Use this guide to connect your domain to Hostinger Mail. A correct setup ensures you can send and receive email without interruption. It also helps your messages reach inboxes instead of landing in spam.

1. Before You Start

Make sure you have:

• Access to the DNS settings of your domain

• Access to your Hostinger account

• Nameservers pointing to Hostinger if you want to use automatic setup

2. Automatic Setup (Easiest Method)

Automatic setup is available when your domain uses Hostinger nameservers.

1. Log in to your Hostinger account.

2. Go to the Emails section.

3. Click Manage next to your domain.

4. Open Connect Domain.

5. Click Connect automatically.

Hostinger adds all required DNS records for you. Wait for DNS propagation. When everything is ready, the page shows the domain as connected.

3. Manual Setup

Use manual setup if your DNS is not managed at Hostinger or you prefer adding the records yourself.

Where to Add DNS Records

• If your domain was purchased at Hostinger or transferred to Hostinger, you most likely need to add DNS records in Domains → DNS Zone inside hPanel.

• If your nameservers point to another provider, open that provider’s DNS page to add the records.

If you wish to avoid any manual work and use the automated option, consider the following suggestions:

• Point your domain to Hostinger nameservers — it may take up to 24 hours or

• Transfer your domain to Hostinger — may take up to 7 days (or more, in some very rare cases)

If you choose any of the options mentioned above, you’ll be able to enable Hostinger Email services for your domain automatically — it requires only a few clicks!

4. Add Records in Hostinger (If DNS Is Hosted There)

1. Go to Domains in hPanel.

2. Select your domain and open DNS Zone.

3. Add the MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC records from the table bellow.

4. Save your changes.

5. Return to Emails → Manage → Connect Domain to confirm the status.

If your DNS is hosted elsewhere, add the same records at your DNS provider.

5. Hostinger Mail DNS Records

Use @ (or leave the field empty) for the root domain when adding records.

MX Records

These route incoming email to Hostinger Mail.

SPF Record

This authorizes Hostinger to send emails from your domain.

DKIM Records

These allow Hostinger sign outgoing emails to prove they are legitimate.

DMARC Record

Informs recipients what to do if SPF or DKIM checks fail when receiving your emails

6. Verify Your Setup

• Go to Emails → Manage → Connect Domain

• When all DNS records are correct, you’ll see the domain marked as connected.

• If anything is still pending, wait for propagation or double-check your entries.

7. How to Know Where Your DNS Is Managed

To find out where to make DNS changes, you need to identify which service provider manages your domain’s settings.

The most straightforward way to do this is to check your domain nameservers article:

• If the nameservers show Hostinger values → your DNS is managed in Hostinger.
• If they show something else → your DNS zone is managed elsewhere, for example Cloudflare, Amazon, Wix, GoDaddy, Namecheap, or other DNS provider.

Once you know where to manage your domain’s DNS zone, proceed to the providers page, and ook for sections named DNS, DNS Zone, Zone Editor, Advanced DNS, or Manage DNS Records.

8. What Each DNS Record Does

A more informative and generic explanation:

• MX (Mail Exchange)
  MX records tell the internet which mail server is responsible for receiving email for your domain. Without correct MX records, incoming messages cannot reach your inbox.

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
  SPF defines which servers are allowed to send emails using your domain name. This helps prevent spoofing and improves deliverability. If SPF is missing or incorrect, your outgoing emails may be flagged as suspicious.

• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
  DKIM adds a digital signature to each message your domain sends. Receiving servers use this signature to verify that the message was not altered and that it genuinely came from your domain.

• DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance)
  DMARC tells receiving mail servers what to do when a message fails SPF or DKIM checks. It also sends reports so you can monitor unauthorized use of your domain. DMARC greatly improves your domain’s security and email reputation.

9. Troubleshooting

Below are the most common issues and how to resolve them, now with more detail.

Emails not arriving

• Your MX records may still point to another mail provider. Remove any MX records that are not Hostinger’s. Mixed MX records cause mail loss.

• DNS changes may not have propagated yet. Wait up to 24 hours.

Unable to send email or outgoing mail lands in spam

• SPF must match exactly. If your domain has more than one SPF record, receiving servers may reject your messages. Combine all SPF rules into a single entry.

• DKIM must be added as CNAME. If added as TXT or with a typo, signing fails and messages may be treated as unsafe.

• DMARC may be missing. Adding a simple DMARC record helps receiving servers trust your domain.

Connect Domain still shows “Not Connected”

• You may have updated DNS at the wrong provider. Always update DNS where your nameservers point.

• Check for typos: even one incorrect character breaks the record.

• TTL may be high. Some providers use long TTLs by default, which delays propagation.

DKIM not showing as valid

• Some DNS providers automatically append your domain name to the “Host” field. Make sure you enter only hostingermail-a._domainkey, not the full hostname.

• Ensure there are no trailing dots, spaces, or uppercase letters.