Set up email on your own domain
Follow these steps to create your mailboxes, connect DNS, authenticate outgoing mail, and begin sending and receiving.
Open your Email Services dashboard
Sign in to your TopNotch account and open Email Services. Your paid domain, service status, DNS verification information, DKIM values, and mailbox controls are all kept there.
Open Email ServicesExpected result: your domain appears and its service status is Active.
Verify that you own the domain
In Email Services, copy the unique TopNotch verification TXT record shown for your domain. Add it at your DNS provider, wait for propagation, then click Check DNS verification. Email-management controls unlock only after the exact record is found.
| Type | Name / Host | Value / Points to | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
TXT |
mx-verification |
Copy the complete topnotch-email-verification= value shown in Email Services |
3600 |
Create your email addresses
Under Mailboxes, enter the part before the @ sign, the user’s name, and a strong password. Your plan controls how many Basic mailboxes you can create.
- Mailbox names may use lowercase letters, numbers, dots, underscores, plus signs, and hyphens.
- Passwords require at least 10 characters with uppercase, lowercase, a number, and a symbol.
- Example address: [email protected]
You can create and test webmail before changing MX records, but outside mail will continue going to the old provider until cutover.
Connect mail delivery with DNS
Required MX records
| Type | Name / Host | Value / Points to | Priority | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
MX |
@ |
mx.emailarray.com |
5 | 3600 |
MX |
@ |
mx2.emailarray.com |
10 | 3600 |
Required SPF authorization
| Type | Name / Host | Value / Points to | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
TXT |
@ |
v=spf1 include:emailarray.com ~all |
3600 |
Recommended webmail address
| Type | Name / Host | Value / Points to | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
CNAME |
webmail |
webredirect.emailarray.com |
3600 |
After DNS and SSL finish, use webmail.yourdomain.com. You can always use the provider’s secure webmail link while waiting.
Recommended automatic device setup
| Type | Name / Host | Value / Points to | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
A |
autodiscover |
69.28.212.195 |
3600 |
A |
autoconfig |
69.28.212.195 |
3600 |
Cloudflare users: keep mail-related DNS records DNS only. Do not proxy MX destinations, autodiscover, autoconfig, or the webmail CNAME.
Enable DKIM
DKIM signs outgoing messages and materially improves trust and deliverability. In Email Services, enable DKIM, then copy the provider-generated Host and Key into a DNS TXT record exactly as displayed.
| Type | Name / Host | Value / Points to | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
TXT |
Use the DKIM host shown in Email Services |
Use the complete DKIM key shown in Email Services |
3600 |
Do not shorten, rewrap, or add quotation marks to the DKIM key unless your DNS provider does so automatically.
Wait for DNS and check status
- Most DNS changes appear within a few minutes, but allow 1–2 hours.
- Webmail and autodiscover SSL can take another 30–40 minutes.
- Return to Email Services and choose Check DNS verification. After ownership is confirmed, use Refresh provider status to load the latest DKIM and mailbox state.
Expected result: new incoming mail is delivered to your Top-Notch Mail mailboxes and domain health checks begin passing.
Sign in and test both directions
- Open Email Services and use the Webmail button beside a mailbox.
- Send a message to an unrelated address and confirm it arrives.
- Reply from that outside address and confirm the message reaches the new mailbox.
- Check the message’s spam folder if either direction does not appear immediately.
Set up phones and desktop mail apps
Basic mailboxes work with IMAP. Enhanced mailboxes can also support ActiveSync plus calendar and contact synchronization where available.