How to Set Up Proton Mail with Your Own Business Domain

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Most of running Proton Mail with your own business domain is careful copying into DNS. The risky part is a single step: once your MX records change, incoming mail follows them.

This guide is based on Proton’s and Hostinger’s own support articles and pricing pages, not on a hands-on setup, and the source pages are linked as they come up. Proton prices are in USD as shown on its pricing pages, pricing as of November 2026.

Menu paths differ between Proton’s articles. Where two official pages disagree, this post says so.

What you need before you start

• A domain you control. Any registrar works. If you still need one, Hostinger sells domains and is the DNS example in this guide.
• A paid Proton plan. Proton’s custom domain guide says all paid plans support custom domains.
• Access to the place your DNS actually lives. That is wherever your nameservers point, which may not be where you bought the domain.
• A list of every address in use. Include shared ones such as info@, billing@ and any address on your website or invoices.

Hostinger’s DNS zone editor guide says active records can only be changed there when the domain uses Hostinger nameservers. If your nameservers point to another provider, add the same records in that provider’s tools.

Which Proton plans include custom domains

Domain counts below come from Proton’s plans explained article and the two pricing pages. Prices are the 12-month billing rate each page displays, and the business page adds that taxes may apply.

Plan	Custom domains	Price shown	Storage	Addresses
Proton Free	None listed	$0	1 GB	1
Mail Plus	1	$3.99/month, billed at $47.88 every 12 months	15 GB	10
Proton Unlimited	3	$9.99/month, billed at $119.88 every 12 months	500 GB	15 extra
Mail Essentials (business)	3	$6.99/user per month, billed at $83.88 every 12 months	15 GB per user	10 per user
Workspace Standard (business)	15	$12.99/user per month, billed at $155.88 every 12 months	1 TB per user	20 per user
Workspace Premium (business)	20	$19.99/user per month, billed at $239.88 every 12 months	3 TB per user	20 per user

Proton’s plans article also lists 3 custom domains on Duo and Family, and 10 on Visionary. The pricing pages checked for this guide do not show prices for those three, so check them in your account. The monthly billing prices are behind a toggle and were not readable as text, so confirm them at checkout too.

One small conflict: Proton’s business custom domain page says “up to 15 unique domains”, while the business pricing page shows 20 on Workspace Premium. This guide follows the pricing page because it lists domains plan by plan.

The business pricing page shows “Try free for 14 days” on each plan and a 30-day money-back guarantee. A solo owner with one domain and no team will usually fit Mail Plus on the numbers above. A business with staff will want a per-user business plan, with an organization and seats.

If mail already runs on the domain, read this first

A domain can only have one primary mail setup. Hostinger’s DNS guide puts it plainly: “You can only use one email provider per domain name at a time.” Proton adds that changing MX records routes all incoming mail for the domain to Proton, away from your previous provider.

• Addresses come first. Proton warns that once MX points to it, mail to addresses that do not exist in Proton will not be delivered. Its provider guides say Proton only accepts mail for addresses you have added.
• Your website records are separate. Delete only MX records and your old mail records. Leave A, CNAME and other website records alone.
• Your team needs notice. Proton’s Namecheap guide says to tell team members before the change, since their mail will move to Proton inboxes.

Lower the TTL ahead of the switch

TTL sets how long resolvers cache a record. Hostinger’s default is 14400 seconds, which is 4 hours, and Proton suggests 300 seconds where your provider allows it.

Lower the TTL on your existing MX records first, then wait at least as long as the old TTL before you switch. This is standard DNS practice and follows from how caching works. Proton notes the check marks can take minutes to hours “depending on your previous TTL”, so a short old TTL shortens the wait.

Export your zone before you touch it. Hostinger offers an Export button that downloads a BIND zone file and a DNS history tab with a Restore option, which gives you a way back. Avoid Import in Replace mode, which Hostinger warns permanently deletes all current records, including website and email.

How to set up Proton Mail with your own business domain

The steps below follow Proton’s main guide. For a live domain, Proton’s Microsoft migration guide uses a safer order: authentication records first, MX last. This post uses that order, because it leaves mail flow untouched until everything else is ready.

Step 1: Create the organization (business plans)

1. Sign in to Proton Mail and click “Org setup” in the top-right corner.
2. Enter an organization name. You can change it later.
3. Allocate storage to your administrator account.

Skip this step if you already have an organization or you are not on a business plan.

Step 2: Add and verify the domain

1. Go to Settings, then Domain names, and click “Add domain”.
2. Enter your domain and click Next.
3. Copy the protonmail-verification= value Proton shows you.
4. In your DNS, create a TXT record at host @ with that value.
5. Return to Proton and click Next.

If your provider rejects @, Proton says to leave the host empty or enter the full domain.

Step 3: Create every user and address

1. Buy enough seats for the users you plan to create.
2. Open the users and addresses settings and choose “Add user” or “Add address”.
3. For a user, set the name and Proton address, then send an invitation or create a password to share securely.
4. For an extra address, choose the domain, enter the address and display name, then save.

Proton notes that making a user private stops admins from managing that user or accessing their data, which may not suit every organization.

Step 4: Add SPF, DKIM and DMARC

1. In Proton, go to Settings, then Domain names, and click Review next to your domain.
2. Open the SPF tab and add one SPF record.
3. Open the DKIM tab and add all three CNAME records exactly as shown.
4. Open the DMARC tab and add the TXT record at _dmarc.

Details and warnings for each are in the sections below. Proton’s anti-spoofing article says DKIM verification can take a couple of hours.

Step 5: Change the MX records

1. Confirm every address from your list now exists in Proton.
2. Add both MX records shown in your Proton settings.
3. Delete all other MX records, or make sure Proton’s have the lowest priority number.
4. Watch the Domain names page for green check marks.

Proton’s Microsoft guide describes a “Waiting for MX” badge until mail goes directly to Proton, and says routing can take up to 24 hours.

Step 6: Set a catch-all (optional)

Proton’s catch-all article says any paid plan supports it. A catch-all receives mail sent to any address on your domain that does not exist, while mail to real addresses still goes to those addresses.

1. Finish the domain and addresses first.
2. Go to Settings, All settings, Organization, Domain names.
3. Open the Actions dropdown and select “Set catch-all”.
4. Enter an address on your domain to receive the unmatched mail.

Proton warns this can clutter an inbox and recommends a dedicated address such as catchall@ or contact@. Without a catch-all, senders who mistype an address get a bounce-back.

The DNS records Proton asks for

Values in the table come from Proton’s provider guides for Squarespace, Bluehost and Cloudflare. Your verification, DKIM and DMARC values come from your own Proton dashboard, under Domain names and then Review. Your dashboard wins over this table if they ever differ.

Purpose	Type	Host	Value	Priority
Verify ownership	TXT	@	Your protonmail-verification= value, from the dashboard	None
Incoming mail 1	MX	@	mail.protonmail.ch	10
Incoming mail 2	MX	@	mailsec.protonmail.ch	20
SPF	TXT	@	Copy from the SPF tab. Must include include:_spf.protonmail.ch	None
DKIM 1	CNAME	protonmail._domainkey	From the DKIM tab	None
DKIM 2	CNAME	protonmail2._domainkey	From the DKIM tab	None
DKIM 3	CNAME	protonmail3._domainkey	From the DKIM tab	None
DMARC	TXT	_dmarc	From the DMARC tab	None

SPF: one record only

Proton’s main guide says to add only one SPF record, and Hostinger’s SPF article gives the same advice. If a record already exists, edit it instead of adding a second. Proton says to add its include string after v=spf1.

Proton’s guides differ slightly here. The Squarespace guide shows v=spf1 include:_spf.protonmail.ch ~all, and the Bluehost guide adds mx before ~all. Use what your own SPF tab shows.

If other services send mail as your domain, keep them in the same line. Hostinger’s example format puts each provider in its own include mechanism, such as v=spf1 include:_spf.mail.hostinger.com include:emailmktprovider.tld ~all. During a migration, Proton’s Microsoft guide uses SPF so a team can send from both systems.

Proton recommends ~all. It describes -all as an alternative but warns it can cause delivery problems for legitimate mail, such as forwarded email.

Website and shop mail can need its own setup too. See this guide to fixing WordPress and WooCommerce emails with SMTP2GO if your store sends mail as your domain.

DKIM: three CNAMEs, kept in place

Proton asks you to add and keep all three CNAME records. It says it generates a new 2048-bit key every six months.

Hostinger’s zone editor guide says a domain should have one DKIM record, but Proton’s three use three separate host names. Follow Proton here, since it is the sender. If you previously used a manual DKIM TXT record, delete it and enter the CNAMEs immediately, because signing stops once the TXT record is gone.

DMARC: start where Proton recommends

The policy lives in the p= value. Proton describes three options.

• p=none: takes no action on failed mail, usually used for testing.
• p=quarantine: recipients should mark or quarantine failing mail. Proton recommends this for most domains.
• p=reject: recipients should reject failing mail. Proton suggests it once legitimate mail reliably passes and you are a likely spoofing target.

Proton warns that mailing lists can break SPF or DKIM, which can cause delivery problems under quarantine or reject. The rua= parameter sets an address for aggregate reports.

If you plan outreach from this domain, also read this cold email deliverability checklist. The Proton docs reviewed for this guide cover authentication, not bulk sending.

Adding the records in Hostinger hPanel

Use these steps if your domain uses Hostinger nameservers. Hostinger’s articles describe the route in slightly different ways, so use whichever matches your screen. The DNS records article is the most detailed.

1. In the Hostinger dashboard, go to Domains and click Manage next to your domain.
2. Open “DNS / Nameservers” from the left sidebar. With a hosting plan, Hostinger also lists Websites, Manage site, Advanced, DNS Zone Editor.
3. In the “Manage DNS records” card, choose the record type.
4. Enter the fields from the table below, then click “Add Record”.

Record	Type in hPanel	Name	Value field	Other
Verification	TXT	@	Paste from Proton	TTL 300 if accepted
MX 1	MX	@	Mail server: mail.protonmail.ch	Priority 10
MX 2	MX	@	Mail server: mailsec.protonmail.ch	Priority 20
SPF	TXT	@	Edit the existing v=spf1 record	Keep one only
DKIM 1 to 3	CNAME	The selector host, such as protonmail._domainkey	Target: paste from Proton	Hostinger appends your domain
DMARC	TXT	_dmarc	Paste from Proton	One record

Four Hostinger details matter for Proton.

• Default MX. Hostinger domains use mx1.hostinger.com and mx2.hostinger.com by default. To use a third party, Hostinger says to remove them and add your provider’s. Use the trash icon, then confirm Delete.
• Default SPF. Hostinger says its editor includes an SPF record by default. For Hostinger Email its value is v=spf1 include:_spf.mail.hostinger.com ~all. Replace or merge it rather than adding a second.
• Quick setup. Hostinger lists this for Shopify, Google Workspace and Google verification, not Proton, so add the records by hand.
• Propagation. Hostinger says to allow up to 24 hours.

If your domain was registered elsewhere, Hostinger says to change nameservers at that registrar. To connect only an email service while your site stays at Hostinger, it says to keep Hostinger nameservers and add the records that service gives you. See how to change nameservers and this hPanel tour for orientation.

How to test the setup

1. Check that the MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC tabs all show green check marks under Domain names, then Review.
2. Send a message from an outside account to your new address, and reply to it from Proton.
3. Send a test to the address shown on mail-tester.com. Proton says that with SPF and DKIM set up correctly you should score 10/10.
4. Send to each shared address and to a misspelled one. Without a catch-all the misspelled one should bounce.
5. Trigger your contact form and any shop or invoice emails.

Proton warns that even after green checks, some platforms may cache old settings for 1 to 3 days. Keep your old mailbox open and check it during that window, since mail may still reach it.

Moving from an existing mailbox

Proton Easy Switch imports email, and calendars and contacts depending on the provider. Proton lists Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Microsoft Outlook and any provider that supports IMAP.

1. Go to Settings, All settings, Import via Easy Switch, and choose your service.
2. Select the data to import and sign in.
3. Review folders, time range, destination address and label.
4. Click “Start import”.

• Proton says the transfer runs in the background and can take days for long-used accounts.
• Imports start with the most recent messages.
• Up to two different accounts can be transferred at once, with one transfer per account.
• More than 2,000 folders or names over 100 characters need adjusting first.

For Microsoft 365 teams, Proton has a separate business guide. It notes that shared mailboxes are not supported, on-premises accounts are not supported, and activation links stop working after finalization. Parts of that guide refer to a “Gmail inbox”, so confirm cutover details with Proton support.

For Gmail addresses, Proton now describes forwarding as a legacy feature being replaced by Gmail connection, per its forwarding article. Proton says only Inbox messages are forwarded.

A practical suggestion: keep the old provider paid until imports finish and the 1 to 3 day cache window has passed.

Common failures and what the docs say to do

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix from the docs
Verification fails	DNS has not updated yet	Proton suggests waiting and trying again in about an hour
DKIM check fails	Value mismatch or trailing period	Match the DKIM tab exactly. Remove the trailing period if rejected. See Proton’s CNAME article
DKIM still fails	Old manual DKIM TXT record	Delete it and add the CNAMEs right away
Records do nothing at Hostinger	Nameservers point elsewhere	Change them at the active DNS provider
DKIM never verifies on Cloudflare	Proxy is on	Set proxy status to “DNS only”
Mail still reaches the old server	Cached records or a leftover MX	Delete old MX, then wait up to a day or more
Mail to one address never arrives	Address missing in Proton	Create it, or set a catch-all
Sent mail lands in spam or is rejected	Missing authentication	Add SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Proton warns Gmail may otherwise reject or spam it

Who should not do this

• Anyone happy to stay free. Custom domains need a paid plan.
• Teams with heavy shared mailbox use on Microsoft 365. Proton’s migration guide says they are not supported, so plan around that.
• Businesses wanting two mail systems receiving on one domain. The docs reviewed here give no split delivery procedure, and Hostinger states one provider per domain.
• Owners who want mail bundled with hosting. Compare this guide to creating a professional email address with Hostinger before adding another subscription.

If you use other Proton tools, see Proton Pass vs Passpack for the password side.

Keep a record of what you set up

Keep a short log of each address, who owns it, the catch-all target, your old provider’s end date and every other service that sends as your domain.

If you run your business in Notion, the Small Business Back-Office Kit ($45) is one place to put this. The product page lists seven templates, including an Employee Directory with each person’s role and contact details, a Company Handbook for policies and onboarding information, and Meeting Minutes with owners for action items. It is not an email tool and has no DNS features.

FAQ

Can I use Proton Mail with my own domain on the free plan?

No. Proton says all paid plans support custom domains, and its plans article and pricing pages list none for Free.

Will my website go down when I change MX records?

MX records only control where mail goes, and your site uses other records. The risk comes from deleting the wrong records or using Import in Replace mode, so export the zone first and delete only old mail records.

How long does the switch take?

Proton says MX changes can take up to a day, and some platforms may cache old settings for 1 to 3 days. Hostinger says to allow up to 24 hours for propagation.

Can Proton and my old provider both receive mail for the domain?

Plan on no. Mail goes to the MX with the lowest priority number, and Hostinger says you can use only one email provider per domain at a time.

Do I need DMARC?

Proton’s provider guides mark DMARC as optional, but its Porkbun guide warns that without SPF, DKIM and DMARC, providers such as Gmail may reject messages or send them to spam. Add it.

Can I keep using Outlook or Apple Mail?

Proton says Proton Mail Bridge works with Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird and other IMAP/SMTP clients. Confirm that your plan includes it before you rely on it.