Add DNS records for email

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Add DNS records for email

Last updated October 19, 2026 20:25

To send and receive email from a custom address, ensure your domain has the DNS records your email provider needs.

When you set up a custom email address, your email provider tells you what DNS records to add to your domain. These records tell the internet where to deliver your mail.

Note: Our scope of support for DNS records is limited. Our support team can help you access your DNS settings, but we can't offer technical information about how DNS records work with other services. If you need more help, you can get peer-to-peer help in the Domains section of the Squarespace Forum or contact the service you're trying to connect, using our sample message.

What are email DNS records?

Email DNS records are rules you add to your custom domain that send emails to your email provider’s servers and prove that your messages aren’t spam. Each email DNS record has a different job.

• MX - These send emails addressed to your domain to your email provider’s servers.
• SPF, DKIM, and DMARC - SPF and DKIM records prove that an email really came from you. DMARC tells your email provider what to do if an email fails that check.
• CNAME - These prove that you have permission to send email from your custom domain.
• SRV - These point your domain at a specific service your email provider has, like VOIP or instant messaging.

When to add email DNS records to your domain

Add records when your email or marketing provider asks you to add them to your domain. That usually happens when you:

• Set up a custom email address with a provider you didn't sign up for through Squarespace.
• Move your email to a different provider. If you signed up for Google Workspace or Essential Email by Titan through Squarespace, we add the records for you.
• Send marketing email from your custom address, through Squarespace Email Campaigns or another service.
• Change your nameservers or reset your DNS settings, which clears the records you had.

What happens if you don't add email DNS records to your domain

If your domain doesn’t have the correct email DNS records, your email won’t work.

• Without MX records, mail sent to your address never reaches your inbox. Senders may get a bounce message, or nothing at all.
• Without SPF or DKIM records, your messages are more likely to be marked as spam, and some providers reject them.
• Without a DMARC record, your marketing emails can fail the check, and campaigns may not send.
• Without the CNAME record a provider asked for, your domain stays unverified.

Where to add email DNS records

Where you add DNS records depends on your domain host and where you bought it.

• Squarespace domains - Add records in your domains dashboard in Squarespace, unless you bought it through Google Workspace.
• Squarespace domains bought through Google Workspace - Add records in the Google Admin console.
• Third-party domains connected to a Squarespace site with nameserver connect - Add records in your domains dashboard in Squarespace.
• Third-party domains connected to a Squarespace site with DNS connect - Add records in your domain provider settings.

Add email DNS records in Squarespace

To add DNS records in Squarespace:

1. Open your domain dashboard.
2. Click a domain. If you have more than one domain, each has its own records.
3. Click DNS, then click DNS Settings.
4. Add the records your email provider needs.
5. Click Save.
6. Wait up to 48 hours.

DNS changes take up to 48 hours

After you save a record, it can take up to 48 hours to work. If a record isn't working after 48 hours, troubleshoot the issue.

Add MX records

MX records tells email servers where to deliver messages sent to your domain. Most providers give you several records, each with a priority number. Add all of them.

Add MX records using presets

You can add MX records with a preset for a common provider, or add a custom record. You can use presets for these email providers:

• Fastmail
• Google Workspace
• iCloud
• Neo
• Proton Mail
• Titan Email
• Zoho Mail

Add MX records one at a time

To add an MX record your provider gave you:

1. Open the domains dashboard.
2. Click a domain. If you have more than one domain, each has its own records.
3. Click DNS, then click DNS Settings.
4. Click Add record.
5. In the Type dropdown menu, choose MX.
6. In the Name field, enter @. If you're adding records to a subdomain, enter the subdomain instead.
7. In the Priority field, enter the priority number from your provider. You can enter any number from 0 through 255.
8. In the Mail Server field, enter the mail server you're directing to. This is usually a URL.
9. Click Save.
10. Repeat these steps for each MX record your provider gave you, changing the priority each time.

We add MX records for Titan, Google Workspace, and Zoho Mail to Squarespace domains

If you signed up for Google Workspace or Titan through Squarespace, we add the records when you create the account. If you removed them, add them back with the preset. If you're using Zoho Mail with your Squarespace domain, we add the preset when you link the account.

If you can't add MX records

If a record won't save, or the fields don't match your provider’s, troubleshoot DNS record issues.

Add SPF and DKIM records

SPF and DKIM records prove email from your domain is really yours and stop other people from sending email as you. DKIM alone is enough for many providers, but some ask for SPF records too. Without these records, spam filters are more likely to block your messages. Usually, you’ll add SPF and DKIM records as TXT records, but some providers ask for CNAME instead.

Add an SPF or DKIM record

1. Open the domains dashboard.
2. Click a domain. If you have more than one domain, each has its own records.
3. Click DNS, then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll to Custom Records.
5. Click Add record.
6. In the Type dropdown menu, select TXT or CNAME, depending on what your provider asked for.
7. In the Name field, enter the name or host from your provider. If your provider didn't give you one, enter @.
8. Enter the record value in the Text field. For a CNAME record, enter the URL in the Data field instead.
9. Click Save.

SPF and DKIM record length limits

You can add SPF and DKIM records up to 2048 bits, so you usually don't need to split them across records. Other TXT records have a smaller limit of 255 characters.

Add more than one SPF record

Add each SPF record as its own custom record. They merge into one. Refresh the page to see the merged record.

If you have SPF records in a preset and add more as custom records, the DNS panel doesn't show them merged after you refresh, but they still work as one record.

What if my SPF record doesn't work?

Quotation marks in the Data or Text field can stop an SPF record working, depending on your domain's nameservers. If the record doesn't resolve, remove them.

Error message: Custom records not saved

If you get this error while adding an SPF record, delete your current SPF records in DNS settings, then add the new ones.

Including quotation marks in the Data/Text field of an SPF record can sometimes cause propagation issues, depending on your domain’s nameservers. If the SPF record doesn't resolve, remove the quotation marks.

Add DMARC records

A DMARC record verifies your domain when you send Email Campaigns or other marketing from your custom email address. Spam filters block verified domains less often. You can only have one DMARC record on a Squarespace domain. If you create an email forwarding rule, we add a DMARC record for you.

Add a DMARC record to send Email Campaigns

If you send Squarespace Email Campaigns, create your sender details and your Squarespace domain verifies automatically. If verification fails, or you deleted the records, delete and recreate your sender details.

Add a DMARC record to send marketing emails through other services

If you send through a third-party service, ask your provider for the record value, then:

1. Open the domains dashboard.
2. Click a domain. If you have more than one domain, each has its own records.
3. Click DNS, then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll to Custom Records.
5. Click Add record.
6. In the Type dropdown menu, select TXT.
7. In the Name field, enter _dmarc. Leave your domain off the end. We add it for you.
8. In the Text field, enter the record value from your provider. This is a string of letters, numbers, and symbols.
9. Click Save.

Merge two DMARC records into one

If you use more than one email service and each gives you a DMARC record, combine them:

• Separate email addresses with commas.
• If two policy tags have different values, use the more secure value.

To merge a third-party DMARC record with the Squarespace Email Campaigns preset:

1. Delete the Squarespace Email Campaigns preset.
2. Add the CNAME record as a custom record using these values:
3. Name: squarespace._domainkey
4. Type: CNAME
5. TTL: Default
6. Data: squarespace-domainkey.squarespace-mail.com
7. Add the TXT record as a custom record. Merge your third-party DMARC record with the Squarespace Email Campaigns record:
8. Host/Name: _dmarc
9. Type: TXT
10. TTL: Default
11. Text: v=DMARC1; p=none

Add CNAME records

Your email provider may ask you to add a CNAME record to verify your domain or turn on a special feature.

Add SRV records

An SRV record, or service record, points your domain at a specific service, like an email or messaging server. Your email provider tells you if you need one.

Get the SRV record values

Get these seven values from the service you're connecting, then add them as one custom record:

Add the SRV records

Create a custom record in your DNS settings using the SRV record values.

1. Open the domains dashboard.
2. Click a domain. If you have more than one domain, each has its own records.
3. Click DNS, then click DNS Settings.
4. Scroll to Custom Records, then click Add record.
5. In the Type dropdown menu, select SRV.
6. In the Name field, enter the Service and Protocol, separated by a period. For example: _service._protocol
7. In the Priority field, enter the Priority number, if you have one. If you don’t have a Priority, leave this blank.
8. In the TTL dropdown menu, select the TTL, if you have one. If you don't have a TTL, leave this at the default (4 hours).
9. In the Data field, enter the Weight, Port, and Target, with a single space between each one. For example: 1 100 target.test.com
10. Click Save to add the record to your settings.

Edit DNS records

To change a DNS record, open the DNS panel, hover over a custom record, and click the pencil icon. You can’t edit preset records, but you can delete them with the trash can icon.

Troubleshoot DNS records before you delete anything

If your records aren’t working, troubleshoot DNS record issues first.

Don't delete your MX records

If your custom email address is also your Squarespace login or contact address, deleting your MX records stops your email. You then can't get the code to add the records back.

Protect your email before you change DNS records

Changing nameservers or resetting DNS settings removes your existing records. Before you make this change:

1. Copy your current MX records somewhere outside your email.
2. Confirm you can reach your Squarespace account contact address another way.
3. Make the change, then add your MX records back.

What if email is down and I can’t get a verification code?

If email is down and you can't get a verification code, contact us with your domain name and an email address you can reach.

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Add DNS records for email