How to Add MX Records in GoDaddy

The short answer. Open the DNS records in GoDaddy, add one record of type MX for each mail server your email provider lists, with host @, the mail server name and its priority. Remove old MX records that point to a previous provider.

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What MX Records Do#

MX records say which servers accept email for your domain. Senders pick the server with the lowest priority number first and fall back to the next. A domain with no MX records, or with the wrong ones, cannot receive mail.

Check Where Your DNS Is Managed#

A record only works at the company that answers DNS for the domain, which is not always the one you bought it from. Open the domain and choose DNS. If the page lists Nameservers that are not GoDaddy’s (they end in domaincontrol.com), the DNS is managed elsewhere and records added here are ignored.

The MX Record to Add#

smtp.google.com   priority 1

Use the exact values your mail provider gives you. Two common ones:

Providers with several servers give a list. Add one MX record for each, with the priority they specify.

Step by Step in GoDaddy#

Step 1. Open your domain

Sign in to GoDaddy, open My Products and find the domain under Domains. Click DNS next to it (or open the domain and choose DNS).

Step 2. Open DNS Records

The DNS Records tab lists every record. Records GoDaddy created for its own products are marked.

Step 3. Add a new record

Click Add New Record. A form opens with the record type first.

Step 4. Enter the MX record

Choose MX as the type and fill in the fields:

• Name: @
• Value: smtp.google.com
• Priority: 1
• TTL: Leave TTL at the default of 1 Hour. Choose a shorter one before a planned change.

The value to copy:

smtp.google.com   priority 1

Step 5. Save

Click Save. The record appears in the list straight away.

Change or Replace MX Records#

To switch mail provider, delete the old MX records and add the new ones. Mixed providers split mail between two inboxes, and some of it is lost. Click the pencil icon at the end of the row to edit it, or the trash icon to delete it. Click Save to confirm.

Do the change when you can test it right away: send a mail from outside and check it lands. Update the SPF record to allow the new provider too, see the SPF guide for GoDaddy.

Common Mistakes#

• Leaving the old provider’s MX records in place. Mail then arrives at either provider, depending on the sender.
• Typing an IP address as the mail server. It must be a host name.
• Entering the mail server with your domain appended, or a trailing dot the form does not want. Enter it exactly as given, and look at how it appears in the list.
• Mixing up the priority. The lowest number is tried first, so 0 or 1 beats 10.
• Forgetting SPF. New mail servers also need to be allowed to send, otherwise outgoing mail lands in spam.
• Editing the record GoDaddy added for Email products. Those are managed by GoDaddy, so change the product setting rather than the record.

Check That It Worked#

Look up the MX records of the domain. They should list the new servers only. Send a test email to the address from an outside account and confirm it arrives. Changes show up as caches expire, usually within minutes for a record and up to two days for nameservers, see how long DNS propagation takes.

More GoDaddy DNS Guides#

• How to Add a DMARC Record in GoDaddy
• How to Add an SPF Record in GoDaddy
• How to Add a TXT Record in GoDaddy
• How to Change Nameservers in GoDaddy

The same task elsewhere: Namecheap, Cloudflare, Hostinger, Squarespace.

Menu names last checked October 2026. Providers rename things now and then; if a label differs, look for the closest match.