K8 HQ

Adding K8 HQ's records at GoDaddy or Cloudflare

"DNS records" are notes at your domain's DNS company that tell the internet where your mail goes. K8 HQ shows you exactly which records to add. You copy them from K8 HQ and paste them at your DNS company. This is usually the company where you bought the domain, such as GoDaddy, or Cloudflare if you moved your domain's DNS there.

What you'll add

Do this in two rounds, then a last step. In K8 HQ, go to Settings, then Domains and inboxes (under Organization). Add your domain, and K8 HQ shows the records with Copy name and Copy value buttons. Always copy from there, so nothing is mistyped.

  1. Round 1: one TXT record that proves the domain is yours. Add it, then press Check in K8 HQ.
  2. Round 2: three CNAME records that let K8 HQ sign the mail you send (called DKIM). Add all three, then press Check again. When the domain says Verified, you can create your inbox and connect your mail apps. None of this changes where your mail goes yet.
  3. The last step: moving your mail. After your inbox is made, K8 HQ shows these records under When you're ready to move your mail:
    • an MX record, name @, priority 10, pointing to your organization's mail server name (it looks like abc123.mx.k8hq.net). This replaces your current MX records, so delete the old ones.
    • a TXT record, name @, value v=spf1 include:amazonses.com ~all. If you already have a TXT record that starts with v=spf1, don't add a second one. Instead add include:amazonses.com to the existing one, just before its last part (like ~all), so the services that send mail for you today keep working.
    • a TXT record, name _dmarc, value v=DMARC1; p=none. Only add it if you have no _dmarc record yet. It tells other mail servers your domain uses DMARC without blocking anything.

When does mail start arriving at K8 HQ?

The MX change is the moment. Until you change the MX record, mail for your domain keeps going where it goes today, and nothing about your current mail changes. Once the MX record points to K8 HQ, new mail starts arriving at K8 HQ instead. So do this last, after you have created your inbox, made a token and checked that your mail app can connect. Copy your old mail across first.

TTL and how long it takes

TTL (time to live) is how long other computers remember a record before looking it up again. Shorter means changes spread faster. If your DNS company lets you choose, pick the shortest option (for example 10 minutes or 1/2 hour); otherwise leave the default.

New records usually show up within a few minutes, but it can take a few hours, and rarely up to a day. If Check says K8 HQ can't see a record yet, wait a while and press it again. For the MX change, the old TTL on your existing MX records matters: for a short time some mail may still go to the old place. That's normal.

At GoDaddy

  1. Sign in at godaddy.com. Open My Products and find your domain. Choose DNS (or Manage DNS).
  2. You'll see a table called DNS Records. Click Add New Record (or Add).
  3. Choose the Type (TXT, CNAME or MX).
  4. Paste the Name from K8 HQ. Use the short name K8 HQ shows (such as _dmarc or @), not the full domain; GoDaddy adds your domain itself.
  5. Paste the Value (GoDaddy may call it Data or Points to). For an MX record, put the mail server name as the value and 10 as the Priority.
  6. Choose a TTL (the shortest on offer is fine) and click Save. Repeat for each record.
  7. For the MX change, delete the old MX records using the trash can or Delete button on each row.

If your DNS tab says your domain uses nameservers somewhere else, add the records at that company instead; GoDaddy's records only count where the domain's DNS is hosted.

At Cloudflare

  1. Sign in at dash.cloudflare.com and click your domain.
  2. Open DNS, then Records, and click Add record.
  3. Choose the Type (TXT, CNAME or MX).
  4. Paste the Name from K8 HQ. Use the short name K8 HQ shows.
  5. Paste the Value (Cloudflare calls it Content for TXT, Target for CNAME and Mail server for MX). For an MX record, set Priority to 10.
  6. For each CNAME record, switch Proxy status to DNS only (the grey cloud, not the orange one). The proxy must be off for these.
  7. Leave TTL on Auto (Cloudflare keeps it short) and click Save. Repeat for each record.
  8. For the MX change, delete the old MX records with Edit then Delete on each one.

Need a hand?

Write to support@k8hq.com and tell us which DNS company you use.

Back to Help