Dynadot DNS for Business Email: MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC

Dynadot's DNS page is split into two parts, a Domain Record section for records on the root and a Subdomain Records section for everything else, and it only appears once the domain is set to Dynadot DNS rather than parking or forwarding. MX priority is called Distance. Once you know those three things the setup is quick. This guide adds the four records, turns off Dynadot's own forwarding and email products, and checks the result.

Quick answer

Dynadot, My Domains, Manage Domains, tick the domain, DNS Settings. Set the top selector to Dynadot DNS. In Domain Record add an MX with Mail Host mail.oqumail.com, Distance 10, and a TXT with the SPF value. In Subdomain Records add TXT records at the DKIM selector and at _dmarc. Save, then click Verify in OquMail.

The four records

• MX: host blank or @, value mail.oqumail.com, priority 10
• SPF: TXT at the root, value v=spf1 MX (Mail Exchanger — where incoming email is delivered) a:mail.oqumail.com ~all
• DKIM: TXT at the selector name shown in your OquMail dashboard, ending in ._domainkey, with the key value from the dashboard
• DMARC: TXT at _dmarc, value v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com (use your own address)

Step by step

1. Log in at dynadot.com, open My Domains, Manage Domains. Tick the domain and choose DNS Settings from the action menu (or click the domain, then DNS).
2. At the top, the DNS selector must read Dynadot DNS. If it says Dynadot Parking, Forwarding, Stealth Forwarding or Dynadot Email, change it to Dynadot DNS; the record sections appear.
3. In the Domain Record section, add a row: Record Type MX, Mail Host mail.oqumail.com, Distance 10. (Distance is the priority.)
4. Add another row in Domain Record: Record Type TXT, IP Address or Target Host v=spf1 MX (Mail Exchanger — where incoming email is delivered) a:mail.oqumail.com ~all. Delete any other TXT starting v=spf1.
5. In the Subdomain Records section, add a row: Subdomain the DKIM selector exactly as the OquMail dashboard shows it (ending in ._domainkey, without the domain), Record Type TXT, value the key.
6. Add a row: Subdomain _dmarc, Record Type TXT, value v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com, using an address you read.
7. Click Save DNS. Dynadot shows the saved records in the same layout.
8. If a Dynadot Email product is active on the domain, cancel it under My Domains, Email, so it stops receiving.
9. Back in the OquMail dashboard, click Verify.

Dynadot quirks

• Switching the selector away from Parking or Forwarding removes those features; the website redirect, if you had one, needs an A or CNAME record instead.
• Root records go in Domain Record, not in Subdomain Records with an @; Dynadot has no @ convention.
• The TXT value field is labelled like an address field; paste the text value anyway, without quotes.
• Long DKIM values are accepted.
• TTL is set per zone rather than per record and defaults to a few minutes, so corrections are quick.

Confirm it works

Click Verify in the OquMail dashboard; the live check names any record still missing or mistyped. Then run the domain through the free MX lookup, SPF checker and DMARC checker, and send a message from webmail to a Gmail address, checking Show original for spf=pass and DKIM (a digital signature that proves your email was not tampered with)=pass. Changes usually take effect within minutes, occasionally up to 48 hours.

Common questions

Can I keep Dynadot email forwarding for some addresses?

No. Forwarding uses Dynadot's MX records, and the domain routes mail to one provider. Create the extra addresses as groups in OquMail; they are free.

The domain is at Dynadot but DNS is on Cloudflare.

Then the DNS selector reads Name Servers and the records go at Cloudflare; our Cloudflare guide covers that panel.

Verify fails on DKIM only.

Check the Subdomain field: it should be the selector and ._domainkey only. If the domain was typed as well, the record sits at a doubled name.

Want to see how your own domain is set up? Use the free SPF checker, DMARC checker and MX lookup: they run in your browser and store nothing.