Custom-domain email starts with a domain you control and DNS records that tell other mail servers where to deliver. With Free Domain Mail the setup is receive-only: two DNS records turn the domain into a private catch-all inbox, and there are no addresses to create.
Start with a domain you control
Keep the domain at its existing registrar. You only need access to the DNS records at the provider that is authoritative for the domain.
Create an account, add the domain and copy the unique ownership TXT value shown in the app. The first domain is free.
Publish two DNS records
Add a TXT record with Name _maildock-verify and the maildock-verify=… value shown in the app, and an MX record at @ pointing to mx.freedomainmail.com with priority 10. The app shows the exact host and value: at providers that append the domain automatically, enter only _maildock-verify; at providers that want the full name, use _maildock-verify.yourdomain.com. Remove any other MX records for the domain so incoming mail has one destination, then run the check in the app.
The MX records decide where all incoming mail for the domain goes. If the domain already receives mail you depend on, such as a work mailbox, connect a different domain instead.
Type Name / Host Value Priority
TXT _maildock-verify maildock-verify=… (shown in the app) —
MX @ mx.freedomainmail.com 10Nothing to create per address
Once the records verify, the domain is a catch-all inbox: mail to any name at the domain, such as signup@, shop@ or test-42@, arrives without that address being set up first. Messages are kept for 30 days.
Read incoming mail in your inbox, or fetch verification codes and links through the API. The free custom domain email page summarizes what is included.
What receive-only means
Free Domain Mail never sends or forwards mail, and there is no IMAP, SMTP or POP3 access. If you need to reply from the domain or read it in a desktop mail client, use a full email host for that domain instead.
SPF, DKIM and DMARC authenticate mail that the domain sends, so the catch-all inbox does not need them. Publish them only if this domain also sends mail through another provider, following that provider's values.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using a TXT value copied from another domain.
- Leaving an old MX record next to mx.freedomainmail.com.
- Pointing MX away from a domain that already receives mail you depend on.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to transfer my domain?
No. Keep the registrar and add DNS records where they already live.
Do I need to create each email address?
No. After the TXT and MX records verify, every address at the domain receives mail; there is nothing to create per address.
How long is mail kept?
Mail received on a custom domain is kept for 30 days.
Can I send mail from the domain?
No. Free Domain Mail is receive-only: it never sends or forwards mail, and there is no IMAP, SMTP or POP3 access.