How to Configure Email-Related DNS Records in Azure DNS

This guide will walk you through setting up your domain's MX, SPF, CNAME, and DMARC records to support email services.

Step 1: Sign in to Azure Portal

1. Go to the Azure Portal.
2. Log in with your Azure credentials.

Step 2: Navigate to Your DNS Zone

1. In the Azure Portal, search for DNS zones in the search bar at the top.
2. Select DNS zones from the search results.
3. From the list of DNS zones, find and select the DNS zone for the domain where you need to configure the DNS records.
4. Once in the DNS zone, click on Recordsets

Configuring the MX Record

1. Scroll through the Recordset to find the MX record, or add a new one if none exists.
2. Click on the MX record to edit, or click on + Record set to create a new one.
• Name: Enter "@" (without quotes) for the root domain.
• Type: Select MX.
• TTL: Set the TTL value (3600 seconds is recommended).
• Mail Server: mail.mailroute.net. (note the trailing dot ".")
• Priority: 10
• Click Save to apply the changes.

Configuring the SPF Record

SPF records are added as TXT records.

1. In the DNS zone, click on + Record set to create a new record.
2. Enter the following details:
   
   

   Name	Type	TTL	Value
   @	TXT	3600 s	add "include:spf.mailroute.net" to your existing record.   If MailRoute is your only outbound email provider, you can use the full record:   v=spf1 include:spf.mailroute.net -all

   
   
   
3. Click Save to apply the SPF record.

Configuring the CNAME Records

To configure CNAME records for DKIM, follow these steps.

1. In the DNS zone, add each CNAME record by clicking + Record set for each entry.
   For each CNAME record, enter the following details:
   

   Name	Type	TTL	Value
   mr01._domainkey	CNAME	3600 s	mr01.dkim.mailroute.net.
   mr02._domainkey	CNAME	3600 s	mr02.dkim.mailroute.net.
   mr03._domainkey	CNAME	3600 s	mr03.dkim.mailroute.net.

    

2. Click Save after adding each record.

Configuring the DMARC Record

DMARC records are set up as TXT records.

1. In the DNS zone, click on + Record set to add a new record.
2. Enter the following details:
   

   Name	Type	TTL	Value
   _dmarc	TXT	3600 s	v=DMARC1; p=reject; (or your preferred DMARC record)

3. Click Save to apply the DMARC record

p: You can customize the DMARC policy by adjusting the p= value. "reject" instructs receiving servers to reject any emails that fail DMARC checks. Adjust as needed for your email security policy.

Final Step: Verify DNS Changes

After making these changes, allow some time for propagation.

1. Use a DNS lookup tool or command line to verify each record type:
   • MX Record:nslookup -type=MX yourdomain.com
     
     
   • SPF, CNAME, and DMARC Records:nslookup -type=TXT yourdomain.com
     
     

By following these instructions, you’ll successfully configure MX, SPF, CNAME, and DMARC records in Azure DNS for your domain, ensuring optimized email flow and security.