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Email glossary · Practical guide

MX record: where a domain receives mail

An MX record identifies a mail exchanger for a domain's incoming mail. It does not automatically authorize every outgoing service or configure a campaign's submission credentials.

Reviewed · Examples are illustrative

Who this helps: Readers checking a term before making an outreach or mailbox decision.

Meaning and common confusion

A domain can receive through one provider and send through another authorized service. This is why copying an MX hostname into an SMTP setting or assuming MX alone satisfies SPF can lead to a wrong repair. Identify which direction of mail flow you are investigating first.

Source: RFC 5321: mail routing context

Worked example

This is a synthetic illustration, not a customer result or a live configuration to copy.

brand.example receives through Provider A
A campaign submits through Provider B
MX answers the receiving-route question
Provider B's submission and authentication settings require separate evidence.

Checks to make

  1. Label the problem as inbound routing or outbound submission.
  2. Verify current authoritative DNS rather than an old screenshot.
  3. Ask the provider for the exact submission endpoint instead of guessing from MX.

Next step and limits

Use the MX-versus-SPF guide when records are being confused. Changes to inbound routing can affect ordinary business mail, so scope them to the actual problem and preserve the previous values before an authorized change.

Source: RFC 5321: mail routing context

Source references

Worked examples are illustrative. Editorial procedures are suggested methods, not measured performance claims or promises of additional product features.

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