Direct MX or email forwarding? How mail reaches InboxNest

Direct MX

Use Direct MX only when the domain is not currently receiving email through another email service, or when you intentionally want InboxNest to become the inbound mail destination.

In this mode, InboxNest shows the MX and sending records to add at the authoritative DNS host. After those records are in place, InboxNest can receive mail for the branded addresses on that domain and send replies from them.

If the domain already has working email that you need to keep, do not choose Direct MX.

Forwarding

Use Forwarding when the domain already has working email that must remain active. You keep the existing MX records and configure the existing mailbox or routing provider to forward the desired branded address to the destination shown by InboxNest.

Never replace or delete current MX records as part of a forwarding setup. InboxNest still asks for the sending records needed to reply from the branded address; those are not MX replacements.

MX records only point to the server that receives mail; they can’t forward it themselves. For how forwarding really works and its trade-offs, see MX forwarding explained.

What not to delete

Do not delete “all DNS records.” Website, verification, and unrelated mail records should stay unless InboxNest specifically asks you to replace an existing MX record in a Direct MX setup. If you are forwarding, leave MX records untouched and change only the forwarding rule plus the sending records shown on the setup screen.