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Updated: 01/22/2020
( 5 minutes reading )
The email service is quite complex and sometimes can be quite confusing for customers. In simple terms, we can divide it into two variants - outgoing and incoming. The outgoing email service will be responsible for delivering your messages to the correct destination, while the incoming service will ensure you receive all messages sent by your customers, business associates, friends, and family.
In order to properly instruct cPanel on what to do with the incoming emails for your domains, you should configure a feature of cPanel called "Email Routing". Тhis feature works with the MX DNS record for a domain, so the options you will be configuring here might also require you to perform modifications on the domain's DNS level as well.
Without further ado, let us begin!
To use any of the features cPanel has to offer, you will have to login to the cPanel service first. When you have logged in you will be redirected to the home page of cPanel with a complete list of all the features cPanel has to offer. Out of all these, please locate the "Email Routing" feature in the "Email" features group.
When you click it, cPanel will redirect you to a brand new page with all the options you need to configure the Email Routing for all the domains you have added to the web hosting account.
Before you can actually configure the email routing, you will have to pick a domain name, which is the first thing cPanel prompts you with on the "Email Routing" feature main page.
Please use the "Domain" drop-down list to select the correct domain you would like to manage the routing for.
Once you click on a domain name, cPanel will display the configuration options below the domain name in a new section called "Configure Email Routing".
The currently active configuration will be displayed in Bold. Let's learn what each of the options in that section means.
Automatically Detect Configuration
If you are not certain which option to select in the "Configure Email Routing" section, the best choice will be this one. This option instructs cPanel to set the Email Routing based on the MX record of your domain. For example, if the MX record of your domain is resolving on the IP address of the Web Hosting Server you have with us, the automatic configuration will assume that you would like to receive the emails locally. However, if the MX record is resolving to a third-party mail server, then cPanel will assume that your emails should be delivered remotely and will set a Remote Mail Exchanger as active.
The Local Mail Exchanger is the default setting when it comes to domains added to your cPanel web hosting account. In other words, all emails sent to your domain will always be delivered locally (on the same server the domain is currently added) as long as they reach the Web Hosting Server. This is the most common option when you would like to have your emails handled by your web hosting service with us.
Backup Mail Exchanger
Whenever you have multiple MX records configured for a domain name, the mail service typically picks the one configured with the lowest number for Priority (for example, with priority "0"). However, if the lowest priority server is not available, the mail service will pick the next one in line (for example, with priority "1"). The purpose of the backup mail exchanger is to act as second or third in the priority mail exchanger. By having such an MX record configuration and also the "Backup Mail Exchanger" option selected, you will allow cPanel to hold all incoming mails locally until the primary (for example, with priority "0") mail exchanger is available once again.
Remote Mail Exchanger
This option will instruct cPanel that all incoming emails should be rerouted to the remote email exchanger defined by the domain's MX records since the incoming email service for the same is handled elsewhere. This option should be chosen if you are using Google Workspace, Office 365, or similar email service providers to ensure that all inbound emails are routed to the correct inboxes.
Understanding how cPanel treats the inbound emails for your domains is critical when you would like to achieve a specific setup for the incoming emails. Please remember that if you are a HostArmda customer and if you would like your emails handled by us, you should not perform any configurations in the "Mail Routing" cPanel feature due to the simple fact that we already configured everything by default for your emails to be handled by our mail servers. Still, if you need any incoming email assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our Technical Support Crew since they will assist you always with any Web Hosting Related issue you might experience.
Nikola is an accomplished tech-savvy extraordinaire with over six years of experience in the web hosting field. He started as a customer care representative and quickly rose the ranks to become a support supervisor and, eventually - the head of the technical department in HostArmada. His deep understanding of the client's needs, combined with his technical knowledge, makes him the perfect man to create the ideal harmony between client satisfaction and professional problem-solving. You will often find him creating helpful tutorials, articles, and blog posts that help existing customers get around.
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