How to use Porkbun email when your DNS is hosted elsewhere
If your website is hosted with a company that requires you to assign their nameservers to your domain, you may wonder if you can still utilize Porkbun's hosted email and email forwarding services.
The answer is yes, provided your web host allows you to make custom DNS entries. Here's how to add the requisite records at a 3rd party host:
Create MX and SPF records with your host
1
Determine if your web host allows you to make custom DNS entries, specifically MX and TXT records. In most cases, you can. A good way to determine how is to search the knowledge base of your hosting company or contact their support department to ask how to add DNS records.
2
Log into your DNS interface at your web host. If you have any existing MX records on your "root" domain (such as domain.example rather than mail.domain.example), you'll need to delete them.
3
Add the following MX and TXT records to the domain with your web host:
| Type |
Host |
Value (Answer) |
Priority
|
| MX |
leave blank, or @ depending on the company |
fwd1.porkbun.com |
10 |
| MX |
leave blank, or @ depending on the company |
fwd2.porkbun.com |
20 |
| TXT |
leave blank, or @ depending on the company |
v=spf1 include:_spf.porkbun.com ~all |
|
What if I have another SPF record that I need to keep?
You can only have a single SPF record applied to your root domain, or else you'll start running into issues with email delivery. That said, SPF records can be merged to allow for multiple providers in a single record.
That means that if you're using Porkbun's email service as well as another email service (such as a CRM or email marketing tool), you'll need to create an SPF record that allows for both senders. Here's an example of an SPF record that is valid for Porkbun's email hosting as well as another provider:
v=spf1 include:_spf.porkbun.com include:_spf.emailmarketingtool.example ~all
If you need any assistance creating an SPF record that works for Porkbun and other providers at the same time, feel free to reach out to our support team for help.
Create DMARC and DKIM records with your host
If you have DMARC and DKIM records configured for your Porkbun hosted email, which are additional security measures that help prevent email spoofing, please follow the additional steps below to add the correct records to your 3rd party host:
1
Locate your domain and click the "Details" button to the right. On the menu that appears, click the edit icon next to "DNS Records".
2
In the menu that displays your domain's DNS records, locate the TXT records section and copy the Host and Answer/Value for the TXT records that say "default._domainkey" and "_dmarc". Depending on the hosting provider you're using, you may need to copy the whole domain name with the host, or you may just have to copy the part before the domain name, such as _dmarc by itself.
3
Add the DMARC and DKIM records as "TXT" records with your hosting provider.
That's it! Once you've added all of the appropriate records to your domain on your hosting provider's end (and ensured you've deleted any existing MX records that could cause conflicts), your email from Porkbun should start working! You can also use a site such as MXToolbox to ensure everything is set up correctly.
Feel free to contact our support team if you have any questions or concerns.
