How to Add MX Records in Namecheap

The short answer. Open the DNS records in Namecheap, 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 tab and look at Nameservers. If it says Namecheap BasicDNS or Namecheap PremiumDNS, the records go in Namecheap. If it says Custom DNS, your DNS is managed somewhere else and records added here have no effect.

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 Namecheap#

Step 1. Open Advanced DNS

Open your domain with Domain List › Manage and click Advanced DNS.

Step 2. Switch to custom MX

Scroll to Mail Settings and choose Custom MX from the dropdown. Namecheap hides the MX fields until you do. Existing MX rows, if any, appear in the list.

Step 3. Add a new record

Click Add New Record. A new row appears at the top of the list.

Step 4. Enter the MX record

Choose MX as the type and fill in the fields:

• Host: @
• Mail Server: smtp.google.com
• Priority: 1
• TTL: Leave TTL on Automatic.

The value to copy:

smtp.google.com   priority 1

Step 5. Save

Click the green check at the end of the row to save. Namecheap shows a confirmation and the record appears in the list.

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. In Host Records, hover over the row and click the pencil icon to edit it, or the trash icon to delete it. Click the green check to save the row.

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 Namecheap.

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.
• Adding the record while the domain uses Custom DNS. The record saves, but nothing queries Namecheap for it. Add it at the DNS host instead.
• Forgetting the green check. The row looks filled in but is not saved until you click it.

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 Namecheap DNS Guides#

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

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

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