Could someone outline a step-by-step process for getting a domain and setting up an email address with that domain? @Leo continues to talk about Fastmail and I am curious how to do this? I don’t plan on having a website. I just want an email address with my own domain address.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
The way I’ve done it is to get a domain from Hover.com and an email forwarding account too with Hover (which is $5 extra per year) and forward it to my Gmail account. You can set Gmail to use your domain email address instead, so mailboxname@domain.com forwards to your Gmail and you can set Gmail to send from your custom email address. You can then carry on using Gmail web site and apps for your email
That is the simplest way.
If you want to use Fastmail, then you can do it that way too, but another way is to set up DNS records in Hover - MX records (Mail eXchange) to point at Fastmail’s email servers. That way, all mail will be sent to Fastmail and you would set up mailboxes in Fastmail for each address you want to use (or use a catchall mailbox).
Sorry, not a step-by-step, but that’s the general approach to using your own domain for email.
Thanks! So no need to really get a fastmail email account. Just kind of “piggy back” off of Gmail?
Yes, no need to get a Fastmail account if you’re happy with Gmail. Hover (and most other registrars/hosts) will have a way of forwarding your email to an existing email account.
Thanks. Now I just need an excuse to set this up. I don’t get a lot of spam.
No problem. Remember to use the TWiT code to get a discount off your registration if you go for Hover. It’s a very simple process with Hover. I was with 1&1 before and it was horrendously complicated.
When the forwarded hover email shows up in your inbox, what does it show in the To field? Does it show mailboxname@domain.com or does it show @gmail.com?
Is “twit” the promo code? I tried it and it says it’s not longer valid.
It shows as your domain email address not your gmail address.
You go to hover.com/twit
Perfect. Thanks. That worked. Saving $2. Better than nothing!
Hmmm. Can Mac mail app be set up to send out the email via Gmail using mailbox@domain.com?
Should be able to. Most email programs should allow you to set the outgoing email address.
Okay. Let me tinker around with this. Kind of fun.
I thought I’d chime in and add that I’ve been using Zoho Mail for one of my domains for the last two years, and really like it - considering it’s free.
The web interface isn’t as nice as GMail/GSuite or Outlook, but I’ve been using it through Thunderbird and AquaMail on my Android phone and it works well. Zoho has a whole bunch of other interesting apps as well, all with a pretty generous free account.
I wouldn’t probably use this for my main or company email, for those I think paying for GSuite or Office 365 are worth it for some of the other tools, spam filtering, and how easy they are to use. But for my “side hustle” or smaller scale sites, I think Zoho is a worthwhile option that’s better than the free email accounts and tools that come with most shared hosting accounts or domain registrars.
Hmmm. I can send out email via Mac Mail by choosing the Gmail server, but when I do this, it changes my outgoing email to my Gmail email, not my domain name email.
I am guessing this is not possible with Mac Mail client.
Somthing not yet mentioned is setting up G Suite instead fo just using a forwarder to forward email to you gmail mailbox.
It will cost a little more but is a much cleaner and simpler solution than forwarding email to your gmail mailbox.
If you aren’t tied to gmail then both fastmail and office 365 (they have MANY different plans and they don’t all include email so make sure you pick the correct one) would be good solutions.
You need to set up email alias in gmail
Can you do it from the gmail web interface?
I don’t know the gmail client for Mac, but on many email clients and on the gmail web interface you choose which account you are sending from by a drop down on from field:
