Email Setup Wizard

Rackspace Email + Amazon Route 53

Set up Rackspace Email email on Amazon Route 53

The records Rackspace Email needs, written with the field names Amazon Route 53 uses (Record name, Value), in the order to add them.

  • 5 steps
  • 6 DNS records
  • Sources checked October 21, 2026

Before you start

  1. Have your Rackspace Email account ready. Some values are unique to your account and come from the Rackspace Cloud Office Control Panel.
  2. Open DNS at Amazon Route 53: Open the Route 53 console and select Registered domains, then your domain. Select Manage DNS, then the hosted zone for your domain. If no hosted zone exists, create one first.
  3. Keep both tabs open and add the records below one at a time.

Records to add

Copy each value with the button next to it. Rows marked “Copy from Rackspace Cloud Office Control Panel” are unique to your account.

MX records Where incoming email goes Type MX Record name Leave empty Value 10 mx1.emailsrvr.com Priority in the value TTL 3600 (1 h)
MX records Where incoming email goes Type MX Record name Leave empty Value 20 mx2.emailsrvr.com Priority in the value TTL 3600 (1 h)
SPF record Which servers may send as you Type TXT Record name Leave empty Value "v=spf1 include:emailsrvr.com ~all" Priority n/a TTL 3600 (1 h)
DKIM A signature on every message Type TXT Record name See your provider Value Copy from Rackspace Cloud Office Control Panel Not yet confirmed by us Priority n/a TTL Default
DMARC record What to do with fakes · recommended Type TXT Record name _dmarc Value "v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com" Priority n/a TTL Default
Autodiscover Automatic app setup · recommended Type CNAME Record name autodiscover Value autodiscover.emailsrvr.com Priority n/a TTL 3600 (1 h)

Step by step in Amazon Route 53

Point your MX records

MX records tell every other mail server where to deliver email for your domain. They must point to your provider and nowhere else.

Type
MX
Record name
Leave this field empty
Value
10 mx1.emailsrvr.com
  • Rackspace warns that no other MX records should exist, or you'll have problems with your email.
  • Use 3600 seconds or the lowest TTL your host allows.
Type
MX
Record name
Leave this field empty
Value
20 mx2.emailsrvr.com

In Amazon Route 53

  1. In the hosted zone, select Create record.
  2. Leave Record name empty, choose MX as Record type, and keep Simple routing.
  3. In Value, enter the priority, a space, then the mail server (for example 10 mail.example.com). Put each mail server on its own line in the same record.
  4. Select Create records, then delete any older MX records.
  5. Repeat for each MX record above.

Add the SPF record

SPF is a TXT record that lists the services allowed to send email from your domain, so receivers can spot forgeries.

Type
TXT
Record name
Leave this field empty
Value
"v=spf1 include:emailsrvr.com ~all"

In Amazon Route 53

  1. Select Create record.
  2. Enter the Record name (leave it empty for your bare domain) and choose TXT.
  3. In Value, enter the text inside double quotes. If you already have a TXT record on that name, add the new value as another line in the same record.
  4. Select Create records.

Set up DKIM

DKIM publishes a public key so receivers can confirm your messages really came from you and were not changed on the way.

Type
TXT
Record name
See below
Value
Copy it from Rackspace Cloud Office Control Panel (see below)

Where to find your value

In the Cloud Office Control Panel, go to Domains → Sender Authentication (DKIM), select your domain and click Enable DKIM for it.

We haven’t been able to confirm this value from Rackspace Email's public docs yet, so we don’t show one.

  • After adding the TXT record, click Verify TXT Record in the control panel.
  • Allow 24 to 48 hours for the record to propagate.

In Amazon Route 53

  1. Select Create record.
  2. Enter the Record name (leave it empty for your bare domain) and choose TXT.
  3. In Value, enter the text inside double quotes. If you already have a TXT record on that name, add the new value as another line in the same record.
  4. Select Create records.

Add the DMARC record (recommended)

DMARC tells receivers what to do with mail that fails SPF and DKIM, and where to send reports about it.

Type
TXT
Record name
_dmarc
Value
"v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com"
  • Rackspace's setup page doesn't list a DMARC value. This is the standard starting record; replace the report address with one you read.

In Amazon Route 53

  1. Select Create record.
  2. Enter the Record name (leave it empty for your bare domain) and choose TXT.
  3. In Value, enter the text inside double quotes. If you already have a TXT record on that name, add the new value as another line in the same record.
  4. Select Create records.

Add the Autodiscover record (recommended)

Autodiscover lets Outlook and other mail apps find your account settings without manual setup.

Type
CNAME
Record name
autodiscover
Value
autodiscover.emailsrvr.com

In Amazon Route 53

  1. Select Create record.
  2. Enter the Record name (for example autodiscover) and choose CNAME.
  3. Enter the target in Value.
  4. Select Create records.

Check your setup

Once the records are saved, run a live check. We look up your domain in public DNS and tell you what is right, missing or wrong, with the fix in Amazon Route 53’s words.

We only read public DNS records. Nothing is stored.

Common mistakes with Rackspace Email on Amazon Route 53

Leaving other MX records

Rackspace says no other MX record entries should exist alongside mx1 and mx2.emailsrvr.com.

Amazon Route 53: One TXT record per name

With simple routing, Route 53 keeps all TXT values for a name in the same record, one value per line. Add SPF next to a verification value instead of creating a second TXT record.

Amazon Route 53: Split long TXT values

A single quoted string can hold up to 255 characters. Split longer values, such as DKIM keys, into quoted pieces on one line: "part one" "part two".

Visit Rackspace Email Visit Amazon Route 53

Rather have someone do it for you?

Tell us your domain and we will add and verify every record for Rackspace Email on Amazon Route 53, then send you the check results.

Request done-for-you setup

Rackspace Email on Amazon Route 53: questions

Where do I add Rackspace Email DNS records in Amazon Route 53?

Open the Route 53 console and select Registered domains, then your domain. Select Manage DNS, then the hosted zone for your domain. If no hosted zone exists, create one first. Add each record there, one at a time.

What goes in the Record name field at Amazon Route 53?

Leave it empty for records on your bare domain, such as MX and SPF. For the others, enter only the part before your domain, for example _dmarc. Amazon Route 53 adds your domain automatically.

Do I need to delete my existing MX records at Amazon Route 53?

Yes. Mail servers deliver to every MX record you publish, so keep only the Rackspace Email MX records and delete the rest.

Where do I get my Rackspace Email DKIM record?

Use the value shown in the table on this page.

Sources

Every value and step on this page comes from these official pages. Dashboards change, so if something doesn’t match what you see, tell us.

Rackspace Email on other hosts

Other email providers on Amazon Route 53