# Domain setup and verification

> Complete guide to adding and verifying your domain for email processing

Source: https://emailconnect.eu/help/domain-setup/

Setting up your domain correctly is crucial for receiving emails through EmailConnect. This guide covers everything you need to know.

## Prerequisites

- Access to your domain's DNS settings
- Administrative rights to modify DNS records
- Your domain should be active and resolving

## Step-by-step setup

### 1. Add your domain

1. Navigate to **Domains** in your dashboard
2. Click **Add domain**
3. Enter your domain name without any subdomain (e.g., `example.com`, not `www.example.com`)
4. Click **Add domain**

### 2. Configure MX records

MX (Mail Exchange) records tell email servers where to deliver emails for your domain.

**Required MX record:**
```
Type: MX
Name: @ (or leave blank)
Value: mx1.emailconnect.eu
Priority: 10
TTL: 3600 (or your provider's default)
```

**Important notes:**
- Remove any existing MX records that point to other email services
- If you need to keep existing email service, contact support for advanced configuration
- Changes may take up to 24 hours to propagate globally

### 3. Add TXT verification record

A TXT record is used to verify domain ownership. Each domain you add gets **its own verification value**: `verify-ec=` followed by a random code that belongs to that domain in your account. The dashboard shows the exact value when you add the domain. Copy it from there; it cannot be worked out from the domain name.

**Required TXT record:**
```
Type: TXT
Name: @ (or leave blank)
Value: verify-ec=3f9c1e7a5b2d4c8e9a0b6d1f2e3c4a5b
TTL: 3600
```

The value above is an example. Use the one shown for your domain.

If you add domains through the API, the value is returned as `instructions.txt_record.value` when you create the domain and as `expectedTxtRecord` whenever you read it. Publish that value as it is rather than building the record yourself.

**Keep the record in place after verification.** Verified domains are re-checked regularly, and a domain whose record has disappeared loses its verified status.

**Verified your domain before October 2026?** Nothing changes for you. Domains verified before per-domain codes were introduced keep the record they were verified with, `verify-ec=yourdomain.com`. Leave it as it is. If a domain is not verified yet, use the value the dashboard shows for it now.

**An unverified domain is removed after 3 days.** If verification has not succeeded by then, the domain is removed from your account. You can add it again, but it then gets a **new** verification value, so update the TXT record to the new one.

### 4. Verification process

After adding the DNS records:

1. Wait 5-10 minutes for initial DNS propagation
2. Click **Verify domain** in your dashboard
3. The system will check your DNS configuration
4. Verification typically completes within 1-2 minutes

**Verification status:**
- **Pending**: DNS records not yet detected
- **Verified**: the TXT record proves the domain is yours
- **Failed**: DNS configuration issues detected

**The MX record is checked as well.** Verification only needs the TXT record, so a domain can be verified while its mail still goes elsewhere. Each check also looks up the MX record, and the dashboard shows a warning next to the status when it does not point at `mx1.emailconnect.eu`:
- **MX elsewhere**: the MX record names another mail server, or ours is only a backup with a higher priority number than another server. Senders deliver to the lowest number first, so `mx1.emailconnect.eu` must have the lowest one.
- **No MX record**: the domain has no MX record yet.
- **MX: could not check**: the lookup failed this time, for example a DNS timeout. This is not a warning; it is checked again with the next verification.

The warning does not change the verified status. Fix the MX record, then click the warning or **Verify domain** to check again.

## Troubleshooting

### Common issues

**"MX elsewhere" or "No MX record"**
- Double-check the MX record value: `mx1.emailconnect.eu`. Hover over the warning to see what the MX record names now
- Ensure our record has the lowest priority number, and remove MX records for other mail services
- Wait longer for DNS propagation (up to 24 hours), then verify again

**"TXT verification record missing"**
- Verify the TXT record value exactly matches the one shown for this domain in the dashboard (`verify-ec=` followed by a code)
- If you removed the domain and added it again, it has a new value: the record from the first time no longer verifies it
- Check that the record is added to the domain level of your choice (@ vs e.g. in.)

**"Verification taking too long"**
- DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate globally
- Use online DNS checker tools to verify your records
- Contact support if issues persist after 24 hours

### DNS checker tools

Use these tools to verify your DNS configuration:
- [MXToolbox](https://mxtoolbox.com/)
- [DNSChecker](https://dnschecker.org/)
- [Google Admin Toolbox](https://toolbox.googleapps.com/apps/dig/)

## Advanced configuration

### Subdomain setup

You can also configure subdomains for email processing:

1. Add the subdomain as a separate domain (e.g., `mail.example.com`)
2. Configure MX and TXT records for the subdomain
3. Follow the same verification process

### Multiple email services

If you need to use EmailConnect alongside another email service:

1. Contact our support team for custom MX record configuration
2. We can help set up priority-based routing
3. Additional configuration may be required

## Next steps

Once your domain is verified:
- [Create aliases](https://emailconnect.eu/help/alias-options-explained/) for specific email addresses
- [Set up webhooks](https://emailconnect.eu/help/webhook-configuration/) to process emails

## Need help?

Domain setup issues? Our support team is here to help:
- Check our [help center](https://emailconnect.eu/help)
- Contact support with your domain name and DNS provider
- We can help verify your configuration remotely