# Sending domain

> Send from your own domain, with the DNS records that prove it's you.

Percy sends your newsletter from your own domain, such as `hello@yourname.com`. Inboxes trust mail that's signed by the domain it claims to come from, so this one step does more for deliverability than anything else.

![Sender and domain settings](https://percymail.com/docs/screenshots/settings-sender.webp)

## Don't have a domain yet?

You need one to send. A domain is a name like `yourname.com`, and you can buy one from a registrar such as Cloudflare, Namecheap or Porkbun, usually for about $10 to $15 a year. The registrar also gives you the DNS page you'll use below. Your forms and website work while you sort this out; only sending waits.

## Set it up

1. Go to **Settings → Sender & domain**.
2. Enter your **domain**, your **sender name** (what people see in their inbox), a **sender address** at that domain, and a **postal address**. Anti-spam laws require the postal address in every email footer; a P.O. box or business address is fine.
3. Percy shows the DNS records to add. Copy each one into your domain provider's DNS settings: Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy, Google Domains and others all have a DNS page.
4. Choose **Check DNS now**. Percy also re-checks on its own every 10 minutes.

## The records

| Record | What it does |
|---|---|
| **DKIM** (3 CNAME records) | Signs your emails, so inboxes can tell they really come from your domain. |
| **Bounces (MX)** | Sends bounce notices back to Percy, so bad addresses are removed automatically. |
| **SPF** (TXT) | Lists who may send for your bounce subdomain. |
| **DMARC** (TXT) | Tells inboxes what to do with mail that fails the checks. Recommended. Percy suggests `v=DMARC1; p=none`, which only monitors. If your domain already has a DMARC record, keep it: Percy counts it and shows what it found. |

Each record's name is shown the way most DNS pages want it, relative to your domain: `abc._domainkey`, or `abc._domainkey.news` if you send from `news.yourname.com`, and `@` for the domain itself. Hover over a name to see the full host. Each record shows **Found**, **Waiting** or **Not found**. DNS changes can take a few minutes, occasionally a few hours.

## If a record says Not found

Most of the time it's one of these:
- **The name was doubled.** Most DNS pages add your domain to the name automatically, which is why Percy shows the short name. If you typed the full host (`abc._domainkey.yourname.com`) there, the record ends up at `abc._domainkey.yourname.com.yourname.com`; enter just the short name.
- **A typo or extra space** in the value. Copy it with the copy button instead of selecting the text.
- **Cloudflare's proxy is on** for a CNAME record. Set it to *DNS only* (grey cloud).
- **On Namecheap, there's no place for the MX record.** MX records only appear in **Advanced DNS** when **Mail Settings** is set to **Custom MX**.
- **It's still spreading.** Changes usually show within minutes, sometimes a few hours. Percy keeps checking on its own.

> **Percy:** Still stuck after a few hours? Write to us with a screenshot of your DNS page and we'll look at it with you.

## Good to know

- Your sender address must be at your verified domain. Percy checks this again on every send.
- Each domain can belong to one Percy account. If someone else started setting up your domain and never finished, their claim expires after 72 hours.
- Changing your domain starts verification over with new records.