Set up email on your domain with Namecheap

Automatic setup

Namecheap does not yet offer a way for a mail service to add records with your approval, so there is no one-click setup here. When you add your domain, Mornin detects that its DNS is at Namecheap, lists the exact records and links to the right page. Once the records are in place, Mornin checks them for you. It takes about five minutes.

Add the records manually

1. Sign in to Namecheap, open Domain List and choose Manage next to your domain.
2. Open the Advanced DNS tab.
3. Under Host Records, choose Add New Record for each TXT and CNAME record from the table below. For the root of the domain, enter @ as the host. Namecheap adds your domain to the end of every host.
4. Scroll to Mail Settings and select Custom MX. Add the MX record there: host @, value mail.mornin.email, priority 10.
5. Choose Save All Changes. Namecheap says new records usually take about 30 minutes to take effect.

Mornin shows the exact records for your domain in the panel under Domains → your domain → DNS records, with the values filled in. The table below shows their shape, so you know what to expect. Use a TTL of 3600 (1 hour) where your provider asks for one.

Recommended: mail app discovery

These records are optional. They help mail apps such as Apple Mail, Thunderbird and Outlook find the right servers on their own. Domain activation never waits for them.

Common pitfalls with Namecheap

• MX records live under Mail Settings. Namecheap does not list them in Host Records. If Mail Settings is set to Email Forwarding or Private Email, mail keeps going to Namecheap. Switching to Custom MX turns Namecheap’s email forwarding off for the domain.
• One SPF record only. Email Forwarding and Private Email come with their own v=spf1 record. If it is still there after the switch, remove it, or merge include:spf.smtp2go.com into it if you still send mail through Namecheap.
• Can’t edit Advanced DNS? Then the domain uses other nameservers, for example Namecheap web hosting (cPanel) or Cloudflare. Add the records where the nameservers point. Mornin shows which provider answers for your domain.
• No CNAME on the root of the domain. A CNAME record with the host @ overrides MX records, and mail stops arriving.
• Old mail stays at Namecheap. The new MX record only changes where new mail goes. Export your messages before you cancel Private Email.

Check and activate

Go back to the Mornin panel and run the DNS check. Mornin compares your records with public DNS and marks each one as found. Most providers publish changes within minutes. Some resolvers cache old values for up to the TTL of the record they replaced, so allow an hour or two before you worry.

When the MX record is live, new mail for your domain arrives at Mornin. Create your mailboxes and aliases first, so no message arrives for an address that doesn’t exist yet.

Other guides

• CloudflareDNS records for domains on Cloudflare DNS.
• IONOSDNS records for domains registered at IONOS.
• VercelDNS records for domains using Vercel DNS.
• Network SolutionsDNS records for domains at Network Solutions.
• Any other providerThe same records work at any DNS host.