Connect a custom domain
Premium accounts can receive mail on their own domain. Setup takes two DNS records: a TXT record that proves you own the domain, and an MX record that hands mail delivery to DustMail. This page walks through both, then repeats the steps for Namecheap, GoDaddy and Cloudflare.
Read this before you start. Pointing MX records at DustMail redirects all mail for that domain. Any mailbox you currently run on it — Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, registrar forwarding — stops receiving messages.
Use a domain you do not rely on for real email, or point a subdomain such as mail.example.com at DustMail and leave the root domain untouched.
The two records
Add your domain in the dashboard first — DustMail generates a verification token that is unique to your account and shows the exact values to publish.
| Type | Name / Host | Value | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| TXT | _dustmail-verification | the token shown in your dashboard | — |
| MX | @ | mail.dustmail.net | 10 |
Most DNS panels append the domain to whatever you type in the name field, so enter _dustmail-verification, not _dustmail-verification.example.com. If your provider wants the full name it will show the domain already filled in.
Replace the existing MX records rather than adding to them. A second MX record leaves your old mail host competing for delivery, and messages will land in whichever mailbox the sender happened to reach.
Registrar walkthroughs
Make the changes wherever the domain's nameservers point. If you bought a domain at one registrar and moved DNS to another, the registrar's own panel no longer controls these records.
Namecheap
- Sign in and open Domain List, then press Manage next to your domain.
- Open the Advanced DNS tab. If the domain still uses Namecheap BasicDNS the tab is there; if you moved nameservers elsewhere, make the changes at that provider instead.
- Under Host Records press Add New Record, choose TXT Record, put _dustmail-verification in Host and paste the token in Value.
- Still under Host Records, delete every existing MX record — a fresh Namecheap domain ships with eforward1.registrar-servers.com through eforward5.registrar-servers.com for Email Forwarding, and those keep taking delivery if you leave them.
- Set Mail Settings to Custom MX, then add one MX Record with Host @, Value mail.dustmail.net and Priority 10.
- Save all changes with the green checkmarks, then press Verify in your DustMail dashboard.
GoDaddy
- Sign in, open My Products, find your domain and press DNS.
- In the DNS Records section press Add New Record, pick TXT, enter _dustmail-verification as Name and the token as Value, and leave TTL at 1 Hour.
- Delete the existing MX records. GoDaddy adds its own mail records automatically when Microsoft 365 email is bundled with the domain, and leaving them in place silently splits delivery.
- Press Add New Record again, pick MX, enter @ as Name, mail.dustmail.net as Value and 10 as Priority.
- Press Save. GoDaddy publishes changes within a few minutes, then press Verify in your DustMail dashboard.
Cloudflare
- Sign in, select the domain, then open DNS → Records.
- Press Add record, choose TXT, enter _dustmail-verification as Name and the token as Content.
- Remove any existing MX records, including the three route1/route2/route3.mx.cloudflare.net records that Cloudflare Email Routing adds. Turn Email Routing off under the Email tab first, otherwise Cloudflare puts them straight back.
- Press Add record again, choose MX, enter @ as Name, mail.dustmail.net as Mail server and 10 as Priority.
- MX records are never proxied, so there is no orange cloud to toggle. Cloudflare publishes changes almost instantly — press Verify in your DustMail dashboard.
Troubleshooting
Why does verification say the TXT record was found but the MX record was not?
The ownership proof succeeded but mail delivery is not pointed at DustMail yet. This is the most common outcome: people add the TXT record and forget that the domain still carries its registrar's default MX records. Replace them with the DustMail MX record and verify again.
Can I keep my existing email on this domain?
No. A domain has one set of MX records, and pointing them at DustMail means every message for that domain is delivered to DustMail instead of your current mailbox. Use a domain you do not rely on, or point a subdomain such as mail.example.com at DustMail and leave the root domain alone.
How long does DNS propagation take?
Usually a few minutes. The published TTL is the upper bound, and 24 hours is the worst realistic case. If verification still fails after a day, the record was almost certainly saved at a provider that no longer controls the domain — check which nameservers the domain actually uses.
Why was my domain rejected when I added it?
DustMail only accepts a registrable domain name, so a bare word with no extension such as mobbsllc is refused, and so are URLs, email addresses and IP addresses. Enter just the domain, for example example.com.
What happens if my domain stops verifying later?
DustMail re-checks DNS periodically. If the records disappear the domain moves to failed and stops accepting mail, but your existing inboxes and messages are untouched. Restore the records and press Verify to bring it back.