Guides / Setup
Connect your domain
Point DNS at Fayvad Mail so you@yourcompany.co.ke delivers to your team’s mailboxes — MX for delivery, SPF/DKIM/DMARC for trustworthy sending.
About 12 minutes · You’ll need registrar login access and a paid (or billing-unlocked) plan
Before you start
Custom domains are for paid plans. Trials run on a shared Fayvad domain so you can test webmail without changing DNS. If you’re still on trial, read from trial to your own domain first.
- You own the domain (or can log into the registrar / DNS panel).
- An organization admin can open Domains in Fayvad Mail.
- Billing is unlocked after your upgrade payment is confirmed (M-Pesa or bank transfer via support).
- If the domain already receives mail elsewhere, plan a cutover window — changing MX moves delivery to Fayvad.
Don’t invent record values
Always copy MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC from your organization’s Domains screen. DKIM is unique per domain. The examples below show the usual shape for Fayvad Mail — your DKIM string will differ.
What each record does
| Record | Purpose |
|---|---|
| MX | Where other servers deliver mail for your domain. Without a correct MX, inbound mail never arrives. |
| SPF (TXT) | Lists which servers may send mail as your domain. Reduces spoofing and helps inbox placement. |
| DKIM (TXT) | A public key under selector._domainkey. Outgoing mail is signed; receivers verify the signature. |
| DMARC (TXT) | Policy for mail that fails SPF/DKIM. Start with monitoring (p=none), then tighten later if you want. |
Website records (A, CNAME, etc.) stay at your registrar. You only change email-related hosts — don’t delete unrelated DNS.
Example values (Fayvad Mail)
Mail hostname: mail.fayvad.com. Replace yourdomain.co.ke with your domain. Copy the live DKIM value from the app.
| Type | Host / name | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| MX | @ or blank | mail.fayvad.com | Priority 10 |
| TXT (SPF) | @ | v=spf1 mx a:mail.fayvad.com ip4:167.86.95.242 ~all | One SPF record only — merge if you already have one |
| TXT (DKIM) | mail._domainkey | v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=… | Selector is usually mail; paste full string from Domains |
| TXT (DMARC) | _dmarc | v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.co.ke; fo=1 | Recommended; exact address shown in the app |
TTL
1800 seconds (30 minutes) is a sensible default while you’re setting up. Lower TTL before cutover if you expect to tweak records.
Step-by-step
Step 1
Attach the domain in Fayvad Mail
As an organization admin, open Domains, add your domain name, and follow the attach → DNS → verify → activate flow. The screen lists the records to publish.
Step 2
Open DNS at your registrar
Log into Namecheap, Cloudflare, your .co.ke registrar, or wherever DNS is hosted. Find “Advanced DNS”, “DNS management”, or “Host records” for the domain.
Step 3
Set MX
Remove or replace old MX records that point at Google, Microsoft, cPanel, or another host. Add one MX to mail.fayvad.com with priority 10. Some panels want a trailing dot (mail.fayvad.com.) — either form is fine if the UI accepts it.
Step 4
Set SPF
Add a TXT record at @ with the SPF string from Fayvad Mail. If you already have an SPF TXT, edit it — do not create a second SPF record. Include Fayvad’s mechanisms; keep other legitimate senders (for example a marketing tool) only if you still use them.
Step 5
Set DKIM
Create a TXT record at the host name shown (typically mail._domainkey). Paste the entire v=DKIM1; … value. Watch for line breaks or truncated pastes — the p= key is long.
Step 6
Set DMARC
Create a TXT record at _dmarc with the policy Fayvad shows (usually p=none to start). DMARC is recommended; verification may still proceed if MX/SPF/DKIM are correct and DMARC is optional in your flow.
Namecheap notes
Many Fayvad customers use Namecheap. Under the domain → Advanced DNS:
- MX: type Mail Exchange, host @, value mail.fayvad.com, priority 10.
- TXT: host @ for SPF; host mail._domainkey for DKIM; host _dmarc for DMARC.
- If Namecheap email forwarding or “Email Forwarding” MX rows exist, remove them so only Fayvad’s MX remains.
- If you use Namecheap’s BasicDNS vs PremiumDNS vs a custom nameserver, edit records on the nameservers that are actually authoritative.
If your organization can apply DNS via Namecheap API from Fayvad Mail, you may still want to confirm in the Namecheap UI after the update.
Verify and activate
Back in Fayvad Mail → Domains, run verification. DNS can take a few minutes to several hours (occasionally up to 24–48h) depending on TTL and registrar.
When checks pass, activate the domain so mailboxes on that domain can send and receive. After activation, IMAP/SMTP details for apps are shown on the same Domains screen — see Outlook, phone & Thunderbird setup.
Optional checks from a terminal:
dig MX yourdomain.co.ke +short dig TXT yourdomain.co.ke +short dig TXT mail._domainkey.yourdomain.co.ke +short dig TXT _dmarc.yourdomain.co.ke +short
Troubleshooting
- Verification still failing — Wait for propagation; confirm you edited the authoritative DNS (not a parked or old panel); ensure only one SPF TXT exists.
- DKIM fails — Host must be exactly as shown (often mail._domainkey, not the full domain in the host field). Re-copy the value with no extra quotes.
- Mail still goes to the old host — Old MX may still be cached; confirm dig MX shows only mail.fayvad.com.
- Website broke — You likely changed an A/CNAME by mistake. Restore website records; email only needs MX/TXT as listed.
- Need help — Contact support with your domain name and a screenshot of your DNS hosts.