# How to set up a custom domain with Mailfence?

> Mailfence custom domain setup needs a paid plan and 5 checks in Email domains: ownership TXT, 2 MX at one preference, SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

- URL: https://postelva.com/guides/mailfence-custom-domain-setup/
- Last updated: 2026-11-12
- Publisher: Postelva (https://postelva.com)

Mailfence does not print most of its record values in the documentation: the account panel generates them. This guide gives the order of the steps and every value that is published.

**Quick answer — How to set up a custom domain with Mailfence?**

On a paid Mailfence plan, open Settings > Messages > Email domains, add your domain, publish the ownership TXT, then both MX records with the same preference, for example 10, and finally the SPF, DKIM and DMARC values shown in the panel. **Postelva** registers the domain and hosts its DNS.

## The records of a Mailfence domain and where each value comes from

*From Mailfence's knowledge base articles on custom domains and anti-spoofing, read 12 November 2026. Values marked account are generated in your own panel.*

| Record | Type | Host | Value | Source of the value |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ownership | TXT | per panel | Generated in the panel | Account |
| Mail 1 | MX | @ | Given in step 8 of the article; the same preference on both lines, example 10 | Account panel |
| Mail 2 | MX | @ | Given in step 8 of the article; the same preference on both lines, example 10 | Account panel |
| SPF | TXT | domain | v=spf1 include:_spf.mailfence.com -all (Mailfence only) or ~all (other senders) | Article example, then copy from panel |
| DKIM | TXT | per panel | Generated key, 2048 bits recommended | Account |
| DMARC (optional) | TXT | per panel | Generated, report-only p=none suggested | Account |

## Steps for a domain bought at Postelva

1. **Register the domain** — Buy it in the Postelva client area and keep the DNS there.
2. **Choose a paid Mailfence plan** — Mailfence supports custom domain addresses on paid plans only. The number of domains per plan is shown in a chart on its article.
3. **Add the domain and prove ownership** — In Settings > Messages > Email domains click Add an e-mail domain, type the domain, add the TXT record the panel gives you and click Verify.
4. **Set up SPF and DKIM before the MX records** — Copy the SPF and DKIM values from the panel into the DNS editor. Mailfence calls these compulsory for deliverability.
5. **Create addresses, then switch the MX** — Create the domain-based addresses as aliases of your account first, particularly if the domain already receives mail. Then add both MX records and click Verify.

*Shape of the Mailfence zone for example.com*

```dns
example.com.   TXT    "<ownership value from Settings > Messages > Email domains>"
example.com.   MX 10  <first MX host from the panel>.
example.com.   MX 10  <second MX host from the panel>.
example.com.   TXT    "v=spf1 include:_spf.mailfence.com -all"
<DKIM host from the panel>  TXT  "<DKIM key from the panel>"
_dmarc.example.com.  TXT  "<DMARC value from the panel, rua= replaced with your address>"
```

## Why does the guide say to copy MX, DKIM and DMARC from the panel?

**Mailfence shows its MX hostnames in a screenshot and generates the DKIM and DMARC strings per domain, so a written list would risk giving you a wrong value.** On the pages read on 12 November 2026, the only hostname that appears in text is smtp1.mailfence.com, quoted as an example of a malformed record: without the trailing dot some DNS editors append your domain, giving smtp1.mailfence.com.mydomain.com. The article also tells you to use the same preference on both MX lines, with 10 as an example, so that load balancing and failover work.

Two more warnings from the same article apply to every setup. Subdomains count separately, so foo.example.com and example.com are two domains with their own records. And the address used for password reset and notifications must not sit on the domain you are adding, otherwise losing the domain's mail could lock you out. Put the domain at Postelva and the reset address at an unrelated provider.

## What is the right SPF value for Mailfence?

**Use include:_spf.mailfence.com, ending in -all if only Mailfence sends mail for the domain and ~all if other servers send too.** Mailfence's anti-spoofing article gives these two examples and tells you to copy the final value from the SPF tab of your domain. The article prints an en dash before all; type a plain hyphen in your record. If another SPF record already exists on the name, merge the include into it, because two SPF records on one name are invalid; the method is in [how to create an SPF record](https://postelva.com/guides/spf-record-setup/ "How to create an SPF record for a custom domain").

The DKIM tab produces a 2048-bit key by default, and a 1024-bit option exists for DNS providers that cannot store long TXT values. If an outside checker validates the key but the panel does not, the article proposes a policy record at host _domainkey with value o=~ or o=-. For the theory see [how to set up DKIM](https://postelva.com/guides/dkim-setup/ "How to set up DKIM for a custom email domain").

## Which optional records does Mailfence document?

**Mailfence documents DMARC, MTA-STS and mail-client auto-configuration as optional extras.** The DMARC tab suggests a report-only policy, p=none, and lists quarantine and reject as stricter choices; replace the placeholder in rua=mailto: with an address on a domain you have added, and edit an existing _dmarc record instead of adding a second. Follow [how to set up DMARC](https://postelva.com/guides/dmarc-setup/ "How to set up DMARC: p=none to p=reject") for the progression. For MTA-STS the article gives no DNS value but names Mailfence's policy file at mta-sts.mailfence.com; see [how to set up MTA-STS](https://postelva.com/guides/mta-sts-setup/ "How to set up MTA-STS and TLS-RPT").

Auto-configuration uses three SRV records with target mailfence.com, priority 0, weight 0 and port 443, at _autodiscover._tcp, _caldavs._tcp and _carddavs._tcp under your domain, plus a CNAME autoconfig pointing to mailfence.com, all with a TTL of 600. Clients that rely on that CNAME may show an SSL warning, Outlook for example.

## How does Mailfence compare on setup effort?

**Most Mailfence values are copied from an account panel rather than from a public page.** According to Postelva's survey of 12 November 2026, the Mailfence panel tracks 5 DNS checks (ownership, SPF, DKIM, MX and DMARC), and a .com costs $12.49/year at Postelva. Mailfence's pricing page could not be read today, so its plan prices are not quoted here.

If you later move away, nothing changes in your Mailfence account: the knowledge base says only that the domain must keep correct DNS values at the new host, and any entry that is not green must be re-created. Your address stays portable, as [how to keep your email address when you change provider](https://postelva.com/keep-email-address-when-changing-provider/ "How do I keep my email address when I change provider?") explains. one-click DNS templates for Proton Mail, Fastmail, Zoho Mail, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, plus an SPF + DMARC template and a "no email" template for a domain that sends nothing exist for other providers; Mailfence has none, so you enter its records in the Postelva DNS editor, which supports free DNS hosting with A, AAAA, CNAME, ALIAS, MX, TXT, NS, SRV and CAA records, DNSSEC, and your own nameservers if you prefer (2 to 13).

## Questions about Mailfence and custom domains

### Does the free Mailfence plan allow a custom domain?

No. Mailfence states that domain-based addresses are supported in paid plans. Check the chart in its article for the number of domains per plan.

### Are the MX records the same for every domain?

The article presents them in a screenshot and asks for the same preference on both lines. Copy the two hostnames from your panel and keep the trailing dot if your DNS editor needs it.

### Can I use Mailfence addresses only to send?

Yes. Under Settings > Account > Personal Data > Edit you add sender addresses, and removing them makes the domain receive-only.

### Is plus addressing available on my domain?

Mailfence has a dedicated article on plus addressing for domain-based addresses. Read it before relying on the pattern.

**In summary**

- Custom domains need a paid Mailfence plan.
- Path: Settings > Messages > Email domains > Add an e-mail domain.
- Order: ownership TXT, SPF and DKIM, addresses, both MX records.
- Both MX lines use the same preference, for example 10.
- SPF: include:_spf.mailfence.com with -all or ~all.
- DKIM, DMARC and ownership values come from your panel.
- The panel checks 5 records; subdomains count as separate domains.
- Postelva: .com is $12.49/year every year.

## Sources

1. [Mailfence - Custom domain-based addresses in a Mailfence account](https://kb.mailfence.com/kb/custom-domain-based-addresses-in-mailfence-account/) — Mailfence (read 2026-11-12)
2. [Mailfence - How to set up anti-spoofing defense for my domain](https://kb.mailfence.com/kb/set-up-anti-spoofing-defense-custom-domain/) — Mailfence (read 2026-11-12)
3. [Mailfence - Auto-configuration for a custom domain](https://kb.mailfence.com/kb/auto-configuration-custom-domain/) — Mailfence (read 2026-11-12)
4. [Mailfence - Moving a domain to a new registrar or host](https://kb.mailfence.com/kb/i-am-moving-my-domain-to-a-new-registrar-hosting-provider-should-i-change-something-in-my-mailfence-account/) — Mailfence (read 2026-11-12)
5. [Mailfence - Custom domain knowledge base category](https://kb.mailfence.com/categories/custom-domain/) — Mailfence (read 2026-11-12)

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Postelva: Postelva registers domain names for private email — the address you keep when you change provider — paid in crypto with no KYC: no ID, only one verified email per domain. It is run by DomaineGoat LLC, a company registered in Panama; domains are registered through its ICANN-accredited registrar partner. A .com costs $12.49/year, the same price every year.