HF PanelDocsv1.0.0

Set up email for a domain and connect a phone

Switch on email for a domain, create a mailbox and a forwarder, check the DNS records, then add the mailbox to a phone and a computer.

This tutorial gives example.com working email: a mailbox info@example.com, a forwarder, the DNS records that keep mail out of spam, and the mailbox on an iPhone or Android phone and in a desktop mail app. It takes about 10 minutes.

You need: a hosting account with the domain added, on a server that runs email (the Control Panel menu has an Email group).

1. Switch email on for the domain

  1. Open Control Panel › Email › Email accounts and click the Domains tab.
  2. If the domain shows Off in the Email column, click Switch on.

New domains get email automatically, so it is usually On already. Its MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records are added to the domain's DNS zone.

2. Check the DNS records

If the domain uses the server's nameservers, nothing more is needed. If its DNS is somewhere else:

  1. On the Domains tab, click DNS records on the domain's row.
  2. Add the MX record and the three TXT records (SPF, hf._domainkey and _dmarc) where the domain's DNS is. Copy DKIM copies the long key.

Important: a domain may have only one SPF record. If one exists already, merge the two into one TXT record.

3. Create a mailbox

  1. Click the Mailboxes tab.
  2. Under New mailbox, enter the Address info and choose example.com.
  3. Leave Password blank to generate a strong one, or type your own.
  4. Keep Size (MB) at 1024, or change it (0 = unlimited).
  5. Click Create.

Important: copy the password from the message. It is not shown again.

Click Webmail on the mailbox's row to open it in HF Mail straight away. See Email accounts.

4. Add a forwarder (optional)

To also get mail sent to sales@example.com in your personal inbox:

  1. Click the Forwarders tab.
  2. Under New forwarder, enter the Address sales, choose the domain, and in Forward to enter you@gmail.com.
  3. Click Add.

5. Connect a phone

Most mail apps set themselves up from the email address and password alone.

  1. On the phone, add a new mail account: on iPhone, Settings › Apps › Mail › Mail Accounts › Add Account › Other; on Android, open the Gmail app and add an Other account.

  2. Enter info@example.com and the mailbox password.

  3. If the app asks for server details, choose IMAP and use the values on the Phone & Outlook setup tab:

    Setting Value
    Incoming server imap.yourdomain.com (as shown on the tab), port 993, SSL/TLS
    Outgoing server smtp.yourdomain.com (as shown on the tab), port 587 STARTTLS or 465 SSL/TLS
    Username the full address, info@example.com
    Password the mailbox password, for incoming and outgoing

See Set up mail apps.

6. Connect a computer

In Outlook, Thunderbird or Apple Mail, add an account with the email address and password. Thunderbird and Outlook usually find the settings by themselves from the domain's autoconfig and autodiscover records. Otherwise use the same values as above.

7. Add the calendar and contacts (optional)

Every mailbox has a calendar and address book that stay in step with the phone. The Phone & Outlook setup tab shows the CalDAV / CardDAV Server; sign in with the full address and the mailbox password. On iPhone, add it under Settings › Apps › Calendar › Calendar Accounts › Add Account › Other › Add CalDAV Account. On Android, use DAVx5.

8. Send a test message

Send a message from the phone to an outside address and reply to it. If it lands in spam, open Email › Deliverability and follow Fix email going to spam.

Tip: if the app can't sign in, set a new password under Mailboxes › Manage › New password, and make sure the username is the full email address.