How to update your MX records

MX records, which stand for "Mail Exchanger" records, are an essential part of the Domain Name System (DNS). They are responsible for directing email messages to the correct email servers associated with a domain. Understanding MX records and knowing when to update them is crucial to ensure uninterrupted access to your email services. In this article, we will explore what MX records are and when you might need to update them to avoid email disruptions.

What Are MX Records?

MX records are DNS records that specify the mail servers responsible for receiving email messages on behalf of a domain. When someone sends an email to an address within your domain (e.g., yourname@yourdomain.com), the sender's email server queries the DNS to find the appropriate MX records for your domain. These MX records point the sender's server to the correct destination where the email should be delivered.

MX records contain two primary pieces of information:

1. Priority: This is a numerical value assigned to each MX record. It determines the order in which email servers should attempt to deliver mail. Lower numbers indicate higher priority. If multiple MX records exist, email servers will try to deliver mail to the server with the lowest priority value first. If that server is unavailable, they will move on to the next one with a higher priority.

2. Mail Server Hostname: This is the domain or hostname of the email server that should receive the email messages.

When to Update MX Records

Updating MX records becomes necessary in several situations to ensure that you do not lose access to your email services:

1. Changing Email Providers: When you switch your email hosting provider or migrate to a new email service, you will need to update your MX records to point to the new email servers provided by the new service. This ensures that incoming emails are correctly routed to the new email infrastructure.

2. Adding Redundancy: To improve the reliability of your email delivery, you might want to set up multiple MX records with different priorities. This way, if your primary email server becomes unavailable, the secondary server can handle email delivery.

3. Custom Domain Setup: If you have a custom domain (e.g., yourname@yourcustomdomain.com) and you want to use it with a third-party email service (e.g., Google Workspace or Microsoft 365), you will need to configure MX records for your custom domain to point to the email servers of the third-party provider (WebPower).

4. Recovering from DNS Issues: In case of DNS issues, such as misconfigurations or DNS server outages, you may need to update MX records to resolve email delivery problems.

How to Update MX Records

Updating MX records involves making changes to your domain's DNS settings, typically through your domain registrar's control panel or DNS management interface. Here are the general steps to update MX records:

1. Log In to Your WebPower Account: Visit webpower.uk and log in to your account using your credentials.

2. Locate Your Domain: In your dashboard, find the domain for which you want to update MX records in the cPanel, under "Domains". 

3. Access MX Record Settings: Locate the section where you can manage MX records. This might be labeled as "Modify the Zones", "MX Records," "Mail Settings," or something similar.

4. Modify MX Records: Update the MX records according to the requirements of your email hosting provider. This usually involves specifying the mail server hostname and its priority. Make sure to save your changes.

5. Propagation Time: Be aware that DNS changes, including MX record updates, may take some time to propagate across the internet. It can take several hours to up to 48 hours for the changes to become effective.

6. Testing: After the DNS propagation period, test your email to ensure that incoming messages are being delivered to the correct email servers.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are unsure of how to do this, you can send your MX records to our support team and we will add them for you. 

Conclusion

MX records are a fundamental component of email delivery infrastructure, ensuring that emails reach their intended destinations. Understanding when and how to update MX records is crucial to avoid email disruptions when making changes to your email hosting, adding redundancy, or customizing your email domain setup. Always consult with your email hosting provider or IT support team for specific guidance on MX record configuration, especially when transitioning to a new email service. Properly managed MX records will help you maintain reliable email communication for your domain.