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Managing MX Records When Changing Email Providers

Table of Contents

When you change email hosting providers, you need to update your MX records to point to the new provider’s mail servers. Proper planning minimizes email delivery issues during the migration.

Understanding the migration process

Changing email providers involves updating your domain’s MX records to point to the new provider’s mail servers. During this transition:

  • Old provider: Will continue receiving emails until DNS changes propagate
  • New provider: Will start receiving emails once DNS changes propagate
  • Transition period: There may be a brief period where emails could be delivered to either provider

Prerequisites

Before changing email providers:

  1. Set up your new email provider account: Complete the setup process with your new email hosting provider.
  2. Get new MX record information: Obtain the specific MX records from your new email provider.
  3. Back up email data: Export or back up important emails from your old provider before migration.
  4. Plan the migration: Schedule the migration during a low-traffic period if possible.

Warning

If you are currently using DNSimple’s email forwarding service, you need to disable it before setting up email hosting. Email forwarding and email hosting cannot be used simultaneously.

Step-by-step migration process

Step 1: Prepare your new email provider

  1. Complete setup with new provider:
    • Sign up for the new email hosting service
    • Verify your domain ownership (usually via TXT record)
    • Create email accounts for all users
    • Configure any necessary settings
  2. Get MX record information:
    • Note the exact MX records provided by your new provider
    • Record the priority values and mail server hostnames
    • Save this information for the next step

Step 2: Update MX records in DNSimple

Update MX records for the new provider
  1. Use the account switcher to select the appropriate account.
  2. Click on your domain name from the list.
  3. Click the tab.
  4. Open the .
  5. Find all existing MX records and delete each one (click the delete/trash icon and confirm).
  6. Click and select MX.
  7. Leave the field blank (or enter @) for the root domain.
  8. Enter the priority value from your new provider.
  9. Enter the mail server hostname from your new provider.
  10. Click .
  11. Repeat for all MX records provided by your new provider.

Note

If you are using DNSimple’s one-click services for your old provider, you can remove the service, which will automatically remove the associated DNS records. See Removing Services for instructions.

Step 3: Verify the changes

  1. Check DNS propagation:
    • Use online tools like whatsmydns.net to verify your new MX records are propagating
    • Check from multiple locations if possible
  2. Verify with dig: 
    dig +short yourdomain.com MX

    This should show your new MX records.

  3. Test email delivery:
    • Send a test email to an address at your domain
    • Verify it arrives at the new email provider
    • Check both old and new inboxes during the transition period

Step 4: Monitor and finalize

  1. Monitor email delivery:
    • Check both old and new email accounts for a few days
    • Forward any emails that arrive at the old provider
    • Update email clients and devices to use the new provider
  2. Update email clients:
    • Configure email clients (Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.) with new server settings
    • Update mobile devices with new email account settings
    • Test sending and receiving from all devices
  3. Cancel old service:
    • Once you have confirmed all emails are being delivered to the new provider
    • Once you have verified no important emails are stuck at the old provider
    • Cancel your subscription with the old email provider

Migrating between email forwarding and email hosting

From email forwarding to email hosting

If you are migrating from DNSimple’s email forwarding to a full email hosting service:

Switch from email forwarding to email hosting
  1. Go to your domain’s tab.
  2. Delete all email forwards. This automatically removes the email forwarding MX records.
  3. Follow your new email provider’s setup instructions and add the new MX records as described above.

From email hosting to email forwarding

Switch from email hosting to email forwarding
  1. Delete all MX records from your current email hosting provider, or remove the one-click service if you used one.
  2. Go to your domain’s tab.
  3. Create your first email forward. This automatically adds the email forwarding MX records.

Warning

When switching from email hosting to email forwarding, you will lose access to emails stored on the hosting provider’s servers. Back up important emails before making this change.

Troubleshooting migration issues

Emails still going to old provider

Problem: Emails are still being delivered to your old email provider after updating MX records.

Solutions:

  1. Check DNS propagation: Use online tools to verify your new MX records have propagated globally.
  2. Verify MX records: Use dig to confirm your new MX records are published correctly.
  3. Wait longer: DNS propagation can take up to 48 hours, though it is typically much faster.
  4. Check for cached records: Some mail servers cache MX records. Wait for cache to expire.

Emails not being delivered

Problem: Emails are not being delivered to either provider after migration.

Solutions:

  1. Verify MX records exist: Use dig +short yourdomain.com MX to check if MX records are published.
  2. Check priority values: Ensure priority values are correct.
  3. Verify hostnames: Ensure mail server hostnames are exactly as provided by your email provider.
  4. Check for syntax errors: Ensure there are no typos in mail server hostnames.
  5. Contact your new provider: They can help verify your MX record configuration is correct for their service.

Duplicate email delivery

Problem: Emails are being delivered to both old and new providers.

Solutions:

  1. This is normal during transition: Some emails may be delivered to both providers during DNS propagation.
  2. Monitor both inboxes: Check both old and new email accounts during the transition period.
  3. Forward emails: Set up forwarding from old provider to new provider if possible.
  4. Wait for full propagation: Once DNS fully propagates, emails should only go to the new provider.

Best practices

  • Schedule migrations during low-traffic periods when possible.
  • Back up important emails before migration.
  • Keep your old email account active for a few weeks after migration to catch any missed emails.

Have more questions?

If you have additional questions or need any assistance with managing MX records when changing email providers, just contact support, and we’ll be happy to help.