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Set up email DNS in Amazon Route 53
Reviewed by the Free Domain Mail editorial team · Updated
Route 53 stores records inside a hosted zone. For normal email DNS, choose simple routing and enter the exact values supplied by your mail service.
Create each record
Open Route 53, choose Hosted zones, select your public hosted zone and choose Create record.
Use Simple routing. For a root record, leave Record name blank rather than entering @.
Validate the zone
Choose Create records, wait for the change to propagate, then query public DNS.
Do not edit a private hosted zone when the records must be visible on the public internet.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Entering @ as the Route 53 root record name.
- Editing a private hosted zone instead of the public hosted zone.
- Putting MX priority in a separate field when the console expects priority and target together.
Frequently asked questions
How fast does Route 53 publish changes?
AWS says changes generally propagate to Route 53 name servers within about 60 seconds, though resolver caches can take longer.
Which routing policy should email records use?
Simple routing is the normal choice for provider-supplied MX, TXT and CNAME records.
Technical references
Primary specifications and provider documentation relevant to this guide: