Email Routing or a mailbox: which do you need?
| Cloudflare Email Routing | A mailbox on your domain | |
|---|---|---|
| Receives mail to you@yourdomain | Yes, forwards it to another address | Yes, stores it |
| Send as you@yourdomain | Not on its own | Yes |
| Replies come from | The inbox you forward to | Your domain address |
| Mail stored by | The destination inbox | Your email host |
| MX records it needs | Cloudflare's own | Your email host's (so you choose one of the two) |
Routing is fine for a personal alias. For a business that replies to customers, a mailbox keeps the conversation on your domain.
Your own domain, your own mailboxes, free to start.
Create a free accountStep 1: Add the domain to Mailbux
Start here so you can copy the exact values.
Create a free account
Sign up at dash.mailbux.com. New accounts start in the onboarding wizard.
Add your domain
Open Services, then your plan, then Manage, then Domains, choose Add domain, enter your domain and save.
Open the DNS values
Open Domains, then Open DNS setup. Every record is listed with a copy button. Keep this tab open while you edit DNS.
Step 2: If Email Routing is on, plan the switch
When Email Routing is set up, Cloudflare adds its own MX records (route1, route2 and route3.mx.cloudflare.net), an SPF record with include:_spf.mx.cloudflare.net and a DKIM record, and it locks them so they cannot be edited in DNS > Records. Cloudflare's docs also say that disabling Email Routing removes those MX, SPF and DKIM records, and that you should add the new provider's records before disabling it so mail keeps flowing.
Skip this step if the domain never used Email Routing.
Write down your routes
In the Cloudflare dashboard go to Compute > Email Service > Email Routing, open the domain and note each custom address and where it forwards. You will create matching mailboxes or aliases in Mailbux.
Unlock the routing records
In the domain's Email Routing Settings, find the records in the DNS records section and select Unlock.
Add the Mailbux MX record
Add the MX record from Step 3 now, while the routing records still exist.
Disable Email Routing
In Email Routing Settings select Disable Email Routing and confirm. Cloudflare removes its routing MX, SPF and DKIM records.
Add the SPF record
Because the routing SPF record is removed, add the Mailbux SPF record from Step 3 right after, and check that only one TXT record starts with v=spf1.
Step 3: Add the MX and SPF records in Cloudflare DNS
Cloudflare's proxy (the orange cloud) applies only to A, AAAA and CNAME records, so the MX and TXT records above have no proxy setting. Do not create a mail A or CNAME record for Mailbux: mail apps connect to my.mailbux.com directly. If you want to know when the proxy does matter, see how to turn off the Cloudflare proxy for a custom domain.
Optional: add DKIM. In your Mailbux service, open DKIM and create the key. Then copy the DKIM TXT record shown in Domains → Open DNS setup to your DNS host. One DKIM record is enough. It is optional and improves deliverability.
Open DNS records
In the Cloudflare dashboard, select your domain and go to DNS > Records.
Add the MX record
Select Add record, choose Type MX, enter @ as the Name, my.mailbux.com as the Mail server and 10 as the Priority. Leave TTL on Auto and select Save.
Add the SPF record
Select Add record, choose Type TXT, enter @ as the Name and v=spf1 include:msg25.com ~all as the Content, then Save. If a v=spf1 record already exists for a service you still use, edit it and add include:msg25.com instead of creating a second one.
Remove leftovers
Delete any other MX record on the root domain (Edit, then Delete, then confirm) so all mail goes to one place.
| Type | Host | Value | Priority | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MX | @ | my.mailbux.com | 10 | Required. Receives your mail. |
| TXT | @ | v=spf1 include:msg25.com ~all | Required (SPF). Only one SPF record per domain. |
Cloudflare-specific traps
- Locked records: routing records cannot be edited until you unlock them in Email Routing Settings.
- Two SPF records: the routing SPF record plus yours makes SPF fail. Keep one (merge guide).
- Email Sending records: if you also use Cloudflare Email Sending, its records sit on a separate
cf-bouncesubdomain; Cloudflare says Sending and Routing are managed separately. Leave them alone. - DNS hosted elsewhere: records in Cloudflare only count if the domain's nameservers point to Cloudflare. If they don't, add the records where they do point, for example GoDaddy DNS.
- Address that existed only as a route: after the switch, mail to it needs a mailbox or alias in Mailbux, or senders get a bounce.
Step 4: Check that it worked
- Run
dig MX yourdomain.comanddig TXT yourdomain.com(ornslookupon Windows). You should see my.mailbux.com and one v=spf1 record. - In Mailbux, Domains → Open DNS setup checks the records automatically; choose Re-check now after editing.
- Create a mailbox under Manage → Mailboxes, send it a message from a personal address, then reply and look for
spf=passin the original headers of the reply.
Sources: Cloudflare Docs, "Set up email records", "Manage DNS records" and "Domain configuration" for Email Service (developers.cloudflare.com), checked 9 November 2026.
What the free plan gives you
The Mailbux Free plan is free forever: 7 GB of shared storage, 1 domain, webmail, the Mailbux apps and SMTP sending, and outgoing mail carries a small "Sent via Mailbux" footer. The Free plan includes up to 7 business mailboxes.
Standard IMAP and POP3 access for clients like Outlook or Apple Mail is available on paid plans, so on Free you read and send mail in Mailbux webmail and the Mailbux apps. If you already have mail somewhere else, the free migration tool copies it in; it works on every plan, Free included. Compare plans on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Can Cloudflare Email Routing send email?
Email Routing forwards incoming mail to another address. Cloudflare's docs say that to send and receive email from your domain you need an email provider and its MX records.
Can I keep Email Routing and add a mailbox on the same domain?
Not on the same root domain. Email Routing needs Cloudflare's MX records, and a mailbox host needs its own, so mail can only go to one of them.
Should the MX record be proxied?
No proxy setting applies. Cloudflare's proxy works on A, AAAA and CNAME records only, and MX and TXT records are DNS only.
Will my website on Cloudflare be affected?
No. You add MX and TXT records only. A, AAAA and CNAME records for the website and their proxy setting stay as they are.
Does the free plan add anything to my emails?
Yes. Outgoing mail on the Free plan carries a small "Sent via Mailbux" footer.
Last updated November 9, 2026