MX Records Explained: How Incoming Email Finds Your Inbox
MX (Mail Exchanger) records are DNS rows that answer: “Where should the internet deliver email for @yourdomain?” Without correct MX, people cannot reach mailboxes on MailShrine — even if your website loads fine.
Website traffic uses A/CNAME. Mail uses MX. They are independent (domain vs email hosting).
Real-life example: Harbor Goods
Uche moved email to MailShrine but left an old cPanel MX in place. Half of customer messages still hit the dead host. Fixing MX priorities and deleting legacy rows restored delivery.
What an MX record looks like
| Field | Meaning | Example shape |
|---|---|---|
| Type | MX | MX |
| Host / Name | Usually @ (root) | @ |
| Priority | Lower number = tried first | 10 |
| Value / Points to | Mail server hostname | (paste what MailShrine shows) |
Always copy the exact host MailShrine displays in Domains — blog examples go stale.
What you need
| Item | Why |
|---|---|
| Domain DNS login | Add/remove MX |
| MailShrine domain | Provides target hostname |
| Screenshot of old MX | Rollback / cleanup |
Step 1: Add your domain in MailShrine
Domains → enter the domain → continue until MX values appear (setup).
Step 2: Remove legacy MX
Delete MX pointing at Google trial, cPanel, or registrar “email forwarding” if you are fully moving.
Step 3: Publish MailShrine MX
Paste Type / Host / Priority / Value. Cloudflare: DNS only (grey cloud).
Step 4: Wait and verify
Pending is normal (DNS timing). Start verification in MailShrine.
Step 5: Prove inbound mail
Send from Gmail to your new address after Verified.
Harbor Goods checklist
- Old MX removedCompleted
- MailShrine MX savedCompleted
- DNS-only on CloudflareCompleted
- Domain VerifiedCompleted
- Inbound test receivedCompleted
Common mistakes
- Two providers’ MX at once without a planned dual-accept window.
- MX pointed at an IP (must be a hostname).
- Editing A records “to make email work.”
- Proxied/orange-cloud mail hostnames.
Check your work
- Lookup shows only intended MX.
- MailShrine status Verified.
- External send arrives in webmail.
Next steps
Citations & References
- Reference: Google: Email sender guidelines
- Reference: Cloudflare Learning Center: DNS records
- Reference: ICANN: What is DNS?
Written by Samira O., Email Authentication Specialist. Samira explains mail routing so founders stop guessing at DNS panels.
