Website Works but Email Does Not: DNS Records to Check First
If your website loads but domain email does not work, check DNS hosting and MX records before changing website A or CNAME records.
A working website does not prove that email DNS is correct. Websites use A, AAAA, and CNAME records. Email receiving uses MX records, and email authentication uses TXT and CNAME records.
This is why a domain can show a healthy website while new mail bounces, old inboxes stop receiving, or Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 say setup is incomplete.
Check where DNS is managed
The first question is not where the website is hosted. It is where the domain's nameservers point, because that is where DNS changes need to be made.
If you add MX records in the wrong account, nothing changes publicly. This happens often when a domain registrar, website builder, and Cloudflare are all involved.
Check MX before website records
MX records tell the internet which servers receive email for your domain. Missing, old, or mixed-provider MX records are the most direct cause of inbound email failure.
Do not delete website A or CNAME records while troubleshooting email unless a provider specifically tells you to change them. They are usually separate concerns.
Then check authentication
After mail is routing to the right provider, check SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These records affect trust and deliverability more than basic receiving.
If users can receive mail but outbound messages land in spam, authentication records deserve more attention than MX records.
Quick checklist
- Look up the active nameservers.
- Make DNS changes only at the active DNS host.
- Confirm MX records match the intended email provider.
- Leave website A and CNAME records alone unless they are part of the confirmed issue.
- Check SPF, DKIM, and DMARC after inbound routing is correct.