Published: 22.09.2026
When a business uses its own domain for e-mail, the domain must tell the internet where incoming messages should go. MX records do that job. This article explains what an MX record contains, how priorities work, how to point a domain to a mail service and how to test the result. Virtual Hosting plans include webmail, and if you use another mail service, the same records tell the internet where to deliver your messages.
What an MX record is
An MX record is a DNS record that names the server accepting e-mail for a domain. When someone sends a message to an address at your domain, the sending server looks up the MX records and delivers the message to a responding server with the lowest priority number. The MX value is a host name, not an IP address. That host name should resolve to an address record of its own, and it should not be an alias of another name.
Priorities explained
Each MX record carries a number called the priority, and lower numbers are tried first. If you have a primary and a backup mail server, give the primary the lower number and the backup the higher one. Records with equal numbers share delivery between their servers. Most small businesses need one mail server, and a second record helps only when the second server really accepts mail.
Pointing a domain to a mail service
- Get the MX host names and priorities from your mail provider, exactly as they are listed.
- Open the DNS settings of the domain. If you use Premium DNS, edit the zone there, because Premium DNS works with any registrar. Otherwise use your current DNS provider.
- Remove old MX records that belonged to a previous service, unless you deliberately keep them during a transition.
- Add the new MX records with the host names and priorities you were given.
- Save the changes. The TTL of the old record decides how long old answers stay in caches.
Common mistakes
- Pointing an MX record directly to an IP address instead of a host name.
- Using a host name that is an alias of another name, which mail servers do not accept.
- Forgetting that the website and the mail can use different servers.
- Deleting the MX records of a service that is still in use.
- Typing a host name without the final dot in an interface that does not add the domain automatically, which changes the meaning of the record.
How to test
Check the records from a terminal. On Linux or macOS, the dig command with the plus short option, followed by MX and your domain, shows the MX records. On Windows, the nslookup command with the type option set to MX and your domain shows the same answer. Compare the result with the values from your provider. Then send a test message from an outside address to a new mailbox and reply to it, so you know mail works in both directions.
Frequently asked questions
How long until new MX records work? It depends on the TTL and on how caches behave. Many changes appear within hours, but some resolvers keep old answers longer. Keep the old service running until the new records are confirmed.
Can a domain receive mail without a website? Yes. MX records work independently of the website records, so a domain can receive mail even when it hosts no site.
Do I need an MX record to send mail? Not directly. Sending is checked with other records, such as SPF, and the MX records only tell other servers where incoming mail for your domain should go.
