Rackspace Email + GoDaddy

Set up Rackspace Email on GoDaddy

The records Rackspace Email needs, written with the field names GoDaddy uses (Name, Value), in the order to add them.

  • 5 steps
  • 6 DNS records

Before you start

  1. Have your Rackspace Email account ready. Some values are unique to your account and come from the Rackspace Cloud Office Control Panel .
  2. Open DNS at GoDaddy: Sign in to GoDaddy and open My Products. Under Domains, open the Portfolio tab. Select the three dots (...) next to your domain, then Edit DNS.
  3. Keep both tabs open and add the records below one at a time.

Records to add

Copy each value with the button next to it. Rows marked “Copy from Rackspace Cloud Office Control Panel” are unique to your account.

MX records Where incoming email goes Type MX Name @ Value mx1.emailsrvr.com Priority 10 TTL 3600 (1 h)
MX records Where incoming email goes Type MX Name @ Value mx2.emailsrvr.com Priority 20 TTL 3600 (1 h)
SPF record Which servers may send as you Type TXT Name @ Value v=spf1 include:emailsrvr.com ~all Priority n/a TTL 3600 (1 h)
DKIM A signature on every message Type TXT Name See your provider Value Copy from Rackspace Cloud Office Control Panel Not yet confirmed by us Priority n/a TTL Default
DMARC record What to do with fakes · recommended Type TXT Name _dmarc Value v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com Priority n/a TTL Default
Autodiscover Automatic app setup · recommended Type CNAME Name autodiscover Value autodiscover.emailsrvr.com Priority n/a TTL 3600 (1 h)

Step by step in GoDaddy

Point your MX records

MX records tell other mail servers where to deliver your email. How MX works

Type
MX
Name
@
Priority
10
Value
mx1.emailsrvr.com
  • Rackspace warns that no other MX records should exist, or you'll have problems with your email.
  • Use 3600 seconds or the lowest TTL your host allows.
Type
MX
Name
@
Priority
20
Value
mx2.emailsrvr.com

In GoDaddy

  1. Under DNS Records, select Add New Record.
  2. Choose MX as the type.
  3. Fill in Name, Priority and Value, and pick the TTL from the drop-down list.
  4. Select Save.
  5. Back in the list of DNS records, delete every other MX record that isn't from your new email provider.
  6. Repeat for each MX record above.

Add the SPF record

SPF lists the services allowed to send email as you. How SPF works

Type
TXT
Name
@
Value
v=spf1 include:emailsrvr.com ~all

In GoDaddy

  1. Under DNS Records, select Add New Record.
  2. Choose TXT as the type.
  3. Fill in Name and Value, and pick the TTL from the drop-down list. Copy and paste the value so the spacing stays exact.
  4. Select Save.

Set up DKIM

DKIM signs your mail so receivers can trust it. How DKIM works

Type
TXT
Name
See below
Value
Copy it from Rackspace Cloud Office Control Panel (see below)

Where to find your value

In the Cloud Office Control Panel, go to Domains → Sender Authentication (DKIM), select your domain and click Enable DKIM for it.

We haven’t been able to confirm this value from Rackspace Email's public docs yet, so we don’t show one.

  • After adding the TXT record, click Verify TXT Record in the control panel.
  • Allow 24 to 48 hours for the record to propagate.

In GoDaddy

  1. Under DNS Records, select Add New Record.
  2. Choose TXT as the type.
  3. Fill in Name and Value, and pick the TTL from the drop-down list. Copy and paste the value so the spacing stays exact.
  4. Select Save.

Add the DMARC record (recommended)

DMARC tells receivers what to do with mail that fakes your domain. How DMARC works

Type
TXT
Name
_dmarc
Value
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com
  • Rackspace's setup page doesn't list a DMARC value. This is the standard starting record; replace the report address with one you read.

In GoDaddy

  1. Under DNS Records, select Add New Record.
  2. Choose TXT as the type.
  3. Fill in Name and Value, and pick the TTL from the drop-down list. Copy and paste the value so the spacing stays exact.
  4. Select Save.

Add the Autodiscover record (recommended)

Autodiscover lets Outlook and other mail apps find your account settings without manual setup.

Type
CNAME
Name
autodiscover
Value
autodiscover.emailsrvr.com

In GoDaddy

  1. Under DNS Records, select Add New Record.
  2. Choose CNAME as the type.
  3. Fill in Name and Value, and pick the TTL from the drop-down list.
  4. Select Save.

Check your setup

Once the records are saved, run a live check. We look up your domain in public DNS and tell you what is right, missing or wrong, with the fix in GoDaddy’s words.

We only read public DNS records. Nothing is stored.

Common mistakes with Rackspace Email on GoDaddy

Leaving other MX records

Rackspace says no other MX record entries should exist alongside mx1 and mx2.emailsrvr.com.

GoDaddy: Delete old MX records and keep one SPF record

Remove every MX record left from your previous email service, including GoDaddy's own email if you used it. A leftover MX record can still receive your mail. For SPF, keep a single TXT record that starts with v=spf1: if one is already there, edit it instead of adding a second, because two SPF records break the SPF check.

GoDaddy: Type only the part before your domain

GoDaddy adds your domain to the Name automatically. Enter _dmarc or google._domainkey, not _dmarc.yourdomain.com, or the record ends up at a doubled name.

Visit Rackspace Email Visit GoDaddy

Rackspace Email on GoDaddy: questions

Where do I add Rackspace Email DNS records in GoDaddy?

Sign in to GoDaddy and open My Products. Under Domains, open the Portfolio tab. Select the three dots (...) next to your domain, then Edit DNS. Add each record there, one at a time.

What goes in the Name field at GoDaddy?

Enter @ for records on your bare domain, such as MX and SPF. For the others, enter only the part before your domain, for example _dmarc. GoDaddy adds your domain automatically.

Do I need to delete my existing MX records at GoDaddy?

Yes. Sending servers pick an MX record by its priority (lowest number first) and fall back to the others, so a leftover MX record can receive some or all of your mail. Keep only the Rackspace Email MX records and delete the rest. Remove every MX record left from your previous email service, including GoDaddy's own email if you used it. A leftover MX record can still receive your mail. For SPF, keep a single TXT record that starts with v=spf1: if one is already there, edit it instead of adding a second, because two SPF records break the SPF check.

Where do I get my Rackspace Email DKIM record?

Use the value shown in the table on this page.

Sources

Every value and step on this page comes from these official pages. Dashboards change, so if something doesn’t match what you see, tell us.

GoDaddy steps and tips

Some of these are other email providers' official guides for GoDaddy. They describe the same GoDaddy dashboard.

Rackspace Email on other hosts

Other email providers on GoDaddy