How to configure DNS records for Alibaba Mail with an Alibaba Cloud (HiChina) domain-Alibaba Mail(Alibaba Mail)-阿里云帮助中心

This topic describes how to configure DNS records for Alibaba Mail when using an Alibaba Cloud (HiChina) domain.

If your domain and DNS service are not provided by Alibaba Cloud, see How to configure DNS records for Alibaba Mail with a non-Alibaba Cloud (HiChina) domain? or contact your domain service provider for assistance.

Important

Before configuring DNS records, ensure your domain has completed identity verification.

Resolution process: Register a domain name → Complete identity verification → Log on to the console → <a data-link-href-cangjie="https://help.aliyun.com/document_detail/36730.htm" href="https://help.aliyun.com/document_detail/36730.htm" id="1f19af0413z1x" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" uuid="ljb3lkpu2jpteuit2ay">Migrate mailbox</a> (optional) → Add or switch DNS records
Locking risk:
- As of July 18, 2016, .com / .net domains must complete identity verification after registration. Otherwise, the registry locks the domain (Serverhold), preventing DNS record addition or activation.
- After successful registration, naming review is automatically submitted (takes 1–2 days). The lock is temporarily lifted upon approval.
- If identity verification documents are not submitted and approved within 5 days of registration, the domain will be locked again.
Solution: If your domain is locked, complete identity verification to unlock it first.

What is domain name resolution?

Email domain name resolution maps the domain in your email address to the IP address of the corresponding mail server.

This primarily involves the following three types of records:

1. MX record (Mail Exchange record) – required

Definition: Specifies the destination mail server that receives emails for the domain.
Priority rules (important):
- You can configure multiple MX records for one domain.
- A lower priority number means higher priority.
- When sending email, the sender tries the highest-priority (lowest-numbered) server first. It only attempts lower-priority servers if the higher-priority ones are unavailable.
- Example: If you configure two records with priorities 5 and 10, email will be sent first to the server with priority 5.

2. CNAME record (alias record) – recommended

Use CNAME records to point subdomains to Alibaba Mail service endpoints for branded access:

mail: Enables direct access to the Webmail login page via mail.yourdomain.com. See also: How to customize your email login address?
smtp: Lets email clients use smtp.yourdomain.com as the outgoing mail server.
imap: Lets email clients use imap.yourdomain.com as the incoming mail server.
pop3: Lets email clients use pop3.yourdomain.com as the incoming mail server.

3. TXT record (SPF/DKIM/DMARC) – strongly recommended

SPF: Declares which IPs are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain, helping prevent spam filtering or spoofing.
DKIM/DMARC: Some receiving mail services enforce strict requirements. Configure these to improve delivery rate.

Note

What is SPF?

What is DKIM? How do I add it?

What is DMARC? How do I set it up?

Alibaba Mail DNS records

DNS record set 1: Standard records (for all Alibaba Mail versions except Group Mail)
Hostname	Record type	Priority	Value
@	MX	5	mx1.qiye.aliyun.com
@	MX	10	mx2.qiye.aliyun.com
@	MX	15	mx3.qiye.aliyun.com
imap	CNAME		imap.qiye.aliyun.com
pop3	CNAME		pop.qiye.aliyun.com
smtp	CNAME		smtp.qiye.aliyun.com
mail	CNAME		qiye.aliyun.com
@	TXT		v=spf1 include the following:spf.qiye.aliyun.com -all
default._domainkey	TXT		How to get this value: Log on to the admin console as the mailbox administrator. Go to Enterprise Customization > Domain Management > Domain Settings, and click view details Note: If you later change the encryption key length, obtain the new record value and reconfigure the DNS record.
_dmarc	TXT		v=DMARC1;p=none;rua=mailto:user@example.com;ruf=mailto:user@example.com Note: Replace both example email addresses with valid addresses in your organization that can receive reports from receiving mail servers.

DNS record set 2: Group Mail / legacy records
Host Record	Record type	Priority	Value
@	MX	5	mxn.mxhichina.com
@	MX	10	mxw.mxhichina.com
imap	CNAME		imap.mxhichina.com
pop3	CNAME		pop3.mxhichina.com
smtp	CNAME		smtp.mxhichina.com
mail	CNAME		mail.mxhichina.com
@	TXT		v=spf1 include the following:spf.qiye.aliyun.com -all
default._domainkey	TXT		How to get this value: Log on to the admin console as the mailbox administrator. Go to Enterprise Customization > Domain Management > Domain Settings, and click view details Note: If you later change the encryption key length, obtain the new record value and reconfigure the DNS record.
_dmarc	TXT		v=DMARC1;p=none;rua=mailto:user@example.com;ruf=mailto:user@example.com Note: Replace both example email addresses with valid addresses in your organization that can receive reports from receiving mail servers.

2. How to parse

Method 1: One-click add mailbox parsing (Alibaba Mail console)

Note

Prerequisite: Your email domain and Alibaba Mail product are under the same Alibaba Cloud account.

1. Log on to the Alibaba Mail console. On the mailbox management list page, click Manage next to the domain you want to configure.

2. On the details page, click Set DNS → One-click DNS setup.

If the prompt appears: "Add failed, please retry."

In this case, you need to check your DNS records. If a CNAME record for @ already exists, you cannot add an MX record for @ because they conflict. For more information, see DNS record conflict rules. You need to determine whether to delete the CNAME record and then add the DNS records for Alibaba Mail.

If DNS records are already added but the status still shows “Not effective,” click “Refresh status” or “Check DNS records.”

3. After successful setup, DNS records are generated automatically. You can view them in the Domain console by clicking DNS.

Method 2: Quick DNS setup (Domain console)

Note

Prerequisite: Your domain is registered with Alibaba Cloud. Account ownership of the email product does not matter.

1. Log on to the Domain console. In the domain list, select the domain you want to configure. Click DNS to open the DNS settings page.

2. Click Quick DNS setup, select Alibaba Mail, and click OK to configure DNS records quickly.

3. DNS records are now configured.

Method 3: Manual DNS setup (Domain console)

Note

Prerequisite: Applies to all scenarios, especially when customizing records or troubleshooting.

1. Log on to the Domain console. Click DNS to open the DNS settings page.

2. Click Add record and configure records according to the Alibaba Mail DNS record specifications.

FAQ and troubleshooting

Effective time:
- DNS propagation worldwide typically takes 10 minutes to 24 hours. Most changes take effect within about 10 minutes. Wait patiently.
Parsing has not taken effect:
- If the status still shows “Not effective” after adding records, click Refresh status or Check DNS records in the console.
- Test locally using the command nslookup -type=mx yourdomain.com.
Web interface error message:
- If you see this message on the Alibaba Mail homepage: “The MX record for your email domain does not point to Alibaba Mail. You will not be able to receive or reply to emails from external domains.”
- Action: If local MX tests confirm DNS is effective and email sending/receiving works normally, this message is caused by web interface caching or detection delay. Ignore it—it does not affect actual email functionality.
Parsing conflicts:
- Per DNS standards, MX and CNAME records cannot coexist on the same hostname (for example, @). If you previously set a CNAME record for @ (such as pointing to a website), you must delete that CNAME record before adding MX records. Evaluate business impact before deletion.