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Set up email sending (DNS records)

To send emails from your company's domain (e.g. support@yourcompany.com) through Plain, you need to add two DNS records to your domain. This is a required step before you can enable the email channel — it ensures your messages are authenticated and reliably reach your customers' inboxes.

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Step 1: Get your DNS record values from Plain

Go to Settings → Email in your Plain workspace. Plain will display two DNS records for you to copy:

  1. A TXT record — enables DKIM, which cryptographically authenticates your emails

  2. A CNAME record — passes SPF checks

Keep this page open while you complete the next step.

Step 2: Add the records to your DNS provider

Follow the guide for your provider. The field names vary slightly, but you're always adding the same two records.

DNSimple

  1. Go to dnsimple.com/dashboard

  2. Choose your domain → click DNS → Manage

  3. Add a TXT Record: Name = Hostname value from Plain, Content = Value from Plain

  4. Add a CNAME Record: Name = Hostname value from Plain, Content = Value from Plain

Namecheap

  1. Go to namecheap.com/domains/list

  2. Select your domain → click Manage → Advanced DNS

  3. Add a TXT Record: Host = Hostname value from Plain, Value = Value from Plain

  4. Add a CNAME Record: Host = Hostname value from Plain, Value = Value from Plain

  5. Click Save all changes

GoDaddy

  1. Go to account.godaddy.com/products

  2. Select your domain → click DNS

  3. Add a TXT Record: Name = Hostname value from Plain, Content = Value from Plain

  4. Add a CNAME Record: Name = Hostname value from Plain, Content = Value from Plain

  5. Confirm and save

Cloudflare

  1. Go to dash.cloudflare.com and select your domain

  2. Click DNS → Records → Add record

  3. Add a TXT Record: Name = Hostname value from Plain, Content = Value from Plain

  4. Add a CNAME Record: Name = Hostname value from Plain, Target = Value from Plain

  5. Set Proxy status to DNS only (grey cloud) on the CNAME record — proxied mode will break email authentication

  6. Save both records

AWS Route 53

  1. Open the Route 53 console and select your hosted zone

  2. Click Create record

  3. Add a TXT Record: Record name = Hostname value from Plain, Value = Value from Plain

  4. Add a CNAME Record: Record name = Hostname value from Plain, Value = Value from Plain

  5. Save changes

Using a different provider? The process is the same — add one TXT record and one CNAME record using the values shown in Plain's Settings → Email page.

About email deliverability

We don't ask you to modify your SPF record directly. Instead, the CNAME record you add resolves through Postmark's infrastructure, which handles SPF automatically.

When a receiving mail server processes an email sent from Plain, it:

  • Verifies the DKIM signature using the TXT record

  • Verifies SPF by checking the Return-Path header, which resolves to Postmark's authorised sending IPs

  • Checks DMARC alignment when your domain requires it

If your domain has a strict SPF record ending in -all, some providers may reject emails from Plain. Fix this by adding include:spf.mtasv.net to your existing SPF TXT record.

If you require DMARC strict alignment — where the Return-Path domain must exactly match the From domain — get in touch and we can discuss options.

How long does it take?

DNS changes usually propagate within 10 minutes, but can take up to 24–48 hours depending on your provider and TTL settings. Once Plain detects the records, your email channel will activate automatically.

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