email Routing Options
cPanel offers several routing modes:
- Automatically Detect Configuration — cPanel determines the best routing based on your MX records. This is the default and recommended setting.
- Local Mail Exchanger — All email for the domain is handled by this server. Use this when your MX records point to your hosting server.
- Backup Mail Exchanger — This server acts as a secondary mail server. It accepts and queues email when the primary server is unavailable.
- Remote Mail Exchanger — Email for this domain is handled elsewhere (e.g. Google Workspace, Microsoft 365). The local server will not accept incoming mail for this domain.
When to Change Email Routing
Common scenarios:
- Using Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for email — Set routing to Remote Mail Exchanger and update your MX records to point to Google or Microsoft's servers.
- Moving email back to your hosting server — Set routing to Local Mail Exchanger and update MX records to point to your hosting server.
- Split delivery — Some addresses handled locally, others externally. This typically requires custom MX configuration and email forwarders.
Changing MX Records
- Go to Zone Editor in the Domains section.
- Click Manage next to your domain.
- Find existing MX records and edit or delete them as needed.
- Click Add Record > Add "MX" Record to create new ones.
- Set the Priority (lower numbers = higher priority) and the Destination mail server.
Tips
- MX record changes can take up to 24–48 hours to propagate, though most take effect within 1–2 hours.
- Always have at least one MX record for any domain that receives email.
- If using an external email provider, follow their specific MX record instructions precisely.
- After changing MX records, test by sending a test email from an external account (e.g. Gmail) to your domain.
What Next?
- Email Deliverability - SPF, DKIM & DMARC — Authenticate your email after changing routing.
- Managing DNS Records (Zone Editor) — Edit DNS records directly.
