Setting up an external mail service (Gmail, Outlook.com, etc.)
- 04.03.2023 17:10
-
- dns
- email setup
If you want to move e-mail for your domain from hosting to an external mail service (Google Workspace, Outlook.com, Yahoo Mail, etc.), follow the steps below. Google Workspace (Gmail) is used as the example.
In short: moving mail to an external provider takes three changes, all done in Plesk – disable the mail service for the domain, replace the MX records with your provider's and update the SPF (TXT) record.
The steps below assume your domain uses the GARMTECH shared hosting nameservers (ns1/ns2/ns3.garmtech.com), so DNS is managed in Plesk. If your DNS is hosted elsewhere (Cloudflare, your registrar), make the same MX and SPF changes there. If you manage DNS in My.GARMTECH (domain-only or VPS services), use the ready-made record references for Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.
Disable the mail service on hosting
- Log in to the hosting control panel (Plesk) and open Mail – Mail Settings.
- Click your domain name and disable the Activate mail service on this domain option (see screenshot).
Note: disabling the mail service turns off the existing mailboxes on the hosting server for this domain – if you used hosting email before, migrate any messages you need to keep first.
Replace the MX records
DNS records are managed in Plesk: Websites & Domains – your domain – DNS Settings.
- Remove the existing MX records of your domain (see screenshot).
- Click Add Record and add the new MX records of your mail provider (see screenshot). For Gmail add the single record from the table below.
| Mail server | Priority |
|---|---|
smtp.google.com | 1 |
If your Google Workspace account was created before April 2023, your domain may use the legacy set of records (aspmx.l.google.com and others). If mail is working, you do not need to change them. Remove any other MX records that do not belong to your mail provider.
Update the SPF (TXT) record
In the DNS records list find the TXT record whose value starts with v=spf1, open it and replace the value with (see screenshot):
v=spf1 a mx include:_spf.garmtech.net include:_spf.google.com -allYour provider may also ask you to add DKIM (a TXT or CNAME record) and DMARC (a TXT record) – add them in the same DNS Settings screen, copying the exact values from your provider’s setup guide.
Apply the changes
Confirm the changes in the DNS zone with the Update button (see screenshot). The changes take effect within about 1 hour.
Once the records have updated, test sending and receiving from an external address. If mail still arrives at the old server, double-check that you edited the records in the DNS zone your domain actually uses.
Do I keep the GARMTECH SPF include when using an external mail service?
Yes – keep include:_spf.garmtech.net in the SPF record together with your provider's include, as shown in the example above. Your website still sends mail through the hosting server (contact forms, CMS notifications), and the GARMTECH include keeps those messages passing SPF checks.