How to Add MX Records in Vercel DNS - Step-by-Step Guide

Vercel is a popular frontend deployment platform, and many developers use it to host Next.js and other web applications. When you add a domain to Vercel, you have the option of using Vercel's built-in DNS service. If you have done that, you can add MX records directly through Vercel's dashboard to set up email with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or any other email provider.

This guide covers how to add MX records in Vercel DNS, common configurations for popular email providers, and the limitations you should know about.

Before You Start

First, confirm that Vercel is actually managing DNS for your domain. There are two ways people connect domains to Vercel:

Option A: Vercel DNS (nameservers). You changed your domain's nameservers at your registrar to point to Vercel (typically ns1.vercel-dns.com and ns2.vercel-dns.com). In this case, Vercel manages all your DNS records, and this guide applies.

Option B: External DNS with a CNAME or A record. You kept your DNS at your registrar or another provider and just added a CNAME pointing to Vercel. In this case, your DNS is not managed by Vercel, and you need to add MX records at wherever your DNS is hosted (your registrar, Cloudflare, etc.).

To check which option you are using, look at your domain's nameservers. If they point to Vercel, you are on Option A. If they point somewhere else, you are on Option B.

Accessing Vercel DNS Settings

1. Log into your Vercel account at vercel.com
2. Click on your project, then go to Settings
3. Click Domains in the left sidebar
4. Find your domain and click on it to expand the DNS records section
5. Alternatively, you can navigate to your team or account settings and find Domains there for a domain-level view

Vercel shows all DNS records for your domain in a table. You can add, edit, and delete records from this interface.

Removing Old MX Records

Before adding new MX records, check for and remove any existing ones. Having MX records from multiple email providers causes email to be delivered unpredictably, with some messages going one place, others going somewhere else.

1. Look through the DNS records list for any entries with type MX
2. Click the three-dot menu next to each MX record
3. Select Remove and confirm the deletion

Once all old MX records are cleared, you can add the new ones.

Adding MX Records

1. Click the Add button in the DNS records section
2. Select MX from the record type dropdown
3. Fill in the fields:
   • Name: Leave empty or enter @ for your root domain
   • Value: The mail server hostname from your email provider
   • Priority: The priority number from your email provider
   • TTL: Leave at default (60 seconds is Vercel's default, which is fine)
4. Click Add
5. Repeat for each MX record your provider requires

Adding Google Workspace MX Records

Google Workspace requires five MX records. Add each one individually:

Name: (empty)  |  Value: aspmx.l.google.com       |  Priority: 1
Name: (empty)  |  Value: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com  |  Priority: 5
Name: (empty)  |  Value: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com  |  Priority: 5
Name: (empty)  |  Value: alt3.aspmx.l.google.com  |  Priority: 10
Name: (empty)  |  Value: alt4.aspmx.l.google.com  |  Priority: 10

After adding all five records, verify they appear in the DNS records table with the correct hostnames and priorities.

Adding Microsoft 365 MX Records

Microsoft 365 uses a single MX record specific to your domain:

Name: (empty)  |  Value: yourdomain-com.mail.protection.outlook.com  |  Priority: 0

Replace yourdomain-com with your domain name, substituting hyphens for dots. Copy the exact value from your Microsoft 365 admin center under Settings > Domains > DNS records.

Adding Other Email Providers

Here are MX values for other common providers:

Zoho Mail:

Priority: 10  |  Value: mx.zoho.com
Priority: 20  |  Value: mx2.zoho.com
Priority: 50  |  Value: mx3.zoho.com

ProtonMail:

Priority: 10  |  Value: mail.protonmail.ch
Priority: 20  |  Value: mailsec.protonmail.ch

Fastmail:

Priority: 10  |  Value: in1-smtp.messagingengine.com
Priority: 20  |  Value: in2-smtp.messagingengine.com

Always confirm the current values with your email provider, as these may be updated over time.

Using the Vercel CLI for DNS Management

If you prefer the command line, Vercel's CLI supports DNS record management. This can be faster than using the web interface, especially if you are adding multiple records:

vercel dns add yourdomain.com @ MX aspmx.l.google.com 1
vercel dns add yourdomain.com @ MX alt1.aspmx.l.google.com 5
vercel dns add yourdomain.com @ MX alt2.aspmx.l.google.com 5
vercel dns add yourdomain.com @ MX alt3.aspmx.l.google.com 10
vercel dns add yourdomain.com @ MX alt4.aspmx.l.google.com 10

You can also list current records with vercel dns ls yourdomain.com and remove records with vercel dns rm <record-id>. This is useful if you manage DNS for multiple domains and want to script the setup.

Verifying Your MX Records

After adding records, go to mxrecordchecker.com and enter your domain name. Because Vercel uses a short default TTL, changes should appear within minutes.

You should see all the MX records you just added, with the correct mail server hostnames and priority values. If records are missing or incorrect, go back to the Vercel dashboard and double-check your entries.

Send a test email from an outside account (personal Gmail, Outlook, etc.) to your business email address. If it arrives, email is routing correctly through your MX records.

Limitations of Vercel DNS

Vercel DNS is functional for basic domain management, but it was designed primarily to support Vercel's web hosting platform. Keep these limitations in mind:

No built-in email features. Vercel does not offer email forwarding, catch-all addresses, or any email-related functionality. It strictly manages DNS records. Your email provider handles everything else.

Limited DNS record types. Vercel supports the common record types (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV, NS, CAA), which covers email setup needs. However, some niche record types may not be available.

No DNSSEC. Vercel DNS does not currently support DNSSEC. If your organization requires DNSSEC for security or compliance, you will need to manage DNS elsewhere.

Dashboard focused on deployment. Vercel's interface is optimized for web deployment workflows. DNS management is available but not the primary focus, so the DNS interface is more basic compared to dedicated DNS providers.

Team and billing considerations. On Vercel's free Hobby plan, you can manage DNS for personal projects. For team or business use, you will need a Pro or Enterprise plan, which may affect your cost calculations.

When to Use External DNS Instead

Many developers choose to keep DNS at a dedicated provider and only use Vercel for web hosting. This approach makes sense when:

You need advanced DNS features. Providers like Cloudflare offer email routing, DNSSEC, analytics, and page rules that Vercel DNS does not support.

You deploy to multiple platforms. If different subdomains point to different hosting providers (Vercel for the app, another service for the API, etc.), a central DNS provider gives you a clearer picture of your entire configuration.

Email reliability is business-critical. Dedicated DNS providers like Cloudflare, AWS Route 53, or Google Cloud DNS have been battle-tested for email DNS at scale. If email downtime would significantly impact your business, a dedicated DNS provider may give you more confidence.

You want a single place for all DNS management. Keeping MX records, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and other records at one dedicated DNS provider (separate from your web hosting) is a cleaner architecture that is easier to audit and maintain.

To use external DNS with Vercel, you simply add a CNAME record (for subdomains) or an A record (for the root domain) at your DNS provider pointing to Vercel's servers. Vercel's documentation covers this setup.

Troubleshooting

Records not appearing in MX lookups. Confirm your domain's nameservers point to Vercel. If they point elsewhere, Vercel's DNS records are not being served. Also verify you clicked Add after entering each record.

Email bouncing. Check for typos in the mail server hostname. Verify the priority values match your provider's requirements. Confirm the receiving mailbox exists at your email provider.

Old records still showing. With Vercel's short default TTL, old records should clear quickly. If you recently switched nameservers to Vercel, propagation of the nameserver change itself can take up to 48 hours.

Website works but email does not. Web hosting and email are completely separate. Your Vercel-hosted site being online says nothing about email configuration. Check your MX records independently at mxrecordchecker.com.

Additional Records for Email

After MX records are working, add email authentication records to protect your domain:

SPF: Authorizes your email provider to send on your behalf. Add a TXT record with your provider's SPF value. Verify at spfrecordcheck.com.

DKIM: Adds cryptographic signatures to outgoing email. Your provider generates the record. Verify at dkimtest.com.

DMARC: Defines policy for email that fails authentication. Add a TXT record on _dmarc. Verify at dmarcrecordchecker.com.

Set up MX first and confirm email is flowing, then add authentication records one at a time.