Set up email on your domain with Bluehost

Automatic setup

Bluehost does not 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 Bluehost, lists the exact records and links to the Bluehost Portal. Once the records are in place, Mornin checks them for you.

Add the records manually

1. Sign in to the Bluehost Portal and choose Domains in the left-hand menu. If you have more than one domain, choose the one you want to use.
2. Open the DNS tab. It shows Manage Advanced DNS Records.
3. Choose + Add record, pick the type and add each TXT and CNAME record from the table below. In Host Record, enter @ for the root of the domain. With Multiple records you can add several records of one type at once.
4. Scroll to MX (Mail Exchanger). Open the three-dot menu next to the existing MX record, choose Edit, set Points to to mail.mornin.email and the priority to 10, then save. If there is no MX record, add one with the host @.
5. Bluehost says DNS changes usually take a few minutes and at most 8 hours.

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 Bluehost

• Only one MX record. Bluehost sets an MX record that points to your own domain, so mail lands in Bluehost mailboxes. Change it or delete it. If it stays next to Mornin’s, part of your mail keeps going to Bluehost.
• Email Routing set to Remote. With Bluehost hosting, go to Hosting → My Plans, open cPanel Email, choose Email Routing and select Remote Mail Exchanger for the domain. Otherwise mail that your website or other domains on the same server send to your addresses stays on the Bluehost server.
• One SPF record only. Bluehost hosting adds its own v=spf1 record. Merge include:spf.smtp2go.com into it instead of adding a second one. If your website still sends mail through Bluehost, keep Bluehost’s entries in that record.
• Nameservers elsewhere. The DNS tab only takes effect when the domain uses Bluehost’s nameservers. Mornin shows which provider answers for your domain.
• Old mail stays at Bluehost. The new MX record only changes where new mail goes. Export your messages before you delete the Bluehost mailboxes.

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.
• NamecheapDNS records for domains using Namecheap DNS.
• Network SolutionsDNS records for domains at Network Solutions.
• Any other providerThe same records work at any DNS host.