Setting Up Custom Domains

Use your own registered domain with CodaMail for a fully branded email experience

← Back to Support Documentation

Your Domain, Our Infrastructure

CodaMail lets you host your own registered domains. Once verified, your domain receives mail with full catch-all addressing, supports subdomains, and can have individual addresses assigned to other CodaMail accounts — all with mail filtering, blocking, and auto-encryption working across every address.

You can host unlimited domains. There is no extra charge for this feature.

Adding Your Domain

Step 1: Add the domain in CodaMail

  1. Log in and go to Settings → Private Domains
  2. Enter your domain name (e.g., example.com) and click Add
  3. CodaMail will generate a unique verification code and display two DNS values you need to add to your domain

Step 2: Add the verification TXT record

At your DNS provider (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy, etc.), add a TXT record:

Type: TXT

Host: _codamail-verify.example.com

Value: (the verification code shown in CodaMail)

TTL: 300 or higher

The host and value fields are displayed in CodaMail with copy buttons for easy clipboard access. DNS provider instructions for Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy, AWS Route 53, DigitalOcean, and BIND are shown in an expandable section on the page.

Step 3: Verify the domain

After adding the TXT record, allow a few minutes for DNS propagation, then click the Verify button in CodaMail. Once verified, the domain status changes from Pending to Verified.

Step 4: Configure email DNS records

After verification, click the "DNS Records" button on your domain to see the full email configuration. Add these records at your DNS provider:

MX Record:

example.com    IN   MX   10   mail.pnsh.com

 

SPF Record (TXT):

example.com    IN   TXT   "v=spf1 a mx a:smtp.pnsh.com ~all"

 

DMARC Record (TXT):

_dmarc.example.com    IN   TXT   "v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:dmarc@example.com"

The MX record directs incoming mail to our servers. The SPF and DMARC records help prevent others from spoofing your domain and improve deliverability.

Subdomains

If you have already verified a parent domain (e.g., example.com), any subdomains you add (e.g., shop.example.com) are automatically verified without requiring an additional DNS check. Simply add the subdomain in Settings → Private Domains and it will be active immediately.

Sharing Your Domain with Other CodaMail Accounts

Verified domains and subdomains can be shared with other CodaMail accounts — useful for families, groups, and organizations who want separate accounts but addresses under the same domain. For example, a family with the domain smithfamily.com can have alice@smithfamily.com deliver to Alice's CodaMail account, bob@smithfamily.com deliver to Bob's, and so on — all managed from the domain owner's account.

Two sharing options are available from Settings → Private Domains on any verified domain:

Assign an entire domain or subdomain to another account — Routes all mail for a domain or subdomain to a single CodaMail account. For example, all mail to @example.com can go to one account, or all mail to @support.example.com can go to a separate support account — while you retain ownership and control of the domain.
Assign individual addresses to other accounts — Routes specific addresses to specific CodaMail accounts while you keep the rest. For example, bob@example.com can go to Bob's account, carol@example.com to Carol's, and everything else still delivers to you. You can add as many individual address assignments as you need.

Address assignments take effect within 15 minutes. The target must be an active CodaMail username. Assignments can be removed at any time from the same settings page.

What Works with Your Custom Domains

Once verified, your custom domain works with the following CodaMail features:

Catch-all addressing - Receive mail to any address at your domain. Give out unique addresses on the fly (e.g., amazon@example.com, newsletters@example.com) without creating them first.
Blocking & catch-all management - All blocking and catch-all controls work with your custom domain addresses.
Filters & auto-encryption - Sieve filters and PGP auto-encryption work with custom domain addresses. Create identities for your custom domain addresses to send from them.

Troubleshooting

  • Verification fails: DNS changes can take time to propagate. Wait 15-30 minutes and try again. Some providers may take longer.
  • Not receiving mail: Verify your MX record is set correctly. You can check with an online MX lookup tool. Make sure no other MX records exist with a higher priority (lower number) than 10.
  • Mail going to spam at recipients: Make sure your SPF and DMARC records are in place. These authenticate your domain and improve deliverability.
  • Pending domains are automatically removed after 30 days if not verified. If yours was removed, simply add it again.

If you need further assistance, contact helpdesk@codamail.com.