How to change MX records without losing email
By Ash, Founder, HosteazePublished 2 min read
The short answer
Log in to wherever your domain's DNS is managed, delete the old MX records, and add the new ones your email provider gives you with the exact priority numbers. Lower the TTL a day before if you can. New email reaches the new provider within minutes to hours, so keep the old mailboxes open for a few days.
Changing MX records is a five-minute job that people put off for months, mostly because they're worried about losing email. That worry is fair, but the risk is small if you do things in the right order. Here's that order.
What do I need before I start?
- The new MX values from your new email provider's setup instructions. They look like
10 mx1.example.net, a priority number and a server name. - A login for wherever your domain's DNS is managed. That's your registrar, your web host or a service like Cloudflare. If you're not sure, look up your domain's NS records in the free Google Admin Toolbox Dig tool.
- Mailboxes already created at the new provider, so email has somewhere to land.
How do I change the MX records?
- A day before, lower the TTL on your current MX records to 300 seconds, if your DNS panel lets you. That makes the switch spread faster. See how long DNS propagation takes for why.
- Open your DNS settings and find the records with type MX.
- Delete every old MX record.
- Add each new MX record exactly as your provider lists it. The host is usually
@(your root domain), and the priority goes in its own box in most panels. - Save.
Copy the server names exactly, including any full stop at the end if your provider shows one. A typo here is the most common reason email bounces after a move.
How do I check it worked?
Look up your domain's MX records in the Dig tool. Once it shows the new server names, send an email from a personal Gmail or Outlook.com account to your business address and check it arrives in the new mailbox.
Some email can still reach the old provider for a few hours, occasionally up to a day or two, while caches around the internet expire. Keep the old mailboxes open and check them for a few days before closing the account.
What else changes when I move email?
MX records only handle incoming email. For outgoing email to be trusted, update your SPF record with the new provider's include and switch on DKIM at the new provider. Then remove the old provider's include from SPF once you've stopped sending through it. The full order is in how to set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
Not sure what each part of an MX record means? What is an MX record? explains the priority number and the common mistakes.
Step by step
1.Get the new MX values
Copy the exact MX records, including priority numbers, from your new email provider's setup page.
2.Lower the TTL in advance
A day before the switch, set the TTL on your existing MX records to 300 seconds if your DNS provider allows it.
3.Replace the records
In your DNS settings, delete the old MX records and add the new ones on the root of the domain.
4.Check the change
Look up your MX records with a free DNS lookup tool and send a test email from an outside address.
5.Keep the old mailboxes for a few days
Some email may still reach the old provider while DNS caches expire, so check it until nothing new arrives.
Frequently asked questions
Does changing MX records delete my old emails?
No. Old emails stay with your old provider. MX records only control where new email is delivered, so copy old emails across separately before you close the old account.
Should I delete the old MX records or keep them as a backup?
Delete them. Old records left in place, even with a higher priority number, can still receive some of your email when the new server is busy or slow to answer.
Do I need to change SPF and DKIM too?
Usually, yes. Your new provider sends your email from different servers, so add its SPF include and DKIM record, and remove the old provider's once you have stopped sending through it.
