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Custom domain email with Cloudflare Registrar: what Cloudflare offers and DNS setup

By Julien CoulaudPublished November 1, 20263 min read

You bought the domain from Cloudflare Registrar because it sells at cost. Now you want an inbox at it. Cloudflare can forward and send, but its docs describe no hosted mailbox, so the mailbox comes from someone else. This guide covers what Cloudflare offers, what Registrar changes about DNS, and how to add a mail provider's records. Facts come from Cloudflare's developer docs, checked on November 1, 2026.

Julien Coulaud on X

Founder of Shipmail, the email platform for businesses and their AI agents. Every guide here draws on mail servers running in production.

  • Cloudflare Registrar
  • Cloudflare DNS
  • Custom domain email
  • DNS records

Short answer

Cloudflare Registrar's documentation describes no mailbox hosting: Cloudflare's email products are free Email Routing, which forwards incoming mail, and Email Sending for transactional mail. For a real mailbox, add another provider's MX and TXT records in the Cloudflare dashboard under DNS, Records, after turning off Email Routing. A Shipmail mailbox starts at $4 a month for 2 mailboxes.

Email for a Cloudflare Registrar domain

OptionPriceWhat you getPick it when
Cloudflare Email RoutingSources[4]Cloudflare Email Service pricing[3]Cloudflare Email Service overviewFree, unlimited inboundForwarding to verified addresses or a Worker, no mailboxYou only receive mail at the domain
Cloudflare Email Sending (beta)Sources[4]Cloudflare Email Service pricing[3]Cloudflare Email Service overviewWorkers Paid: 3,000 emails a month included, then $0.35 per 1,000Transactional sending from code, no inbox or Sent folderAn app sends receipts and password resets
A mailbox provider such as ShipmailSources[8]Shipmail pricing[9]Shipmail email client connection settings$4 a month for 2 mailboxes; $12 for 5Inbox, Sent folder, IMAP and SMTP, calendar, team inboxPeople read and reply from the address

What Cloudflare offers for email

Cloudflare Registrar registers domains at the registry's price with no markup. Neither the Registrar docs nor its FAQ mention email hosting, and Cloudflare's Email Service docs list two products only: Email Routing and Email Sending. None of them describes an inbox, IMAP or POP.Sources[1]Cloudflare Registrar documentation[2]Cloudflare Registrar FAQ[3]Cloudflare Email Service overview

Email Routing forwards mail sent to your domain to an address you already have, for free. Its rule limits, sending costs and when to move to a mailbox are in our guide to Cloudflare Email Routing vs email hosting.Sources[3]Cloudflare Email Service overview[4]Cloudflare Email Service pricing

What Cloudflare Registrar means for your DNS

Every domain on Cloudflare Registrar uses Cloudflare's name servers. You can't point it at another DNS host without moving the domain to another registrar. So your mail provider's records always go into Cloudflare DNS.[2]

  • Proxy status doesn't apply to mail. Cloudflare only proxies A, AAAA and CNAME records; MX and TXT records are always DNS-only.
  • Email Routing locks its MX, SPF and DKIM records. You unlock them in the Email Routing settings before you can edit or delete them in DNS.
  • Email Routing only works with Cloudflare's own MX records. It can't run next to another provider's mail servers.
Sources[7]Cloudflare DNS: proxy status[5]Cloudflare: disable Email Routing

How to edit mail records in the Cloudflare dashboard

  1. Step 1

    Unlock Email Routing records, if you use it

    Go to Compute, Email Service, Email Routing, pick the domain and open Settings. Find each routing record and select Unlock. Leave routing on until the new provider works.

  2. Step 2

    Open DNS Records

    Select the domain, then open DNS and Records.

  3. Step 3

    Add each record

    Select Add record, choose the Type (MX or TXT), fill in the name, value and, for MX, the priority your provider gives, and select Save.

  4. Step 4

    Remove the old MX records

    On each MX record that points to Cloudflare's routing servers, select Edit, then Delete, and confirm. Keep a single SPF TXT record.

  5. Step 5

    Disable Email Routing

    Once mail arrives at the new provider, go back to Email Routing Settings and select Disable Email Routing. Cloudflare removes the MX, SPF and DKIM records it added, including any you edited.

Sources[5]Cloudflare: disable Email Routing[6]Cloudflare DNS: create, edit and delete DNS records

Point a Cloudflare Registrar domain at Shipmail

Add the domain in Shipmail first. Shipmail detects Cloudflare DNS and shows Cloudflare's steps next to the records. Use Configure automatically if Shipmail offers it; otherwise add these four records by hand. Keep one SPF record and merge any other sender's include into it.Sources[10]Shipmail domain setup documentation[11]Shipmail DNS setup docs: DMARC record

  • MX, host @, value mx1.shipmail.to, priority 10. It routes incoming mail to Shipmail.
  • TXT, host @, value v=spf1 include:spf.shipmail.to -all. This is SPF, the list of servers allowed to send for the domain.
  • TXT, host shipmail._domainkey, value: the DKIM key shown for your domain in Shipmail. It signs every message you send.
  • TXT, host _dmarc, value v=DMARC1; p=reject. DMARC tells receivers to refuse mail that fails SPF and DKIM.
Sources[10]Shipmail domain setup documentation[11]Shipmail DNS setup docs: DMARC record

Shipmail rechecks the records every 30 seconds and verifies the domain once they resolve. Plans start at $4 a month for 2 mailboxes; five mailboxes cost $12 a month on Pro plus one extra mailbox. If you used Email Routing, recreate each rule as a mailbox, an alias or the catch-all.Sources[10]Shipmail domain setup documentation[8]Shipmail pricing[12]Shipmail catch-all docs

Sources12 sourcesVerified 2026-11-01
  1. [1]
    Cloudflare Registrar documentation

    Cloudflare Registrar registers and manages domains at cost: it charges only what the registry and ICANN charge, with no markup. The page describes no email hosting or mailboxes.

    developers.cloudflare.com · 2026-11-01

  2. [2]
    Cloudflare Registrar FAQ

    All domains on Cloudflare Registrar use Cloudflare nameservers; third-party nameservers need a move to another registrar. Domains are sold at cost with registry and ICANN prices passed through. The FAQ does not mention email hosting.

    developers.cloudflare.com · 2026-11-01

  3. [3]
    Cloudflare Email Service overview

    Email Routing (Free and Paid plans) routes incoming mail to addresses or Workers. Email Sending is in beta for outbound transactional email on Workers Paid, through a Workers binding, the REST API or authenticated SMTP. No hosted mailboxes are described.

    developers.cloudflare.com · 2026-11-01

  4. [4]
    Cloudflare Email Service pricing

    Email Routing inbound is unlimited on Workers Free and Paid. Sending to verified destination addresses is free on all plans. Sending to any recipient needs Workers Paid: 3,000 emails a month included, then $0.35 per 1,000.

    developers.cloudflare.com · 2026-11-01

  5. [5]
    Cloudflare: disable Email Routing

    Compute, Email Service, Email Routing, select the domain, Settings, Disable Email Routing. Disabling stops inbound processing and removes the MX, SPF and DKIM routing records. When moving to another provider, unlock the routing records first, add and verify the new provider's records, then disable.

    developers.cloudflare.com · 2026-11-01

  6. [6]
    Cloudflare DNS: create, edit and delete DNS records

    In the dashboard, go to DNS Records, select Add record, choose a Type, complete the fields and select Save. To edit, select Edit on a record and Save; to delete, select Edit, then Delete twice.

    developers.cloudflare.com · 2026-11-01

  7. [7]
    Cloudflare DNS: proxy status

    Only A, AAAA and CNAME records can be proxied. Other record types, such as MX and TXT, are always DNS-only.

    developers.cloudflare.com · 2026-11-01

  8. [8]
    Shipmail pricing

    Shipmail plan prices, mailbox limits, team access, and send limits.

    shipmail.to · 2026-10-15

  9. [9]
    Shipmail email client connection settings

    Shipmail IMAP, SMTP, and JMAP settings: mx1.shipmail.to, IMAP on port 993 with SSL/TLS, SMTP on port 465 with SSL/TLS or 587 with STARTTLS, the full email address as username, and the mailbox password or an app password.

    shipmail.to · 2026-10-15

  10. [10]
    Shipmail domain setup documentation

    Adding a domain to Shipmail: four DNS records (MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC), published automatically or by hand, suggested merging of an existing SPF record, and verification that rechecks the records every 30 seconds.

    shipmail.to · 2026-10-11

  11. [11]
    Shipmail DNS setup docs: DMARC record

    Shipmail's DNS setup steps for each registrar end with a TXT record named _dmarc with the value v=DMARC1; p=reject. The GoDaddy steps start from My Products, then DNS, and note that most records appear within 30 minutes.

    shipmail.to · 2026-10-15

  12. [12]
    Shipmail catch-all docs

    A catch-all mailbox receives email sent to any address on the domain that does not match a mailbox; one catch-all per domain, set from Mailboxes, then the mailbox's Catch-all option. Replies go out from the address the sender used. Without catch-all, mail to unknown addresses bounces. Catch-all mail counts toward the mailbox storage quota.

    shipmail.to · 2026-10-15

Questions worth answering

Common questions about custom domain email with Cloudflare Registrar.

Does Cloudflare Registrar include email?
Not a mailbox. Cloudflare's docs describe free Email Routing, which forwards incoming mail, and Email Sending for transactional mail on Workers Paid. Neither gives you an inbox.Sources[1]Cloudflare Registrar documentation[3]Cloudflare Email Service overview
Can I use another email provider with a Cloudflare Registrar domain?
Yes. The domain must stay on Cloudflare DNS, so you add the provider's MX and TXT records in the Cloudflare dashboard under DNS, Records.Sources[2]Cloudflare Registrar FAQ[6]Cloudflare DNS: create, edit and delete DNS records
Should MX and TXT records be proxied in Cloudflare?
They can't be. Cloudflare only proxies A, AAAA and CNAME records. MX and TXT records are always DNS-only.[7]
Why can't I delete the MX records Cloudflare added?
Email Routing locks them. Unlock them in Email Routing Settings, or disable Email Routing once your new provider works, which removes them.[5]
Can I keep Email Routing and add a mailbox provider?
No. Email Routing requires Cloudflare's MX records and can't be used with external mail servers. Move your routing rules to the new provider as aliases.[5]

Related guides

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