Amazon Route53 DNS Setup For ImprovMX

Quickly and easily set up your domain's DNS records in Amazon Route53 for ImprovMX email forwarding.

1. View and copy your MX & SPF records

Before you begin, you'll need to retrieve your DNS records from ImprovMX. Follow our Viewing MX & SPF records guide to find and copy them. You will be required to copy them into Route53.

2. Set MX Records in Route53

Navigate to your Route53 Dashboard, select Hosted zones from the left sidebar, then click on your domain name.

First, remove any existing MX records for your domain to avoid conflicts. Then click Create record and add the following MX records:

First MX Record:

  • Type: MX
  • Record name: @ (or leave blank for root domain)
  • Value: 10 mx1.improvmx.com

Second MX Record:

  • Type: MX
  • Record name: @ (or leave blank for root domain)
  • Value: 20 mx2.improvmx.com
In Route53, you can add both MX records in a single record set by entering them on separate lines in the Value field with the priority prefix (e.g., 10 mx1.improvmx.com and 20 mx2.improvmx.com).

Click Create records.

3. Add SPF Record

In your ImprovMX dashboard, locate the SPF Records section and copy the Recommended Value.

Return to Route53 and click Create record. Fill in the record fields as follows:

  • Type: TXT
  • Record name: @ (or leave blank for root domain)
  • Value: v=spf1 include:spf.improvmx.com ~all (or your recommended value)

Click Create records.

4. Verification

DNS changes can take up to 24-48 hours to propagate, but usually happen sooner.

We'll notify you once the records are detected. You can also click Check Again in the ImprovMX dashboard to see if the changes are already active.

Once propagated, your domain will display "Email forwarding active" in the dashboard.

Still have questions? Feel free to reach out to our support team!