The Complete Guide to Changing MX Records for Your WordPress Site (2024)

Hey there, WordPress site owner! If you‘re looking to set up a custom email address using your own domain name (like hello@yoursite.com), one crucial step you can‘t overlook is configuring your domain‘s MX records.

Getting your MX records right is essential for reliable email delivery – otherwise your emails may get lost in cyberspace or land in spam folders. Yikes! But don‘t panic. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll walk you through everything you need to know to change your MX records and get your domain email flowing smoothly.

Why Properly Configuring MX Records is Crucial for WordPress Sites

First, let‘s talk about why this matters for your WordPress site.

Using a custom domain email (rather than a generic gmail.com or yahoo.com address) lends credibility and professionalism to your online presence. In fact, a 2022 study by GoDaddy found that 75% of consumers trust company-branded email more than personal email accounts. Consistent branding across your site and email builds authority.

But all the branding in the world won‘t help if your emails aren‘t actually reaching people‘s inboxes! That‘s where MX records come in. MX stands for "mail exchanger," and MX records are essentially a set of instructions that tell email providers where to deliver messages sent to your domain.

Properly set MX records ensure your domain‘s email arrives in recipients‘ inboxes. (Image source: Pickaweb)

If your domain‘s MX records aren‘t configured correctly to point to your chosen email host, you may run into all sorts of email woes, like messages bouncing or disappearing into the void. Not a good look for your site or business.

In a 2022 survey of 600+ email marketers, 45% reported experiencing email delivery problems caused by DNS/MX record issues. Even big sites aren‘t immune – back in 2020, the New York Times famously went offline because of a rogue MX record change!

When You Need to Change MX Records

So when exactly would you need to update MX records for your WordPress site? Here are a few common scenarios:

🔄 Switching to a new email host (like Gmail/Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or a speciality business email provider)
📧 Setting up email on your domain for the first time
🔍 Troubleshooting email delivery issues on your existing domain

In all of these cases, you‘ll need to add or edit the MX records for your domain to specify the servers responsible for handling email.

The exact MX records you‘ll use will come from your email service provider. For example, here are the default MX record values for a few popular email hosts:

You‘ll notice each host provides multiple MX records with different priority values. This allows for redundancy – if the first server is unavailable, email can be routed through the backup servers.

Step-by-Step: How to Change MX Records

Now that you understand the what and why, let‘s dive into the how. The specific steps to change your MX records will depend on where your domain is registered and your DNS is hosted, but the general process is:

1. Log into your domain registrar or DNS host
2. Locate the DNS settings for your domain
3. Find the MX records section
4. Delete any old MX records you no longer need
5. Add the new MX records provided by your email host
6. Save your changes

Let‘s go through how that looks with a few common web hosts and domain registrars WordPress users rely on.

Changing MX records in cPanel

If your WordPress site is hosted on a cPanel-based host like Bluehost, HostGator, or SiteGround, you can manage your domain‘s MX records right from your hosting account. Here‘s how:

1. Log into your web hosting control panel and open cPanel
2. In the Domains section, click Zone Editor
3. Under Select Domain, choose the domain you want to update
4. Scroll down to the Mail Exchanger (MX) Records section
5. To add a new record, fill in the form fields with the values from your email host:
   • Name: Enter @ or leave blank
   • TTL: 3600 (or whatever your email host specifies)
   • Type: MX
   • Priority: Enter the MX record‘s priority value
   • Destination: Enter the MX record‘s hostname
   • Click "Add Record"
6. Repeat step 5 for each MX record you need to add
7. To edit an existing record, click "Edit" under the Actions column, make changes, and click "Edit Record"
8. To delete an outdated record, click "Delete"
9. Once your MX records are updated, click "Save Zone File"

Easily manage MX records for your domain right in cPanel

Updating MX Records at Domain Registrars

If you registered your domain separately from your hosting (for example, at popular registrars like Namecheap or GoDaddy), you‘ll update your MX records through your domain management panel.

Namecheap

1. Sign into your Namecheap account and go to the Dashboard

2. Under Domain List, click "Manage" next to the domain you need to update

3. In the Domain tab, scroll down to Mail Settings and click the dropdown arrow

4. Select "Custom MX" from the list

5. In the MX Records section, enter your new MX record values:

   • Host: @
   • Priority: Enter the priority value for the record
   • Value: Enter the MX record hostname
   • TTL: Select a TTL value (1 hour is typical)
   • Click the ✔️ icon to save the record

6. Repeat for each MX record, then click ✔️ "Save All Changes"

GoDaddy

1. Log into your GoDaddy account and go to your domains list
2. Click the settings gear icon ⚙️ next to the domain you want to update and select "Manage DNS"
3. Scroll down to the MX Records section
4. Delete any existing MX records you want to replace
5. For each new MX record, click "Add" and enter the values:
   • Type: MX
   • Host: @
   • Points to: Enter the MX record hostname
   • TTL: 1 hour
   • Priority: Enter the priority number
6. Click "Save"

After Changing MX Records: Important Next Steps

Woo-hoo! Once you‘ve input your shiny new MX records, there are a few key things to do before kicking back and watching the emails roll in.

1. Give It Time ⏳

I know you‘re eager, but MX record changes aren‘t instantaneous. It can take anywhere from an hour to 48 hours for the new records to propagate throughout the DNS system. During this window, you may experience inconsistent email delivery.

Don‘t panic! This is normal. Take a deep breath and give it some time. Most records fully propagate within 4-8 hours. While you wait, maybe check out our guide to improving WordPress site speed or brush up on WordPress security best practices.

2. Double Check Your Work 🔍

After a few hours have passed, don‘t just assume everything is hunky-dory. Be proactive and verify your new MX records are live and correct with an MX lookup tool like MXToolbox or DNSChecker.

Plug in your domain name and compare the reported MX record values to the ones your email host provided. Make sure the hostnames, priority values, and TTLs all match up. Even a tiny typo can cause big problems, so quadruple check!

3. Send Test Emails 📤

The ultimate test is, of course, actually sending and receiving some emails. Once propagation is complete, craft a few test messages to your domain email address and ask an outside contact to email you as well.

Make sure you can both send and receive successfully. If anything seems amiss, it may be time to call in your email provider and domain registrar‘s support teams for some expert sleuthing.

4. Tie Up Loose Ends 🧹

With successful sending confirmed, take a few minutes to wrap up any associated email configuration loose ends. These might include:

• Adding any additional DNS records your email host needs (like SPF or DKIM records)
• Updating settings in your WordPress site‘s SMTP plugin to use the new server
• Reconfiguring desktop and phone email clients with the new email host settings
• Setting up any new MX records required for subdomains

MX Record FAQs & Troubleshooting

Before we wrap up, let‘s run through some common questions and issues that come up when changing MX records.

Q: What does MX mean?
A: MX stands for "mail exchanger" – it indicates which servers handle email delivery for a domain

Q: Do MX records affect my website?
A: No, MX records only control email routing. Your website and email can be hosted on totally separate servers.

Q: Can I have multiple MX records?
A: Yes, in fact it‘s recommended! Multiple MX records provide fallback options if the primary server is down.

Q: What priority values should I use?
A: Priority values can be 0-65355. Lower numbers have higher priority. Your email host will specify the priority numbers to use for each record. In general, 1 is highest priority, then 5, 10, etc.

Q: How long does it take for MX record changes to process?
A: Most MX record updates will propagate within 4-8 hours, but it can take up to 48 hours in some cases. Your mileage may vary!

Q: Help! My email stopped working after I updated MX records!
A: Oh no! First, double check that you entered the new MX record values exactly as provided by your host. Even a small error can cause issues.

If the records are correct, the problem may resolve once the changes fully propagate. Give it some time.

It‘s also possible your old email host is blocking the transfer. Reach out to their support for guidance.

Conclusion

Whew, you made it! I know diving into DNS settings isn‘t the sexiest part of running a WordPress website, but nailing your MX records is crucial for reliable email delivery.

With the steps and tips outlined here, you‘re well-equipped to update your domain‘s MX records to support a custom email address. Remember to reference your email host‘s instructions, double check your work, and allow time for propagation.

By investing a little time into properly configuring your MX records from the get-go, you‘ll save yourself a boatload of email headaches down the line. Your professional domain email will be humming along happily in no time!

Sources & Further Reading

• What is an MX record? (DNS Made Easy)
• How to Update MX Records (MailChannels)
• What Are MX Records? (GoDaddy)
• How to change MX Records (Namecheap)
• Changing MX Records (Google Workspace Admin Help)