How do you add email DNS records in IONOS?

IONOS often comes bundled with email, so many domains there already have IONOS mail records, an IONOS SPF record and three IONOS DKIM records. When you add a different email provider, the job is less about typing new records and more about clearing the IONOS ones out of the way, which is what IONOS's "active service" conflict warnings are about.

This guide covers adding MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records in IONOS, using IONOS's own help pages for each step. Menu names are correct at the time of writing (October 2026). If you need a refresher on the records themselves, read SPF vs DKIM vs DMARC.

Does your domain use IONOS nameservers?

IONOS DNS records only reach the internet when the domain uses IONOS nameservers. If you've set your own nameservers, IONOS says "you must make the DNS records with the relevant provider or in the relevant external name server" (IONOS). Our MX Lookup shows your live nameservers. If they belong to Cloudflare, use our Cloudflare guide.

Where do you add DNS records in IONOS?

All record types start from the same page (IONOS):

1. Log in to IONOS and open the Domains & SSL section.
2. Next to your domain, select the gear icon under Actions and choose DNS.
3. Select Add Record and choose the type.
4. Fill in the fields and save.

To change or remove a record, select the gear icon under Actions on that record's row and choose Edit record or Delete record.

IONOS confirms that the domain is appended for you: entering _dmarc means "The subdomain _dmarc.your-domain.com will be automatically created for your TXT record" (IONOS). So never type the full domain in Host name.

What are IONOS services and DNS conflicts?

IONOS groups records that belong to one of its products, such as IONOS mail, into a service. The Service column on the DNS page shows which records are managed that way (IONOS). IONOS warns you when a new record clashes with a service (IONOS):

To clear an IONOS mail service, select the gear icon under Actions next to that service in the DNS settings, choose Disable service and confirm (IONOS). Then add your new records. IONOS's MX article says the same: "Check whether an MX record already exists. If the MX record belongs to a service, it must be deactivated."

What email records does IONOS add by default?

When you move mail to another provider, the MX records go, the SPF record is edited, and the DKIM CNAMEs can stay or go depending on whether you still send from IONOS mailboxes.

How do you add or edit the SPF record in IONOS?

SPF is a TXT record on @ that lists the servers allowed to send as your domain. IONOS says "You can only set one SPF record for a domain," and that multiple records "may cause problems with transmitting emails and properly classifying spam" (IONOS). RFC 7208, section 3.2 says the same.

Because IONOS SPF "is automatically supplemented with the information of the IONOS mail servers," check for it first:

1. On the DNS page, look for a TXT record on @ starting with v=spf1.
2. If it exists, select the gear icon, choose Edit record, and change the value so it lists every service you send from.
3. If it doesn't, select Add Record, choose TXT, enter @ as Host name and the record as Value, then save.

Example for a domain moving to Microsoft 365 that no longer sends from IONOS (example value): v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all. If you still send through IONOS mail, keep its include; IONOS gives include:_spf-us.ionos.com for US accounts using external DNS. Our SPF provider pages list other providers' includes, and the SPF Record Generator builds a merged record.

How do you add a DKIM record in IONOS?

DKIM publishes the public key receivers use to verify your mail's signature. Your provider gives you a TXT record or CNAME records.

DKIM as a CNAME (Microsoft 365 and most platforms)

IONOS's own Microsoft 365 DKIM article gives the steps:

1. Select Add Record and choose CNAME.
2. Enter the host, such as selector1._domainkey, as Hostname.
3. Paste the target into Points to, "the fully qualified host name ... without the http:// or https:// part."
4. Set TTL to 1 hour and save. Repeat for selector2._domainkey.

If Microsoft says "CNAME record does not exist," IONOS lists two causes: the change hasn't synced yet, or a copy-paste error such as "extra spaces or tabs."

DKIM as a TXT record (Google Workspace and mail servers)

1. Select Add Record and choose TXT.
2. Enter the selector host, such as google._domainkey, as Host name.
3. Paste the key starting v=DKIM1; as Value, with no line breaks.
4. Save.

IONOS's help doesn't say how it handles TXT values longer than 255 characters, so check a 2048-bit key with a lookup after saving; our 2048-bit DKIM key guide explains what a truncated key looks like. Then turn on signing, as shown in DKIM setup for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.

How do you add a DMARC record in IONOS?

DMARC is a TXT record at _dmarc that tells receivers what to do with mail that fails authentication. IONOS has no special form; it's an ordinary TXT record (IONOS):

1. Select Add Record and choose TXT.
2. Enter _dmarc as Host name.
3. Enter your tags separated by semicolons as Value, for example v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@example.com.
4. Save.

IONOS's own example is v=DMARC1;p=reject. Don't start there unless every sender already passes; begin at p=none and follow our none-to-reject guide. The DMARC Record Generator builds the record.

How do you change MX records in IONOS?

From IONOS's MX article:

1. Note the current MX records so you can roll back.
2. If the MX records belong to an IONOS service, deactivate that service.
3. Select Add Record and choose MX.
4. Enter @ as Host name.
5. Enter the mail server in Points to and a Priority, "for example 10 or 20."
6. Save, and repeat for each MX host.

Example for Google Workspace (example values): Host name @, Points to smtp.google.com, Priority 1. For Microsoft 365, use the MX value shown in the Microsoft 365 admin center for your domain. Changing MX moves all incoming mail at once; read how to change MX records without losing email first.

How long do IONOS changes take, and how do you check them?

IONOS says it "uses a time to live of one hour for all DNS settings" and that "changes to DNS settings are usually available everywhere within an hour," with up to 72 hours in exceptional cases (IONOS). Then check:

Send a test message to an outside mailbox and confirm spf=pass, dkim=pass and dmarc=pass in the headers, using our header guide.

What are the common IONOS email DNS mistakes?

• Ignoring the conflict warning and leaving the IONOS mail service active.
• A second SPF record next to the IONOS default.
• Typing the full domain in Host name.
• A DKIM CNAME blocked by an old TXT record at the same name.
• Editing IONOS DNS while custom nameservers are set.

Next steps

1. Run the Email Health Check to see MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC together.
2. Fix the SPF record with the SPF Record Generator, then build DMARC with the DMARC Record Generator.
3. Confirm DKIM with the DKIM Checker after signing is on.
4. Moving to Microsoft 365? Our Microsoft 365 platform page explains how inbound filtering sits in front of it.

If you later point MX at a filtering service such as iBlockSpam, deactivate any IONOS mail service and add its MX values the same way. More walk-throughs are in setup guides.