> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.brudcast.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Add a sending domain

> Register the domain you want to send from, watch it provision, and get the five DNS records to publish.

export const DemoVideo = ({id, title, embedUrl, src, poster, duration}) => {
  if (embedUrl) {
    return <figure className="brd-media" data-media-id={id}>
        <iframe className="brd-media-frame w-full aspect-video" src={embedUrl} title={title} allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture" allowFullScreen />
      </figure>;
  }
  if (src) {
    return <figure className="brd-media" data-media-id={id}>
        <video className="brd-media-frame w-full aspect-video" src={src} poster={poster} controls playsInline preload="metadata" />
      </figure>;
  }
  const label = duration ? `Video walkthrough coming soon · ${duration}` : "Video walkthrough coming soon";
  return <Placeholder id={id} kind="video" label={label} description={title} ratio="16 / 9" icon={<PlayIcon />} />;
};

export const Screenshot = ({id, src, srcDark, alt, caption}) => {
  if (!src) {
    return <Placeholder id={id} kind="screenshot" label="Screenshot coming soon" description={alt} icon={<ImageIcon />} />;
  }
  return <figure className="brd-media" data-media-id={id}>
      <img className="brd-media-frame block dark:hidden" src={src} alt={alt} />
      <img className="brd-media-frame hidden dark:block" src={srcDark || src} alt={alt} />
      {caption && <figcaption className="brd-media-caption">{caption}</figcaption>}
    </figure>;
};

Add the domain you want to send from, and Brudcast generates its DKIM keys and the DNS records that
prove you own it.

<Screenshot id="ss-email-add-domain-hero-dns-records" alt="A newly added sending domain's DNS Records tab listing the SPF, DKIM, tracking and DMARC records, each with copy buttons" />

<Info>
  **Before you start:** you need an active Email subscription, and access to the DNS settings for the
  domain. If someone else manages your DNS, involve them now rather than after you've added the
  domain.
</Info>

<Accordion title="Watch the walkthrough" icon="circle-play">
  <DemoVideo id="V04" title="Add and verify your sending domain" duration="3 min" />
</Accordion>

## Choose the domain

Use a subdomain dedicated to sending, such as `mail.example.com` or `news.example.com`.

<Tip>
  A subdomain keeps sending reputation separate from your main domain. If a campaign ever causes a
  reputation problem, it doesn't follow the mail your staff send from `example.com`.
</Tip>

You can't add `brudcast.com`, `brudcast.io`, `brudcast.org`, `brudcast.app`, `brudcastmail.com`, or
any name under them.

## Add it

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Domains tab">
    Go to **Channels > Email**, select the **Domains** tab, then select **Add Domain**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the domain name">
    In the **Add Sending Domain** panel, type the domain in the **Domain** field, for example
    `mail.example.com`. Leave out `https://` and any trailing slash. Select **Add Domain**.

    <Screenshot id="ss-email-add-domain-01-add-panel" alt="The Add Sending Domain panel with mail.example.com typed in the Domain field" />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for provisioning">
    The domain appears in the list marked **Pending** while Brudcast generates its keys and records.
    The page updates by itself. This usually takes seconds.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the domain">
    Select the domain's name. The **DNS Records** tab lists the five records to publish, with copy
    buttons for each name and value. The person who created the organization is also emailed the
    records.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Publish the records, then verify">
    Add the records at your DNS provider. [DNS records](/channels/email/dns-records) explains each
    one, and [Publish DNS records at your provider](/channels/email/dns-by-provider) has the steps
    for Cloudflare, Route 53, Namecheap, GoDaddy and others. Then
    [verify your domain](/channels/email/verify-your-domain).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Domain statuses

The badge in the dashboard groups the six statuses into four labels.

| Status                | Badge        | What it means                                                          | What to do                                                                                    |
| --------------------- | ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `provisioning`        | **Pending**  | Keys and records are being generated                                   | Wait                                                                                          |
| `unverified`          | **Pending**  | Ready. The records haven't been confirmed yet                          | Publish the records, then select **Verify DNS**                                               |
| `verified`            | **Verified** | The SPF delegation record was found. The domain can send               | Send                                                                                          |
| `verification_failed` | **Failed**   | The last check didn't find the SPF delegation record                   | Fix the record and check again. See [Verify your domain](/channels/email/verify-your-domain)  |
| `provisioning_failed` | **Failed**   | Setup didn't complete                                                  | Email [support@brudcast.com](mailto:support@brudcast.com). Don't delete and re-add the domain |
| `suspended`           | **Failed**   | Sending has been stopped, usually because of bounce or complaint rates | See [Deliverability overview](/deliverability/overview)                                       |

The managed sending address shows **Retired** once it retires.

## Limits

* Your plan sets how many sending domains you can add. When you reach it, the panel shows a plan
  limit notice instead of adding the domain. The managed sending address doesn't count.
* A domain can be added to only one organization's account once. Adding it again shows
  `Domain mail.example.com is already added to your account`.

## Sender addresses

Once the domain is verified, save the from addresses your campaigns use, so they're one click away in
the composer. Go to **Channels > Email**, select the **Senders** tab, then select **Add Sender**.

| Field                               | What to enter                                                                         |
| ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Label**                           | A name for your own reference, such as `Marketing`                                    |
| **From Email**                      | The part before the `@`, then pick the domain                                         |
| **From Name**                       | The name recipients see. Use your brand, unless the mail really comes from one person |
| **Reply-To**                        | Optional. Where replies go, if not to the from address                                |
| **Set as default for this channel** | Optional                                                                              |

Select **Continue**, check the summary, then select **Create Sender Identity**. The address is
**Approved** straight away. Email is the only channel whose sender identities aren't reviewed,
because publishing the DNS records already proved you control every address on the domain.

Saving an address is optional: an email campaign can send from any address on a verified domain,
which is why the "Add a sender address" step on the **Setup** tab is marked optional. Each row's
actions are **Set as default**, **Edit** and **Delete**. Deleting an address doesn't change the from
address on campaigns that already used it. If the domain is suspended or deleted, the addresses on it
stop sending.

<Tip>
  Avoid `no-reply@`. Recipients who want to reply may report the message as spam instead, and mailbox
  providers read that as a bad sign for your domain.
</Tip>

## Delete a domain

Open the domain, select the **Settings** tab, and select **Delete Domain** under **Danger Zone**. You
can also use the delete button on the domain's row in the **Domains** tab.

Deleting permanently removes the domain with its DNS records, SMTP users and sending keys. Anything
still sending with those credentials starts failing straight away. This can't be undone.

## Troubleshooting

Every answer below is in full, with the rest of the email errors, in
[Email troubleshooting](/channels/email/troubleshooting#adding-a-domain).

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="“mail.example.com is a Brudcast-owned domain and cannot be added”">
    **Why:** the name is, or sits under, a domain Brudcast owns.
    **Fix:** [Adding a domain](/channels/email/troubleshooting#adding-a-domain).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The Add Domain button is disabled">
    **Why:** no active Email subscription, a past-due subscription, or you've reached your plan's
    number of sending domains.
    **Fix:** [The Add Domain button is disabled](/channels/email/troubleshooting#adding-a-domain).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The domain stays Pending after I published the records">
    **Why:** a domain in `unverified` also shows **Pending**, and Brudcast only checks your DNS when
    you ask it to.
    **Fix:** open the domain and select **Verify DNS**. See
    [Verifying DNS records](/channels/email/troubleshooting#verifying-dns-records).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The domain shows Failed straight after adding it">
    **Why:** provisioning didn't complete, so the records were never generated.
    **Fix:** [The domain shows Failed straight after you add it](/channels/email/troubleshooting#adding-a-domain).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="DNS records" icon="list" href="/channels/email/dns-records">
    What each of the five records does.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Publish them at your provider" icon="server" href="/channels/email/dns-by-provider">
    Cloudflare, Route 53, Namecheap, GoDaddy and others.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Verify your domain" icon="circle-check" href="/channels/email/verify-your-domain">
    Run the check and read the result.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Email troubleshooting" icon="life-buoy" href="/channels/email/troubleshooting">
    Every email error, in one place.
  </Card>
</Columns>