--- title: "How to Receive Email on Your Own Domain (Step-by-Step MX Record Tutorial)" description: "Receive email at an address on your own domain, such as support@yourdomain.com: how MX records work, how to add one without breaking your existing email, and how to read mail in a dashboard, Apple Mail or Outlook, or your own code." canonical: "https://reloop.sh/blog/receive-email-on-your-own-domain" last-updated: "2026-10-26" --- # How to Receive Email on Your Own Domain (Step-by-Step MX Record Tutorial) > For the site documentation index, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt). Docs index: [llms-docs.txt](/llms-docs.txt). Marketing corpus: [llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt). Docs corpus: [llms-full-docs.txt](/llms-full-docs.txt). Product skill: [skill.md](/skill.md). Prefer markdown URLs (append `.md`) when available. > Receive email at an address on your own domain, such as support@yourdomain.com: how MX records work, how to add one without breaking your existing email, and how to read mail in a dashboard, Apple Mail or Outlook, or your own code. Source: https://reloop.sh/blog/receive-email-on-your-own-domain Published: 2026-10-26 **To receive email on your own domain, add an MX record that points the domain (or a subdomain) to a mail server, then create a mailbox for the address.** With Reloop, the MX record is `inbound.reloop.sh` with priority `10`. After the record is live, mail sent to `you@yourdomain.com` arrives in seconds and you can read it in the dashboard, in Apple Mail or Outlook over IMAP, or in your own code through a webhook. That takes about ten minutes. The step that catches people out is choosing *which* domain to point, because one wrong MX record can quietly redirect all of your company's existing email. This tutorial walks through it safely. --- ## What you need - **A domain you own**, such as `yourdomain.com`, and access to its DNS settings (Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap, Route 53 or wherever you bought it) - **A free [Reloop account](/dashboard/signup)**. The free plan includes 3 inboxes. If you [self-host Reloop](/blog/self-hosted-email-infrastructure), there is no inbox limit. - **Ten minutes**, plus up to an hour for DNS changes to spread No servers or coding are needed unless you want to process mail in your own app (Step 6). --- ## How receiving email works (the 60-second version) When someone sends an email to `hello@yourdomain.com`, their mail server needs to know where to deliver it. It looks up the domain's **MX record** (Mail eXchanger) in DNS, a bit like looking up a postal address: ``` Sender's mail server: "Where does mail for yourdomain.com go?" DNS: "MX 10 inbound.reloop.sh" Sender's mail server: delivers the email to inbound.reloop.sh ``` A few rules worth knowing: - **No MX record, no email.** Without one, senders cannot deliver to the domain at all. - **The number is a priority.** Lower numbers are tried first. If a domain has `MX 1 google.com` and `MX 10 inbound.reloop.sh`, mail goes to Google. - **Each domain and subdomain has its own MX records.** `yourdomain.com` and `support.yourdomain.com` can deliver to completely different providers. - **Receiving and sending are separate.** MX controls where mail *arrives*. SPF, DKIM and DMARC control whether mail you *send* is trusted. You need both if you want to reply. That third rule is what makes the next step safe. --- ## Step 1: Choose the address (root domain or subdomain) **Check first whether your domain already receives email.** Run this, or use any online "MX lookup" tool: ```bash dig MX yourdomain.com +short ``` | What you see | What it means | What to do | |--------------|---------------|------------| | Nothing | The domain receives no email today | You can use the root domain: `hello@yourdomain.com` | | `google.com`, `googlemail.com` | Google Workspace handles your mail | **Use a subdomain** | | `outlook.com`, `protection.outlook.com` | Microsoft 365 handles your mail | **Use a subdomain** | | Anything else | Another provider handles your mail | **Use a subdomain** | If your domain already receives email, **do not change its MX record.** Replacing or adding an MX record on the root domain diverts or splits your team's existing email. Use a subdomain such as `inbox.yourdomain.com` instead. It gets its own MX record and leaves your current email untouched. Good subdomain names describe the job: `support.yourdomain.com`, `inbox.yourdomain.com`, `replies.yourdomain.com`. Your address then looks like `help@support.yourdomain.com`. --- ## Step 2: Add the domain to Reloop 1. Open the [Reloop dashboard](https://reloop.sh/dashboard) and go to **Domains**. 2. Click **Add domain** and enter the domain from Step 1, for example `support.yourdomain.com`. 3. Make sure **Email Receiving** is turned on. It is on by default for new domains, and you can toggle it later on the domain page. Reloop now shows the DNS records for the domain: the MX record for receiving, plus SPF, DKIM and DMARC records for sending. --- ## Step 3: Add the MX record At your DNS provider, add this record: | Type | Name | Value | Priority | |------|------|-------|----------| | `MX` | `support` (the subdomain part only) or `@` for the root domain | `inbound.reloop.sh` | `10` | Most DNS providers add your domain to the end of the name automatically. Entering `support` creates the record for `support.yourdomain.com`. Entering `support.yourdomain.com` in some providers creates `support.yourdomain.com.yourdomain.com`, which does not work. On supported DNS providers, Reloop can add the records for you with **auto-populate**, so you don't have to copy them by hand. **Add the sending records too** (SPF, DKIM and DMARC, listed on the same page) if you plan to reply from this address. Without them, your replies are likely to land in spam. Our [SPF, DKIM and DMARC guide](/blog/spf-dkim-dmarc-setup-guide) explains each one. ### Check the record is live ```bash dig MX support.yourdomain.com +short # 10 inbound.reloop.sh. ``` If you see `10 inbound.reloop.sh.`, you're done. If it is empty, wait a few minutes; DNS changes can take up to an hour to appear. --- ## Step 4: Create a mailbox The MX record gets mail to Reloop. A mailbox tells Reloop which address to keep it for. From the domain page, click **Create mailbox**, enter the address (for example `help@support.yourdomain.com`) and a display name such as "Acme Support". Developers can do the same with the SDK: ```typescript const { mailbox, mailboxError } = await reloop.inbox.mailboxes.create({ domainId: "dom_...", email: "help@support.yourdomain.com", displayName: "Acme Support", }); ``` --- ## Step 5: Send a test email From your personal Gmail or Outlook account, send an email to the new address. It should appear in the mailbox in the Reloop dashboard within a few seconds. Every message is grouped into a **thread** with the rest of its conversation and gets a spam score. Likely spam is still kept in the mailbox, marked as spam, so you can check it. Only blatant spam is refused before it arrives. --- ## Step 6: Choose how to read your email Pick whichever fits the people (or software) who will read the mail. You can use more than one at the same time. ### Option A: In the browser (anyone) The Reloop dashboard works like a shared inbox: read, reply, star, archive, label threads and leave internal notes for your team. ### Option B: In Apple Mail, Outlook or Thunderbird (anyone) Add the mailbox as an IMAP account in your usual mail app: | Setting | Value | |---------|-------| | Incoming server (IMAP) | `imap.reloop.sh` | | Port | `993` (SSL/TLS) | | Username | The mailbox address, e.g. `help@support.yourdomain.com` | | Password | A Reloop API key (starts with `rl_`) that can access this mailbox | | Outgoing server (SMTP) | `smtp.reloop.sh`, port `587`, STARTTLS, same username and password | Changes sync both ways. If you archive a message in Apple Mail, it shows as archived in the dashboard too. Create a separate API key for each person or device, restricted to that mailbox. If a laptop is lost, you revoke one key without affecting anything else. ### Option C: In your own app with a webhook (developers) To process incoming mail in code (create a support ticket, parse an order, let an AI agent reply), subscribe a webhook to the `email.received` event. Reloop calls your URL every time a message arrives: ```json { "type": "email.received", "created_at": "2026-10-26T12:00:00.000Z", "data": { "email_id": "in_123456789", "mailbox_id": "mb_123456789", "from": "customer@example.com", "from_name": "Ada", "to": ["help@support.yourdomain.com"], "subject": "Where is my order?", "thread_id": "thr_123456789", "has_attachments": false, "is_spam": false } } ``` A minimal handler verifies the signature, skips spam and loads the conversation: ```typescript function verify(rawBody: string, header: string, secret: string): boolean { const parts = Object.fromEntries(header.split(",").map((p) => p.trim().split("="))); const t = Number(parts.t); if (!t || Math.abs(Date.now() / 1000 - t) > 300) return false; const expected = createHmac("sha256", secret).update(`${t}.${rawBody}`).digest(); const given = Buffer.from(parts.v1 ?? "", "hex"); return given.length === expected.length && timingSafeEqual(given, expected); } const raw = await req.text(); const header = req.headers.get("Reloop-Signature") ?? ""; if (!verify(raw, header, process.env.RELOOP_WEBHOOK_SECRET!)) { return new Response("Bad signature", { status: 401 }); } const event = JSON.parse(raw); if (event.type !== "email.received" || event.data.is_spam) { return new Response("skipped"); } const { thread, threadError } = await reloop.inbox.threads.get(event.data.thread_id); if (threadError) throw threadError; await createSupportTicket(thread); // your logic return new Response("ok"); } ``` To answer in the same conversation, use `reloop.inbox.messages.reply(event.data.email_id, { text: "..." })`. Reloop sets the threading headers so Gmail and Outlook show the reply in the original thread. ### Option D: With an AI assistant Connect the [Reloop MCP server](/docs/integrations/ai-tools/mcp-server) to Claude, Cursor or another AI client, and ask it to summarise or draft replies to your inbox. For an agent that runs on its own, follow [How to Give an AI Agent Its Own Email Address](/blog/give-ai-agent-email-address). --- ## Troubleshooting | Problem | Likely cause | Fix | |---------|--------------|-----| | Nothing arrives | MX record missing or not live yet | Run `dig MX support.yourdomain.com +short`. It should return `10 inbound.reloop.sh.`; wait up to an hour after adding it. | | Mail arrives at your old provider instead | Another MX record on the same name has a lower priority number | Remove the other record, or use a different subdomain | | Sender gets a `550 5.1.1 User unknown` bounce | No mailbox for that exact address | Create the mailbox in Step 4 and check the spelling | | Your company email stopped working | The MX record was changed on the root domain | Restore your original MX records (Google or Microsoft list them in their admin help) and use a subdomain | | Message missing from the inbox | It was marked as spam | Check messages flagged as spam before assuming it was lost | | Your replies land in the recipient's spam | Sending records not set up | Add SPF, DKIM and DMARC for the domain, then [check you're not blacklisted](/blog/email-blacklist-check) | | Mail app won't log in | Wrong password type | The password is a Reloop API key (`rl_...`), not your dashboard password | --- ## FAQ Yes. Any service that accepts mail for your domain works, as long as your MX record points to it. With Reloop you add one MX record, create a mailbox, and read the mail in the dashboard, in any IMAP mail app, or in your own code. The free plan includes 3 inboxes. Yes, with a subdomain. Keep your root domain's MX records pointing to Google, and point a subdomain such as `support.yourdomain.com` to `inbound.reloop.sh`. Each set of records works independently, so nothing changes for your existing email. You can create them, but mail is not split the way you might expect. Senders try the lowest priority number first and only use the other server if the first one is unreachable. Some of your mail would end up in one place and some in the other. Use a separate subdomain for each provider. Usually a few minutes, and up to an hour in most cases. If the record had a long TTL before you changed it, some senders may use the old value until it expires. Check progress with `dig MX yourdomain.com +short`. Yes. Forward individual messages from the dashboard, or forward automatically with an `email.received` webhook that calls `reloop.inbox.messages.forward`. Reading the mailbox in the Gmail app over IMAP is another option. No. Reloop's hosted service receives and stores the mail for you. You only need a server if you want to run Reloop yourself, which our [self-hosting guide](/blog/self-hosted-email-infrastructure) covers. ---