Glossary · ENCheck a domain

Email provider

An email provider is a service that helps people send, receive, and store email. For a custom address such as hello@example.com, the provider operates the mail service, while the domain's DNS tells other mail systems where to deliver incoming messages.

What does an email provider do?

The provider gives users a way to access mailboxes and handles sending or receiving messages through mail servers. When another service sends a message to hello@example.com, the sender looks up the domain's mail-routing information in DNS. An MX record names a mail server that accepts messages for the domain. The receiving provider then routes the message to the appropriate mailbox, if one exists.

For example, a small shop registers example.com with one company, hosts its website with another, and uses a third company for email. The shop adds the MX records supplied by its email provider to the DNS service for example.com. A customer who sends a message to hello@example.com is directed to the mail system named by those records. The website host does not have to handle the shop's email.

Is an email provider the same as a mail server?

No. The email provider is the service or organization. A mail server is a computer system or software that sends, receives, or relays messages as part of that service. One provider can operate many servers, and a message may pass through more than one server before it reaches a mailbox.

Is email included with domain registration or web hosting?

It may be offered as an extra service, but it is not part of a domain name by itself. The registrar may sell email or bundle it with registration, and a hosting provider may offer mailboxes too. You can also choose a separate email provider. If services are split across companies, each part needs the right settings: MX records direct incoming email, while other DNS records may be needed to check that outgoing mail is authorized or to support provider-specific features.

If you change email providers, mailboxes and their stored messages may need to be moved, and DNS records must be updated according to the new provider's instructions. Changing the website host or domain registrar alone does not automatically move email. Confirm which company stores the mail and what data it will migrate before ending an old service.

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