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Check MX records before switching email providers
A pre-flight checklist for email migrations: verify MX, SPF, and DMARC, lower TTL, then cut over without losing mail.
Email migrations fail quietly when MX still points at the old host, or when SPF still authorizes only the previous ESP. A short DNS checklist before cutover prevents bounced invoices and “where did the mail go?” threads.
48 hours before cutover
- Lower TTL on MX, SPF, and related TXT to ~300 seconds
- Create the new mailbox domain at the destination (Google, Microsoft, other ESP)
- Note the exact MX hostnames and priorities the provider documents
- List every sender that needs SPF include: mechanisms (CRM, billing, support tools)
Verify current DNS
Look up MX for the apex you receive mail on (usually example.com). Confirm there are no surprise backup MX hosts you forgot. Run an SPF/DMARC audit so you know the baseline before edits.
Free DNS-only check — no mailbox password required.
Cutover and watch
Publish new MX (and updated SPF) together when possible. Watch propagation across public resolvers, send test messages from outside networks, and keep the old host accepting mail until TTL and queues drain. Raise TTL again after 48 stable hours.