Add MX Records in SiteGround | MX Record Checker

SiteGround is a popular web hosting provider used by many small businesses and WordPress sites. If you are setting up email with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or another external email provider, you need to add MX records in SiteGround's DNS settings. This guide walks you through every step using SiteGround's Site Tools panel.

Before You Start

You will need:

Your SiteGround login credentials
The MX record values from your email provider (each record has a mail server hostname and a priority number)
About 10 minutes

One important thing to know: SiteGround includes its own email hosting service. If you have been using SiteGround's built-in email, switching to an external provider means your SiteGround email accounts will stop receiving messages once you change the MX records. Make sure you have migrated any important email before making the switch.

Finding the DNS Zone Editor in SiteGround

SiteGround uses its own custom control panel called Site Tools (not cPanel). Here is how to reach your DNS settings:

Log into SiteGround at my.siteground.com
Go to Websites and click Site Tools for the domain you want to manage
In the left sidebar, navigate to Domain > DNS Zone Editor
You will see a list of all DNS records for your domain

The DNS Zone Editor shows all your records organized by type. Look for any existing MX records in the list; they will have "MX" in the Type column.

Understanding SiteGround's Default MX Records

When you first set up a domain with SiteGround, they automatically create MX records pointing to their own mail servers. These default records look something like:

yourdomain.com  MX  mx1.siteground.net  (priority varies)

If you are switching to an external email provider, these default records need to be removed. Leaving them in place alongside your new provider's records will cause email to split unpredictably between SiteGround's mail servers and your new provider, with some messages going one way and others going the other.

Step 1: Remove Existing MX Records

Before adding new records, clean out the old ones:

In the DNS Zone Editor, scroll down to find the MX records section
Find each existing MX record
Click the Delete button (trash icon) next to each record
Confirm the deletion when prompted
Repeat for all existing MX records

If you are setting up email for a brand new domain with no existing email, there may not be any MX records to remove. In that case, skip this step.

Step 2: Add New MX Records

With the old records cleared:

In the DNS Zone Editor, look for the option to create a new record
Select MX as the record type
Fill in the fields:
- Name: Leave blank or enter your domain name (SiteGround may auto-fill this)
- Priority: Enter the priority number from your email provider
- Value / Resolves to: Enter the mail server hostname from your email provider
- TTL: Leave the default (usually 3600 or 1 hour)
Click Create or Add Record
Repeat for each MX record your email provider requires

Adding Google Workspace MX Records

Google Workspace requires five MX records. Add each one separately in SiteGround's DNS Zone Editor:

Priority: 1   Value: aspmx.l.google.com
Priority: 5   Value: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
Priority: 5   Value: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
Priority: 10  Value: alt3.aspmx.l.google.com
Priority: 10  Value: alt4.aspmx.l.google.com

After adding all five, they should appear in your DNS Zone Editor list. The order they display in does not matter; the priority numbers control which server is tried first.

Adding Microsoft 365 MX Records

Microsoft 365 uses a single MX record that is unique to your domain:

Priority: 0   Value: yourdomain-com.mail.protection.outlook.com

Replace yourdomain-com with your actual domain name, using hyphens instead of dots. For example, if your domain is coffeeshop.com, the value would be coffeeshop-com.mail.protection.outlook.com.

You can find your exact MX record value in the Microsoft 365 admin center under Settings > Domains > DNS records.

Adding Other Provider MX Records

Here are MX values for other common email 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 verify these values against your email provider's current documentation, as they can change.

Step 3: Verify Your MX Records

After saving your records, confirm they are publishing correctly. Go to mxrecordchecker.com and enter your domain name. Check that:

All the MX records you added appear in the results
The mail server hostnames are exactly correct with no typos
The priority numbers match what your email provider specified
There are no leftover records from SiteGround's built-in email

DNS changes from SiteGround typically propagate within 15 minutes to a few hours. If your new records do not appear right away, wait 30 minutes and check again.

Once the records show correctly, send a test email from an external account (like a personal Gmail) to an address at your domain and confirm it arrives at your new email provider.

SiteGround-Specific Considerations

SiteGround's Built-In Email Service

SiteGround offers email hosting as part of their web hosting plans. If you have been using it, be aware that:

Changing MX records to an external provider means SiteGround email accounts stop receiving new messages
Existing emails stored in SiteGround's email system are not automatically migrated
You may want to export important emails before switching
SiteGround's email accounts will still exist but will not receive mail once MX records point elsewhere

If you want to keep using SiteGround's email for some addresses and use an external provider for others, that is not possible with MX records at the root domain level. MX records apply to the entire domain. You would need to use a subdomain for one of the providers.

SiteGround DNS Propagation Speed

SiteGround uses their own nameservers by default. Changes made in Site Tools typically propagate within 15-30 minutes for most DNS resolvers worldwide. During this window, some email may still route to the old servers while others route to the new ones.

Nameserver Considerations

If your domain uses SiteGround's nameservers (the default), you manage DNS in Site Tools as described above. However, if you have pointed your domain's nameservers to another provider (like Cloudflare), you need to add MX records at that provider instead. Changes in SiteGround's DNS Zone Editor will have no effect if SiteGround's nameservers are not active.

To check which nameservers your domain uses, look at your domain registrar's settings or use a WHOIS lookup tool.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Email Still Going to SiteGround After Changing Records

If you removed the old MX records and added new ones but email still arrives at SiteGround, DNS caching is the likely cause. The old records are still cached by some DNS resolvers around the internet. This resolves on its own as the cache expires, usually within a few hours.

Run your domain through mxrecordchecker.com to see what records are currently live. If the tool shows your new records, the DNS side is correct and it is just a matter of cache expiration.

"Record Already Exists" Error

SiteGround may prevent you from adding a record that conflicts with an existing one. Make sure you deleted all old MX records before adding new ones. Check the DNS Zone Editor carefully, as sometimes records are not fully removed on the first attempt.

MX Records Show in SiteGround But Not Externally

If the records appear in your Site Tools DNS Zone Editor but do not show up in mxrecordchecker.com after several hours, verify that your domain's nameservers are actually pointing to SiteGround. If they point elsewhere, the records in Site Tools are being ignored.

Priority Field Confusion

Lower priority numbers mean higher priority. Priority 1 is tried before priority 10. Always use the exact priority values your email provider specifies, because some providers check that the numbers match during their setup verification process.

After Setup: Additional Email Records

MX records handle inbound email delivery. For a complete email setup, your provider also needs authentication records:

SPF record: A TXT record that authorizes which servers can send email from your domain. Check yours at spfrecordcheck.com.
DKIM record: A TXT or CNAME record that proves emails from your domain are genuine. Your email provider generates this value for you.
DMARC record: A TXT record that sets a policy for what happens when email fails authentication. Verify at dmarcrecordchecker.com.

Your email provider's setup guide will include instructions for adding all of these additional records in SiteGround's DNS Zone Editor using the same process you used for MX records.

How to Add MX Records in SiteGround - Step-by-Step Guide