Rackspace Email + WordPress.com

Set up Rackspace Email on WordPress.com

The records Rackspace Email needs, written with the field names WordPress.com uses (Name, Handled by, Text, Alias of (points to)), 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 WordPress.com: In your Hosting Dashboard, open Domains and select your domain. Under Settings, open DNS records, then select Add record (upper right).
  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 3600 seconds (when no other records share a TTL)
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 3600 seconds (when no other records share a TTL)
Autodiscover Automatic app setup · recommended Type CNAME Name autodiscover Value autodiscover.emailsrvr.com Priority n/a TTL 3600 (1 h)

Step by step in WordPress.com

Point your MX records

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

Type
MX
Name
@
Priority
10
Handled by
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
Handled by
mx2.emailsrvr.com

In WordPress.com

  1. Select Add record and choose MX.
  2. Enter @ in Name, the mail server in Handled by, and the Priority (pre-filled with 10).
  3. Save the record.
  4. 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
@
Text
v=spf1 include:emailsrvr.com ~all

In WordPress.com

  1. Select Add record and choose TXT.
  2. Enter the Name (@ for your bare domain) and paste the value in Text.
  3. Save the record.

Set up DKIM

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

Type
TXT
Name
See below
Text
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 WordPress.com

  1. Select Add record and choose TXT.
  2. Enter the Name (@ for your bare domain) and paste the value in Text.
  3. Save the record.

Add the DMARC record (recommended)

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

Type
TXT
Name
_dmarc
Text
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 WordPress.com

  1. Select Add record and choose TXT.
  2. Enter the Name (@ for your bare domain) and paste the value in Text.
  3. Save the record.

Add the Autodiscover record (recommended)

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

Type
CNAME
Name (host)
autodiscover
Alias of (points to)
autodiscover.emailsrvr.com

In WordPress.com

  1. Select Add record and choose CNAME.
  2. Enter Name (host) and the target in Alias of (points to).
  3. Save the record.

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 WordPress.com’s words.

We only read public DNS records. Nothing is stored.

Common mistakes with Rackspace Email on WordPress.com

Leaving other MX records

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

Visit Rackspace Email Visit WordPress.com

Rackspace Email on WordPress.com: questions

Where do I add Rackspace Email DNS records in WordPress.com?

In your Hosting Dashboard, open Domains and select your domain. Under Settings, open DNS records, then select Add record (upper right). Add each record there, one at a time.

What goes in the Name field at WordPress.com?

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. WordPress.com adds your domain automatically.

Do I need to delete my existing MX records at WordPress.com?

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.

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.

Rackspace Email on other hosts

Other email providers on WordPress.com