uMail

Help / Custom domains

Connect your domain

Add the DNS records automatically, with a zone file, or by hand.

After you add your domain, uMail shows the DNS records it needs. uMail checks who manages your DNS and shows your best options above the records. There are three ways to add them.

Option 1: set up automatically

This works when your DNS is on Cloudflare or Vercel. uMail uses a token you create, adds the records for you, and checks them.

  1. Choose Set up automatically.
  2. Cloudflare: open My Profile, then API Tokens, then Create token. Use the Edit zone DNS template. Under Zone Resources, choose your domain.
  3. Vercel: open Account Settings, then Tokens, and create a token for the team that owns the domain. If the domain is in a team, also copy the team ID.
  4. Paste the token and choose Continue.
  5. Read the plan. It says how many records uMail will add.
  6. Choose Add the records. uMail adds them and checks them right away.

uMail uses your token once and does not save it. After you finish, you can delete the token in Cloudflare or Vercel.

Before anything changes, uMail shows a plan under What will change: what it keeps, what it adds and what it changes. Your other mail services stay. uMail adds itself to your list of allowed senders and never drops anyone from it. Your inbox is the only exclusive change. If it is at Google Workspace or another provider, uMail asks first, and mail stops going there once you agree. Import your old mail first. An existing DMARC rule is never changed. Every change is saved, and you can undo it.

Option 2: import a zone file

Choose Download zone file. It is a standard BIND file with only the uMail records. It does not change your name servers. Choose CSV if your tool wants a spreadsheet.

  • Cloudflare: open DNS, then Records, then Import and export, then Import. Upload the file.
  • Amazon Route 53: open your hosted zone and choose Import zone file.
  • Hetzner: open your zone in the DNS Console and choose Import zone file.
  • Vercel does not import zone files. Use automatic setup, or add the records by hand.

The file holds only records that are safe to add next to the ones you have. Records that you must edit instead of add, such as your list of allowed senders, are in the file as comments, and the plan shows the exact merged value. Do not remove your old records first.

Option 3: add the records by hand

Open your DNS provider, find the DNS records page, and add each row from the table. Use the copy buttons for the host and the value. Some providers add your domain name to the host for you. If so, enter only the first part, like _umail.

Then choose Check again. DNS can take up to an hour to update.

One-click setup with other DNS providers is planned.