This article discusses type MX DNS records in detail. For a general guide to DNS records and their settings in the customer administration panel, see the article DNS – Domain Records.

In this article, you will learn:

• What are type MX records for
• How to find the MX server address of a service
• How to enter type MX records correctly
• Examples of type MX records
• Common Issues
• Frequently asked questions

You use MX records to list the domain addresses of servers that process incoming email. You typically want to have several such servers, so that the failure of one can be covered by another. Most email service providers offer 2-3 addresses for MX records. By listing all the provider’s MX records as well as an SPF record, you will do your best for the smooth running of your mail.

Create a separate record for each MX address.

If you’re having problems with emails going out but not coming in, the problem may be a missing or incorrect MX record.

WEDOS provides email services for Webhosting (including WMS) and the WebSite service (except for the Free variant) and now separately as the Mailhosting service.

Mail server addresses for MX records are the same for these services. They are (including priority):

1 wes1-mx1.wedos.net
1 wes1-mx2.wedos.net
10 wes1-mx-backup.wedos.net

You can also find these addresses in the customer administration panel in the service detail (the Service Addresses table).

The mail server addresses for MX records of the Mailhosting service are different from those of web hosting services. They are (including priority):

10 mx1.wedos.email
10 mx1.wedos.global
10 mx1.wedos.com
10 mx1.wedos.mx
20 mx1.wedos.online

You can also find these addresses in the customer administration panel in the service detail (the Service Addresses table).

If you use your own mail server to receive emails, you need to enter its domain address, because MX records do not support IP addresses. Therefore, first create a suitable (sub)domain with the IP address of the mail server using an A or AAAA record. Then enter this (sub)domain as the MX address of the record.

If the service whose IPv6 address you want to learn is not with WEDOS, look for the service manual or contact its provider’s support.

For general instructions on setting up DNS records in the customer administration panel, see the article DNS – Domain Records.

If the domain uses another provider’s DNS servers, automatic or manual changes to WEDOS records will not affect its behavior.

Follow these basic rules when entering MX records:

• Leave the record name field blank, unless you want to receive emails on a subdomain (e.g. info@sub.domain.tld).
• Enter one number followed by one address into the data field (e.g. 1 wes1-mx1.wedos.net).

A generic MX record looks like this:

Name                      TTL    Type Data
(empty, or subdomain)     300    MX   (priority) (MX mail server address)

The number before the address is the so-called priority. The higher the number, the more the system considers the server to be a backup.

Correctly entered WEDOS MX records for Webhosting, WMS and WebSite look like this:

Name      TTL    Type Data
          300    MX   1 wes1-mx1.wedos.net
          300    MX   1 wes1-mx2.wedos.net
          300    MX   10 wes1-mx-backup.wedos.net

And for Mailhosting:

Name      TTL    Type Data
          300    MX   10 mx1.wedos.email
          300    MX   10 mx1.wedos.global
          300    MX   10 mx1.wedos.com
          300    MX   10 mx1.wedos.mx
          300    MX   20 mx1.wedos.online

The system can set type MX records automatically in certain circumstances (only on WEDOS DNS servers).

You can set DNS records automatically, when you:

• Check DNS settings while creating or renaming a Webhosting, WebSite, or Mailhosting, alternatively while setting up aliases.
• Direct a domain to a service according to the guide Domains – Direct DNS to Service.

Example: Correctly entered MX records for WEDOS Webhosting or WebSite:

Example: Correctly entered MX records for WEDOS Mailhosting:

Example: MX record for own mail server at IP address 46.28.108.1:

Common problems with entering MX records include:

• Error while saving an MX record
• Emails aren’t coming

Issue: When saving an MX record, there is an error: Invalid MX record value.

Cause: MX records must be entered in the format number + space + domain address of the MX server, e.g. 1 mx.domain.tld. The number is the record’s priority. You cannot enter IP addresses or multiple mail servers in one MX record.

Solution: Edit the record data to match the template/example in the error message.

Issue: Mail does not arrive after creating/editing an MX record.

Cause: The error can be in the record itself, but also in many other places.

Solution: Check that the domain is actually using the WEDOS DNS servers and that the MX records have had enough time to propagate (typically 1 hour). If you are sending emails to the main domain, make sure the name field is empty.

If the records are ok, check that your hosting service is active, mailboxes set up, and that there is enough space.

Question: My web hosting provider didn’t give me any MX records, what should I do?
Answer: Find out if the provider even offers email services. If not, look for an email service provider that meets your requirements.

Question: If I have WEDOS web hosting, can I use another email service provider?
Answer: Yes, you just need to correctly enter the MX records of the given provider.

Question: Can I keep the WEDOS MX servers as a backup in case my other provider has an outage?
Answer: We generally do not recommend combining MX records from different providers. It is better to secure a provider with a sufficient number of backup mail servers, and enter all their addresses in the DNS records according to the provider’s instructions.

Question: Are these addresses universal for all WEDOS mail servers?
Answer: These addresses work for MX records. Mailservers for SMTP, POP and IMAP are different, and addresses containing mx will not work.