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All tutorialsRegistrar setup · Hover

Set up email on a Hover domain

Hover has its own DNS-record walkthrough, and we link to it for the registrar-side clicks. What this guide adds: the exact values to paste, the order to add records in, and how to confirm it worked in MailSprout.

Last verified: May 27, 2026

Before you start

  • You own the domain on Hover and can sign in at hover.com.
  • You've already added the domain inside MailSprout (do that first if you haven't).
  • 5-10 minutes of uninterrupted time.
1

Sign in and open DNS

Go to hover.com (opens in a new tab) and sign in. Click on the domain you're setting up, then click the DNS tab at the top.

Managing DNS records · Hover Support (opens in a new tab)
Opens Hover's official help article. They keep this up to date with their current UI, so if the steps on their site look different from what we describe, follow their version.
2

Disable Hover Email Forwarding (if active)

Hover offers an Email Forwarding product that uses its own MX records. If you have it active, it conflicts with MailSprout. In your account, navigate to the Email section for this domain and disable forwarding for any addresses on this domain.

3

Delete existing email records

Scroll through the DNS table and delete any of:

  • Any MX records
  • Any TXT starting with v=spf1
  • Any CNAME named autoconfig or autodiscover
  • Any TXT named _dmarc
4

Add the MailSprout DNS records

Click Add a Record for each row. For Host, use @ for the apex.

MXTTL 3600
Host / Name
@
Value
fusion.mxrouting.net (priority 10)
Hover has a separate Priority field. Set to 10.
MXTTL 3600
Host / Name
@
Value
fusion-relay.mxrouting.net (priority 20)
A second MX as the backup. Priority 20 means Hover only uses this if the priority 10 host is unreachable.
TXTTTL 3600
Host / Name
@
Value
v=spf1 include:mxroute.com -all
TXTTTL 3600
Host / Name
(copy from dashboard)
Value
(copy from dashboard)
Both the host and the value for this record are unique to your domain. Open your MailSprout dashboard and copy them exactly as shown.
TXTTTL 3600
Host / Name
_dmarc
Value
v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:postmaster@yourdomain.com
Replace yourdomain.com.

Leave TTL at the default (typically 3600 / 1 hour) on every row.

5

Verify in MailSprout

Wait 2-5 minutes, then go to your MailSprout dashboard and press Verify DNS.

6

Add your first email account

Click Add account, type a name, scan the QR with your iPhone for instant Apple Mail setup.

Troubleshooting

Hover Email Forwarding records keep reappearing.
You need to disable forwarding from the Email section (per Step 2); just deleting the records isn't enough; Hover re-adds them when forwarding is on.
Verification fails. What do I check?
Wait 5 more minutes. Check the Host value on the DKIM TXT record, which should match exactly what your MailSprout dashboard shows (not the fully-qualified name). Make sure MX priority 10 points to fusion.mxrouting.net and priority 20 points to fusion-relay.mxrouting.net.

On a different registrar?

GoDaddy→

The #1 registrar by market share. Most small businesses start here.

Namecheap→

Popular among indie founders and developers.

Cloudflare→

Power-user favorite. DNS panel is the cleanest in the business.

Porkbun→

Indie-hacker darling. Fast, cheap, fair pricing.

Squarespace Domains→

Includes former Google Domains customers who got migrated here.

IONOS (1&1)→

Huge in Europe. Their UI is a labyrinth, but we map it out.

Stuck on a step?

Email support@mailsprout.io with the step number and a screenshot. We reply same day.