Summary
Experts, marketers, and documentation sources overwhelmingly agree that MX records are critical for email deliverability. They act as a directory for incoming emails, guiding them to the correct mail server. Without MX records, email delivery is impossible as receiving servers won't know where to deliver messages, leading to bounces, potential spam filtering, and overall deliverability issues. Properly configured MX records are part of sender authentication, helping to establish trust and avoid spam filters. Sending mail from a domain that does not accept mail is considered a bad practice.
Key findings
- Essential for Email Receipt: MX records are absolutely essential for a domain to receive email; without them, email delivery will fail.
- Aids in Sender Authentication: Properly configured MX records contribute to sender authentication, helping to build a positive sender reputation.
- Prevents Spam Filtering: Correct MX records aid in preventing emails from being flagged as spam.
- Impacts Deliverability: Missing or incorrect MX records are a common cause of email delivery problems, negatively impacting deliverability.
Key considerations
- Ensure Valid Configuration: Verify that MX records are properly configured and point to the correct mail server.
- Maintain Sender Reputation: Implement a comprehensive sender authentication strategy, including MX records, to improve sender reputation.
- Avoid Sending from Non-Receiving Domains: Do not send emails from domains that do not accept mail, as this is considered a bad practice.
- Regularly Check DNS Records: Periodically check DNS records to ensure that MX records are up-to-date and accurate.
What email marketers say
12 marketer opinions
Multiple sources confirm that MX records are essential for email deliverability. They act as a directory, guiding incoming emails to the correct mail server. Without them, receiving servers may not be able to locate the mail server for the domain, leading to delivery failures, emails being marked as spam, or messages being rejected entirely. Correctly configured MX records authenticate your domain and help receiving servers identify your emails as legitimate, improving deliverability by avoiding spam filters and ensuring proper routing. Missing or incorrect MX records are a common cause of deliverability problems.
Key opinions
- Essential for Routing: MX records are crucial for directing email to the correct server; without them, email delivery will fail.
- Authentication & Trust: Proper MX records help authenticate your domain, signaling to receiving servers that your emails are legitimate and trustworthy.
- Spam Prevention: Correctly configured MX records are important to avoid your email from being marked as spam.
- Deliverability Impact: Missing or incorrect MX records are a common cause of email delivery problems.
Key considerations
- Proper Configuration: Ensure that MX records are configured correctly to guarantee successful email delivery.
- Domain Authentication: Use MX records, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to improve your email sender reputation and increase deliverability rates.
- Regular Checks: Proactively check your DNS settings to ensure that the MX records are accurate and up-to-date.
- MX record validation: Tools exist to validate MX records, use these to check your records are correct.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Cloudflare explains that an MX record tells the world which mail servers are authorized to accept emails on behalf of your domain. These records play an integral role in ensuring emails are delivered to the intended destination.
17 Aug 2021 - Cloudflare
Marketer view
Email marketer from Reddit shares that MX records are essential for routing email to the correct server. If you don't have them, email will bounce. They improve deliverability by ensuring proper routing.
20 Nov 2022 - Reddit
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Experts agree that having valid MX records is crucial for email deliverability. Sending from a domain that doesn't accept mail is considered bad practice and can negatively impact filtering. MX records are a basic deliverability check, as without them, email delivery is impossible because there is no designated server to receive the mail. Furthermore, MX records are a significant part of sender authentication, assisting in avoiding spam filters and enhancing deliverability.
Key opinions
- Essential for Delivery: Without MX records, email delivery is impossible.
- Sender Authentication: MX records play a crucial role in sender authentication, helping to avoid spam filters.
- Bad Sending Practice: Sending emails from a domain that does not accept mail is poor practice and can harm deliverability.
Key considerations
- Verify MX Records: Always ensure your domain has valid MX records configured correctly.
- Sender Reputation: Implement comprehensive sender authentication, including MX records, to build a positive sender reputation.
- Accepting Mail: Ensure the 'from' domain is capable of accepting mail to avoid being flagged as a negative sender.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, mentions that a basic check involves ensuring valid MX records exist. She mentions that without them, delivery is impossible, as there's no designated server to receive mail for the domain.
17 Jul 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource highlights the significance of sender authentication, which includes having correctly configured MX records. Having the records properly setup enhances deliverability and helps to avoid spam filters.
14 Jul 2023 - Spam Resource
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Technical documentation from RFC specifications and providers like Google, Microsoft, and Digital Ocean all emphasize that MX records are essential for receiving email. While they may not explicitly state that having an MX record *improves* deliverability, they make it clear that the *absence* of an MX record will prevent email delivery altogether. Domains intending to receive email must have valid MX records to direct messages to their mail servers.
Key findings
- Required for Receiving Email: MX records are a fundamental requirement for any domain that intends to receive email.
- Direct Mail Server Location: MX records provide instructions to other mail servers on where to deliver email for your domain.
- Delivery Failure Without MX: Without MX records, email messages will not be delivered and will likely bounce back to the sender.
Key considerations
- Ensure Valid Configuration: Verify that your domain has valid and properly configured MX records.
- Essential for Communication: Recognize MX records as an essential part of your domain's overall email communication infrastructure.
- Prioritize Setup: Make setting up MX records a priority when configuring email for a domain.
Technical article
Documentation from RFC Editor specifies that every domain that intends to receive mail MUST have valid MX records. Although it doesn't directly address the deliverability impact of *not* having one, it implies importance for mail exchange.
14 May 2025 - RFC Editor
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft Support says an MX record is required for email to be delivered to your domain. Without it, others can't find your mail server, and you won't receive email. Although it doesn't directly say it improves deliverability it makes it clear that the absense of an MX record will stop you from receiving emails.
9 Dec 2021 - Microsoft Support
Are SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records necessary for transactional email servers not used for marketing?
How can I bulk check and clean MX records for a list of domains?
How can I identify the SMTP provider from an MX record?
How can I load balance incoming emails across multiple servers using MX records?
How do MX records impact email bounces and sender reputation?
How to build an email allow list using MX records for initial email validation?
Is it bad practice to send email from a domain without an MX record?
What does a 'no MX' bounce reason mean and what are the possible causes?
