Setup guide / IONOS
Set up email on your domain with IONOS
Keep your domain at IONOS and use Episto for email. You only change the email records; your website stays untouched.
Automatic setup
IONOS supports Domain Connect. When it is available for your domain, Episto offers it while you add the domain: you sign in to IONOS, review the changes and approve them, and IONOS writes the records. Otherwise Episto lists the records and links straight to the DNS settings of your domain at IONOS.
Add the records manually
- Sign in to my.ionos.com and open Domains & SSL.
- Choose your domain and open DNS.
- Add each record from the table below with Add record. Use
@as the host name for the root of the domain.
Episto shows the exact records for your domain in the panel under Domains → your domain → DNS records, with the values filled in. The table below shows their shape, so you know what to expect. Use a TTL of 3600 (1 hour) where your provider asks for one.
| Type | Name (host) | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| TXT | _episto | episto-verification=… | Proves you own the domain. The token is shown in the panel. |
| MX | @ | mail.epistomail.com | Priority 10. Remove other MX records for the domain. |
| TXT | @ | v=spf1 include:spf.smtp2go.com ~all | SPF. If you already have an SPF record, add include:spf.smtp2go.com to it instead of creating a second one. |
| TXT | episto._domainkey | v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=… | DKIM signing key, generated for your domain. |
| TXT | _dmarc | v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:… | DMARC policy. Keep an existing DMARC record if you have one. |
| CNAME | em… | return.smtp2go.net | Return path for outgoing mail. Exact host in the panel. |
| CNAME | s…._domainkey | dkim.smtp2go.net | Signing key of the outgoing relay. Exact host in the panel. |
Recommended: mail app discovery
These records are optional. They help mail apps such as Apple Mail, Thunderbird and Outlook find the right servers on their own. Domain activation never waits for them.
| Type | Name (host) | Value |
|---|---|---|
| SRV | _imaps._tcp | 0 1 993 mail.epistomail.com |
| SRV | _submissions._tcp | 0 1 465 mail.epistomail.com |
| SRV | _submission._tcp | 0 1 587 mail.epistomail.com |
| SRV | _jmap._tcp | 0 1 443 mail.epistomail.com |
| SRV | _autodiscover._tcp | 0 1 443 autodiscover.epistomail.com |
Common pitfalls with IONOS
- Existing IONOS mail records. Domains with IONOS email have MX records for IONOS mail servers. Delete those MX records, or new mail keeps going to IONOS. IONOS may ask you to confirm that you want to use another mail provider.
- One SPF record only. IONOS often creates an SPF record for its own mail. Replace it, or change it to include
include:spf.smtp2go.comif you still send mail through IONOS. - Old mail stays at IONOS. Moving the MX record only changes where new mail goes. Export your messages before you cancel an IONOS mail package.
Check and activate
Go back to the Episto panel and run the DNS check. Episto compares your records with public DNS and marks each one as found. Most providers publish changes within minutes. Some resolvers cache old values for up to the TTL of the record they replaced, so allow an hour or two before you worry.
When the MX record is live, new mail for your domain arrives at Episto. Create your mailboxes and aliases first, so no message arrives for an address that doesn’t exist yet.
Other guides
MAKE IT YOUR ADDRESS
Your domain.
Your business email.
You already have the domain. Give it an inbox.