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Custom domain email with Namecheap: Private Email, forwarding and DNS setup
You registered the domain at Namecheap and want you@yourdomain to work. Namecheap will sell you a mailbox, forward mail for free, or let you point the domain at any other provider. The prices and steps below come from Namecheap's own knowledgebase, checked on November 1, 2026, in US dollars.
Founder of Shipmail, the email platform for businesses and their AI agents. Every guide here draws on mail servers running in production.
- Namecheap
- Custom domain email
- DNS records
- Email hosting
Short answer
Namecheap offers two kinds of email for a domain it manages: free Email Forwarding for up to 100 addresses, and Private Email mailboxes from $14.88 a year for one mailbox. To use another provider, open Domain List, Manage, Advanced DNS, set Mail Settings to Custom MX, and add the provider's MX and TXT records. Shipmail costs $4 a month for 2 mailboxes.
Email options for a Namecheap domain
| Option | Price | What you get | Pick it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Namecheap Email Forwarding[1] | Free | Up to 100 forwarding addresses, no mailbox | You only receive mail and read it in another inbox |
| Private Email Launch[2] | $14.88 a year | 1 mailbox, 5 GB, 10 aliases | One address, lowest yearly bill |
| Private Email Expand[2] | $41.88 a year | 3 mailboxes, 10 GB each, 50 aliases per mailbox | A small team that stays with Namecheap |
| Private Email Scale[2] | $71.88 a year | 5 mailboxes, 15 GB each, unlimited aliases | Five people on Namecheap's webmail |
| Shipmail[6] | $4 a month for 2 mailboxes; $12 for 5 | Email, calendar, team inbox, newsletters, booking pages | You want more than a mailbox around your email |
What Namecheap sells for email
Namecheap's Email Forwarding is free on domains that use its BasicDNS, PremiumDNS or FreeDNS. You can create up to 100 forwarding addresses, and each one passes mail to an inbox you already have. It stores nothing and sends nothing.[1]
Private Email is Namecheap's mailbox product, in three plans. Every plan has a 30-day trial and includes IMAP, SMTP and POP3, a calendar, CalDAV and CardDAV, a catch-all and two-factor sign-in.[2]
- Launch: 1 mailbox with 5 GB and 10 aliases, $14.88 a year or $29.76 for 2 years. An extra mailbox is $8.88 a year.
- Expand: 3 mailboxes with 10 GB each and 50 aliases per mailbox, $41.88 a year. An extra mailbox is $25.88 a year.
- Scale: 5 mailboxes with 15 GB each and unlimited aliases, $71.88 a year. An extra mailbox is $39.88 a year.
You can't run both at once. Namecheap says free forwarding can't be used with Private Email or any other email service on the same domain, because each one sets its own MX records. Server names and ports for Private Email are on our Namecheap Private Email settings page.Sources[1]Namecheap Knowledgebase: how to set up free email forwarding[4]Namecheap Knowledgebase: how to set up MX records for mail service
How to edit MX and TXT records in Namecheap
Namecheap keeps mail records in two places on the Advanced DNS tab. TXT records live under Host Records. MX records live under Mail Settings, a dropdown that decides who handles mail: Email Forwarding, Private Email, or Custom MX for any other provider. Both sections appear only when the domain uses Namecheap's BasicDNS, PremiumDNS or FreeDNS.Sources[4]Namecheap Knowledgebase: how to set up MX records for mail service[5]Namecheap Knowledgebase: how to set up host records for a domain
- Step 1
Open Advanced DNS
Sign in to Namecheap, open Domain List in the left sidebar, click Manage next to the domain, and select the Advanced DNS tab.
- Step 2
Switch Mail Settings to Custom MX
In the Mail Settings section, choose Custom MX. This replaces the MX records that Email Forwarding or Private Email set automatically. Enter
@as the host, then the provider's mail server and priority. - Step 3
Add the TXT records
In Host Records, click Add New Record and choose TXT. Enter only the host part, such as
@or_dmarc: Namecheap adds the domain itself. Leave TTL on Automatic. - Step 4
Remove a CNAME on the bare domain
If Host Records has a CNAME with host
@, delete it. Namecheap says a CNAME overrides every other record for the same name, so mail would stop. - Step 5
Save and wait
Save all changes. Namecheap says records normally take effect in about 30 minutes.
Point a Namecheap domain at Shipmail
Add the domain in Shipmail first. Shipmail recognises Namecheap DNS and shows its steps next to the records. Use Configure automatically if Shipmail offers it; otherwise add these four records by hand. Keep one SPF record for the domain: if another service also sends for it, merge its include into the same v=spf1 value.Sources[7]Shipmail domain setup documentation[8]Shipmail DNS setup docs: DMARC record
- MX, host
@, valuemx1.shipmail.to, priority 10. It routes incoming mail to Shipmail. - TXT, host
@, valuev=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, valuev=DMARC1; p=reject. DMARC tells receivers to refuse mail that fails SPF and DKIM.
In Namecheap, the MX record goes under Mail Settings, Custom MX, and the three TXT records under Host Records. Shipmail rechecks the records every 30 seconds and verifies the domain once they resolve. Plans start at $4 a month for 2 mailboxes, and five mailboxes cost $12 a month on Pro plus one extra mailbox.Sources[7]Shipmail domain setup documentation[6]Shipmail pricing
Moving from Private Email? Import the old mail over IMAP before you cancel the plan, and recreate each forwarding address as an alias or a mailbox.[9]
Sources9 sourcesVerified 2026-11-01
- [1]Namecheap Knowledgebase: how to set up free email forwarding
Free Email Forwarding allows up to 100 forwarding addresses on BasicDNS, PremiumDNS and FreeDNS. It is set in Domain List, Manage, Advanced DNS, Mail Settings, Email Forwarding, which sets the MX records automatically. It cannot be used with Private Email or any other email service at the same time.
namecheap.com · 2026-11-01
- [2]Namecheap Knowledgebase: Private Email plans comparison
Three Private Email plans. Launch: 1 mailbox by default, 5 GB, 10 aliases per mailbox, $14.88/year ($29.76/2 years). Expand: 3 mailboxes, 10 GB, 50 aliases per mailbox, $41.88/year ($83.76/2 years). Scale: 5 mailboxes, 15 GB, unlimited aliases, $71.88/year ($143.76/2 years). 30-day trial on all three. All include catch-all, forwarding, calendar, auto-reply, CalDAV and CardDAV, IMAP/SMTP/POP3 and 2FA.
namecheap.com · 2026-11-01
- [3]Namecheap Knowledgebase: prices for additional Private Email mailboxes
Additional mailboxes cost $8.88/year on Launch Mail, $25.88/year on Expand Mail and $39.88/year on Scale Mail, charged proportionally to the current billing cycle.
namecheap.com · 2026-11-01
- [4]Namecheap Knowledgebase: how to set up MX records for mail service
In Domain List, Manage, Advanced DNS, the Mail Settings section offers Custom MX for third-party mail services; Email Forwarding and Private Email set MX records automatically. Mail settings work only on BasicDNS, PremiumDNS or FreeDNS. A CNAME on the bare domain overrides other records and must be removed. Changes normally take about 30 minutes.
namecheap.com · 2026-11-01
- [5]Namecheap Knowledgebase: how to set up host records for a domain
Domain List, Manage, Advanced DNS, Host Records, Add New Record, shown only for BasicDNS, FreeDNS or PremiumDNS. Use @ as the host for the root domain and only the subdomain part otherwise. Default TTL is 30 minutes or Automatic. TXT records are used for SPF, DKIM and DMARC. A mail server name should end with a period, added automatically if left off.
namecheap.com · 2026-11-01
- [6]Shipmail pricing
Shipmail plan prices, mailbox limits, team access, and send limits.
shipmail.to · 2026-10-15
- [7]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
- [8]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
- [9]Shipmail mailbox import documentation
Shipmail documentation for connected and file imports, selection options, storage checks, progress, skipped items, and repeat imports.
shipmail.to · 2026-10-15
Questions worth answering
Common questions about namecheap custom domain email.
Does Namecheap offer free email with a domain?
What does Custom MX mean in Namecheap?
Can I use Namecheap email forwarding and another email provider together?
Why can't I see Mail Settings in Namecheap Advanced DNS?
How long do Namecheap DNS changes take?
Related guides
More on Shipmail pricing, comparisons, and team workflows.
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