Can't config email after linking website to CF

Since joining CF in Feb 2023, I cannot get my email to render in Thunderbird. my host points to CF.

in cf, under DNS Records is see a warning message, but the option to “edit” doesn’t allow me to point host records to a specific IP address (i was instructed to do the latter by my host).

i tried to “contact cf” was offered 90 pages of reading material – i’m sure the answer is in there somewhere but, my expectation is to have a normal website configure with a normal email address so … i ain’t wasting my life hope one email address (the only one associated with cf) is functional.

ya got 5 days to cut-to-the-chase (to resolve) of i’m out…

I recommend you read this excellent Tutorial:

Chances are, your problem is covered in there.

3 Likes

thx Laudian – nice short vid. i have several websites hosted by same host / same account; one, and only one, is connected to cf as an experiment to improve speed.

for the MX record, the
Name = [domain].org
Mail server = mail.[domain].org
TTL = Auto
Priority = 0
*** i tried changing Name to “@” but it saves as “[domain].org”. i then changed Name to “mail” but still have warning symbol (the message: “This record exposes the IP address used in the CNAME record on imap.[domain].org, which you have proxied through Cloudflare.”) i’m a front-end guy! fu&% that’s an annoying message; i just click “Stupid, connect ur domain to cf cause we make magic happen” button.

my A record for “mail” was Proxied. the vid said to change to “DNS only”. i did that … hit save, and now that record has a little warning symbol (the message: “This record exposes the IP address used in the A record on autoconfig.[domain].org. Enable the proxy status to protect your origin server”).

i didn’t config ??anything?? when connecting to cf; i provided my info…and more of my info…and cf auto-config’d. would be great to have a CF technical person look for 2 min. if a firm has auto-config, then it needs a human to see what’s … not auto about the config.

im a HEAVY front-end user for 25 yrs so i learned a thing or two about the backend. i am SO pissed that simple sh$# can’t get fixed.
here was my intro to cf: Website is down after changing nameservers.

anywho, thanks for trying Laudian

When you run your mailserver on the same host as your webserver, you will always have the informational message about the exposed IP. It’s not a big deal.

You can:

  1. Ignore it
  2. Move your mailserver to another host

thank you epic.network.

my expectation was that the one email address connected to the one website connected to cf would render in thunderbird (mail client), iphone, etc. the mission was to config my website to speed up, and not loose basic email functionality.

in my initial connection to set-uop with cf, i didn’t config ??anything??; i provided my info…and more of my info…and cf auto-config’d. would be great to have a CF technical person look for 2 min. if a firm has auto-config, then it needs a human to see what’s … not auto about the config.

but thank you for chiming in. all of it takes precious time…

While Cloudflare is relatively easy to use, it doesn’t make the necessary mechanics of the internet any less complex. You mention having a Cloudflare employee review settings, but that’s not possible for a free product, and even the Pro subscription is effectively a free product. Even at the Enterprise level, Cloudflare is very much intended as a self-service platform.

That doesn’t mean that only experts should use it. It just helps if one has appropriate expectations. The Community is mostly other Cloudflare users.

Is your email working as expected now?

thx epic.network – i think you mean well. thanks for the feedback; i am looking for services rather than a self-serve situation. live & learn.

free or not free, if a firm has auto-config, then it will want to invest in humans (staff) to see what’s … not auto about the config. it could be a security issue; it’s DEFINETLEY a time-saver for customers.
i’m a heavy frontend guy; the backend has too many twists & turns for my brain. i’m moving off cf; y’all will be relived of a whiner :slight_smile:

but no, the email address for the one, and only one website linked to cf, will not config to thunderbird or iphone.

If you mean that those email clients will not automatically configure your email account, that is not unexpected. In the case of Thunderbird autoconfiguration, a very specific web site that serves an XML with the necessary server settings needs to be published at a particular URL. I expect similar steps would be required for the iOS mail app.

Even if you were planning on continuing to use Cloudflare, it’s not a topic that we can do a deep dive into here. I do hope you find a service partner that is better aligned with your needs and expectations.

just to be clear: thunderbird and iphone config all other email addresses to all other (three) websites (sites not linked to cf; using the same host), and config to yahoo and gmail.

been heavy end-user since 1996; config’d a LOT of SW (local & on platforms); i’ve needed no training or support on 95% of what i’ve used; SW / platforms are either well designed or not, allowing the end-users to move forward (rather than what i’m doing – going sideways :./).

no email, no support so … no continuation. keep it simple my friend.