The use of a custom outgoing email address is available starting from the "Pro" plan. See our pricing page for more information.
Add sender email name and sender email address
Navigate to Console > General > Outgoing email address. Under "Outgoing email settings," click on the "1/2 Edit email settings" button to start the setup.
Enter a sender email address and a sender email name, then click on "Save changes".
Once you have added your sender email information, CNAME records will be generated.
Note: you can only use an outgoing email address with a domain over which you have DNS control. This means generic email addresses, such as example@gmail.com, will result in an error and failed validation.
Configure email DNS
Next, you need to add the generated CNAME records from your Console to your domain hosting provider. This is an essential step for your sender's reputation and email deliverability. You should add all the records in the table visible in the Console.
These DNS provider video tutorials by SendGrid might be helpful if you are not sure how to configure the DNS records for your specific DNS provider.
Validate email DNS
When you have configured your email DNS records, you still need to validate the records for your emails to work. You can do that by clicking the "2/2 Validate" button in Console. If everything is set up correctly, you should see a success message in Console.
Whenever you change your DNS records, you can revalidate them to check that everything is set up correctly.
Troubleshooting failing validation
Note that when you make changes to your DNS, the changes might take a while to propagate. SendGrid recommends that you give up to 48 hours to make sure your latest changes are in use. Some of the records might propagate faster than others, so be patient.
Some domain providers automatically append your top-level domain to your DNS records. If you are using GoDaddy, Amazon Route 53, or Namecheap, make sure that your domain isn't duplicated in the DNS entries.
For example, if your domain is example.com, and the generated CNAME record's host value is em123.example.com, the incorrect record will become em123.example.com.example.com.
Configure a DMARC policy
Starting in February 2024, Google and Yahoo are rolling out changes to bulk email sender requirements. Their aim is to guarantee a more secure experience and a less spammy inbox for email recipients.
When following the DNS configuration instructions in this article, your domain is already configured correctly for SPF and DKIM authentication. However, setting up a DMARC policy is also recommended, especially if there is a significant amount of email sent daily for your domain. Without one, email deliverability to Gmail and Yahoo addresses from your domain could be negatively affected.
Setting up a DMARC policy involves adding a DNS record for the name _dmarc in your domain. For example, if your domain is example.com, then the DNS record should be for the name _dmarc.example.com. The type of record must be TXT. The value of the record can be different depending on your or your organization's requirements. If unsure, use the following value as your DMARC policy: v=DMARC1; p=none. This is a minimally neutral DMARC policy. For instance, for example.com the record would be:
type | name | value |
TXT | _dmarc.example.com | v=DMARC1; p=none |
Note that depending on your DNS hosting provider, the domain name may be added automatically to any records you create. In that case, you need to use just _dmarc as the record name, without the domain name. You may also need to place the value in quotes: "v=DMARC1; p=none".