Create email accounts
Set up mailboxes in the webspace and connect mail programs.
A mail account is a mailbox under your own domain, for example info@example.de. The number depends on the plan (10 to 1000 accounts).
Create a mailbox
- Open mail: In Plesk, select the mail area and choose the domain.
- Create the address: Set the part before the
@and choose a strong password. The password is the key to the mailbox.
Set up in a mail program
The username is usually the full address. Server names and ports are shown in Plesk. A mail program such as Thunderbird asks for them during setup.
- IMAP: Mails stay on the server and look the same on all devices. This option is recommended.
- POP3: Mails are downloaded to one device and removed from the server. Only sensible if you use just one device.
Mails from your own domain often end up in spam if SPF and DKIM entries are missing or incorrect. Check this when sending from Plesk or your mail program.
DNS records for mail
For mails from the domain to arrive and not be treated as spam, the domain needs a few DNS records. Set them in the DNS zone of the domain, see DNS records. Examples with the domain example.de:
| MX | Defines which server accepts mails for the domain, e.g. mail.example.de with priority 10. Without an MX record, no mails arrive. |
|---|---|
| A / AAAA | Links the name of the mail server to its IP address. An A record for the IPv4 address, an AAAA record for the IPv6 address, e.g. mail.example.de → IPv4 and IPv6 of the server. If only one record is set, mails reach the server only over that protocol. |
| SPF (TXT) | On the domain name. Lists the servers that may send mails in the name of the domain. Example: v=spf1 mx -all. Recipients use it to check whether a mail is forged. |
| DKIM (TXT) | Under selector._domainkey. Contains the public key with which the server signs mails. Copy the value from Plesk. |
| DMARC (TXT) | Under _dmarc. Defines what recipients should do with mails that fail SPF or DKIM. To start, v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:postmaster@example.de is suitable, so nothing gets blocked. |
| PTR (reverse DNS) | Links the IP address to a name. It is not set in your own DNS, but with the provider of the IP. At PawHost only possible via a support ticket. Many recipients reject mails without a matching PTR. |
After a change it often takes a few hours until DNS records apply worldwide. A test with an online checker for SPF and DKIM helps find errors early.