Why Can't I Use the Same Domain Email During Signup?

When creating an ImprovMX account, you may encounter a restriction preventing you from using an email address at a domain you're trying to add to ImprovMX. This guide explains why this restriction exists and how to work around it.

The Problem

Users often want to create an account using their current email address (like user@yourdomain.com) while simultaneously setting up email forwarding for yourdomain.com through ImprovMX.

Why This Restriction Exists

Once you set up MX records with ImprovMX, your previous email forwarding is often disrupted. This means you could lose access to your account if your account email was managed by the old email system.

Example: If you sign up with admin@yourdomain.com and then point your MX records to ImprovMX before configuring forwarding, you won't receive the verification email or any future account notifications.

Legitimate Use Cases

Advanced users with valid reasons—such as those implementing split delivery with Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace—can work around this limitation. In these configurations:

• Your primary account email remains managed by Google or Microsoft
• ImprovMX handles additional forwarding for other aliases

Workaround

If you need same-domain forwarding, follow these steps:

1. Create your ImprovMX account using an email from a different domain (e.g., a Gmail or Outlook address)
2. Add your primary domain to ImprovMX and configure your aliases
3. Update your DNS records to point to ImprovMX
4. Once forwarding is working, you can change your account email back to your Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 managed address

Need an Exception?

If you have a specific use case that requires an exception, contact our support team with details about your setup.