These instructions are for users who purchased their domain on Namecheap and would like to change their mail records (MX) so they can send and receive mail with Fastmail.
Changing your MX records is the best option for users who have a website on their domain hosted with another service. For users who do not have a website hosted at their domain, switching nameservers to Fastmail is usually a better option.
This guide covers three steps to setting up your domain:
Advanced instructions for setting up MX records can be found here.
1. Add your domain to Fastmail
We have a setup guide to help you get your domain working as quickly and easily as possible.
After you have purchased your domain from Namecheap, log in to Fastmail and go to the Settings → Domains screen.
Add your domain(s) (e.g. mydomain.com). Using the Add Domain button brings up the new domain screen. Type your domain into the text box.
If your domain has been purchased from Namecheap, we will display this on the next screen. You can also choose Namecheap from our list of supported registrars.
Follow the wizard to add your email addresses to Fastmail. To have the wizard provide you with steps to update your MX records by default, choose Yes when you are asked if you have a website.
Please note: If you are on a legacy plan, the domain setup wizard can only set up email addresses, not users. You will need to add users manually in order to create additional user accounts at your custom domain.
2. Edit your MX records in Namecheap
Note: We recommend making these changes at a time that you do not expect much mail to be sent to your domain
1. Log in to your account at Namecheap.
2. In the Domain List on your account, find the domain you want to use with Fastmail, and click Manage:
3. Along the toolbar, click Advanced DNS:
4. Scroll down until you see Mail Settings, and then choose "Custom MX" from the drop down menu:
5. Enter your MX record with the following details:
| Host | Value | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| @ | in1-smtp.messagingengine.com |
10 |
6. Then click Save All Changes. When you are finished, it should look like this:
7. Click Add New Record, and add a second MX record with the following details:
| Host | Value | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| @ | in2-smtp.messagingengine.com |
20 |
8. Click Save All Changes. When you are finished, your second record should look like this:
You should now have two MX records, in1-smtp.messagingengine.com and in2-smtp.messagingengine.com.
3. Signing your domain
Your domain should now be ready to receive messages. In order to make sure your sent messages reach your recipients, there are a couple more records to add in your Namecheap account.
1. In the same screen, scroll up to the Host Records section and click Add New Record. Add three new records, all with the type CNAME and the following information (make sure to replace mydomain.com with your actual domain name):
| Type | Host | Value |
|---|---|---|
| CNAME | fm1._domainkey |
fm1.{mydomain.com}.dkim.fmhosted.com |
| CNAME | fm2._domainkey |
fm2.{mydomain.com}.dkim.fmhosted.com |
| CNAME | fm3._domainkey |
fm3.{mydomain.com}.dkim.fmhosted.com |
You can leave any other CNAME records you have for your domain where they are.
When you are finished, it should look like this:
2. Add another record in the same place you added your CNAME records. In the dropdown for the record type, choose TXT, then enter the following information:
| Type | Selector | Value |
|---|---|---|
| TXT | @ |
v=spf1 include:spf.messagingengine.com ?all |
When you are finished, it should look like this:
3. Add one more record in the same place. In the dropdown for the record type, choose TXT, then enter the following information:
| Type | Host | Value |
| TXT | _dmarc.{mydomain.com} |
v=DMARC1; p=none; |
Once you have finished this step, your domain should be ready to use with Fastmail.
To check that all of your settings are correct, log in to your Fastmail account and go to the Settings → Domains screen. Click Recheck DNS. Your domain should now say Active. MX records set.
Namecheap has further instructions for using their DNS configuration panel available here.