How to Add an MX Record in cPanel
To add an MX record in cPanel, open Domains › Zone Editor, click + MX Record on your domain, enter the priority (lower wins) and the mail hostname your provider gives, then delete the old default MX. Set Email Routing to Remote if Google, Zoho or Microsoft 365 hosts your mail. The edit only works where the nameservers point.
For business owners and web admins moving domain email to Google Workspace, Zoho Mail or Microsoft 365 from a cPanel account.
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- 3 min
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- 7
- Updated
- 14 Nov 2026
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- WebJi® team
Last editorial update: 14 November 2026.
What does an MX record do?
An MX (mail exchanger) record tells sending servers which mail server accepts email for your domain; servers try the lowest priority number first. Each MX points to a hostname, never an IP address, and that hostname must have its own A or AAAA record rather than being a CNAME.
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name / host | The domain itself (shown as the domain or @) | example.in. |
| Priority | Lower number wins; 0 is highest | 10 |
| Destination | Mail server hostname from your provider | mx.zoho.in |
| TTL | Seconds resolvers may cache it | 3600 (lower before a migration) |
Where should you add the MX record?
Add it wherever the domain's nameservers point: in cPanel's Zone Editor only if the domain uses your hosting's nameservers, otherwise at Cloudflare or your registrar. An edit in a zone that is not authoritative changes nothing.
Check which nameservers are live before editing:
dig NS example.in +shortIf the answer lists Cloudflare or the registrar's servers, make the change there. Nameserver changes themselves are covered in how to change nameservers.
How do you add an MX record in cPanel?
Open Domains › Zone Editor, click "+ MX Record" on your domain's row, enter the priority and the destination hostname, save, then delete the old default MX if mail is moving to another provider.
- Log in to cPanel and open Domains › Zone Editor.
- Click Manage on the domain and filter by MX to see current records, usually
mail.example.inor the domain itself. - Click "+ MX Record" (or Add Record › MX) and enter priority and destination exactly as your provider lists them.
- Repeat for each record your provider gives.
- Delete the old default MX so old and new servers do not both receive mail.
- Set Email › Email Routing to match, as described below.
What MX values do Google Workspace, Zoho Mail and Microsoft 365 use?
Google Workspace now uses a single MX, smtp.google.com at priority 1; Zoho Mail uses three records that depend on your Zoho data centre; Microsoft 365 uses one domain-specific mail.protection.outlook.com host. Always copy the exact values from your provider's admin console, which is the authority for your domain.
| Provider | Destination | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace (new setups) | smtp.google.com | 1 |
| Google Workspace (older setups) | ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM, ALT1–ALT4.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM | 1, 5, 5, 10, 10 |
| Zoho Mail, India data centre (zoho.in accounts) | mx.zoho.in, mx2.zoho.in, mx3.zoho.in | 10, 20, 50 |
| Zoho Mail, US data centre (zoho.com accounts) | mx.zoho.com, mx2.zoho.com, mx3.zoho.com | 10, 20, 50 |
| Microsoft 365 | yourdomain-in.mail.protection.outlook.com (shown in the admin centre) | 0 |
Many Indian businesses sign up for Zoho on zoho.in, so check which domain your Zoho admin console uses before copying the .com values. After MX, add the provider's SPF and DKIM as TXT records, as in the TXT record guide.
Should Email Routing be Local or Remote after an MX change?
Choose Local Mail Exchanger when mailboxes live on this cPanel server, and Remote Mail Exchanger when Google, Zoho, Microsoft 365 or another provider receives the mail. Set it by hand after any MX change.
| Option | Use it when | Risk if wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Local Mail Exchanger | Mailboxes are on this cPanel account | Website mail to your own domain stays on the server and never reaches Google or Zoho |
| Remote Mail Exchanger | An external provider hosts the mailboxes | None, if MX points to that provider |
| Automatically Detect | Rarely; it guesses from the local zone | May not reflect DNS managed elsewhere |
The classic symptom of a wrong setting: outside senders reach your Google inbox, but contact-form mail from your own website never arrives.
How do you check that the new MX record is working?
Query the MX record from outside, then send a test email from a different provider such as Gmail and confirm it lands in the new inbox.
dig MX example.in +short
nslookup -type=mx example.inResolvers can keep the old record until its TTL expires, so a change can look live to you and old elsewhere for up to that time; lower the TTL a day before a planned move. The MX record lookup tool shows what public DNS returns, and what an MX record is explains priorities and fallback in more depth.
Frequently asked questions
Can an MX record point to an IP address?
No. An MX destination must be a hostname. If your mail server only has an IP, create an A record such as mail.example.in pointing to it, then use that hostname as the MX destination.
Do I need more than one MX record?
Only if your provider gives several, as Zoho does. Extra records act as fallbacks tried in priority order. Do not mix providers: an old cPanel MX alongside Google's means some mail goes to the wrong server.
Will changing MX records affect my website?
No. MX records only route email. The website follows A, AAAA or CNAME records, which you leave untouched. Webmail on the old server stops receiving new mail once MX points elsewhere.
What happens to old emails when I change MX?
They stay in the old mailboxes; only new mail goes to the new provider. Copy them across with IMAP migration before closing the old accounts, as in migrating email accounts.
Last editorial update: 15 November 2026.
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