Over the previous three years, I’ve modified electronic mail suppliers 3 times with out ever altering electronic mail addresses.
That’s as a result of my deal with is completely below my management. As an alternative of counting on an electronic mail that ends in gmail.com, yahoo.com, or the hyperlink, I can ship and obtain mail from my @jarednewman.com area, which I can switch between electronic mail suppliers at any time.
That is known as utilizing a customized area for electronic mail, and it’s probably the most liberating tech issues I’ve ever accomplished. When Skiff Mail shut down in 2023, I merely packed up and moved to Proton Mail as an alternative. And after getting pissed off with Proton’s limitations, I migrated over to Fastmail and took my deal with and messages with me.
After I discussed customized domains in my story about Proton and Fastmail final month, a bunch of oldsters requested for extra particulars. Honest warning: Setting this up will be intimidating, but it surely’s well worth the effort it you wish to management a core piece of your on-line identification.
This story first appeared in Jared’s Advisorator e-newsletter. Signal as much as get extra recommendation each Tuesday.
Catch-all aliases in Fastmail
Why you may want a customized electronic mail area
Freedom out of your electronic mail supplier: Being caught with an deal with out of your electronic mail supplier represents a strong type of lock-in, as a result of altering addresses is a trouble. You’ll need to nag individuals to replace their deal with books, and probably arrange forwarding guidelines in order that emails proceed to trickle in out of your previous deal with.
When you’ve dedicated to a customized area and get everybody to make use of it, you’ll by no means need to make that effort once more, and the largest impediment to switching electronic mail suppliers is gone. I’d most likely by no means have left Proton for Fastmail (which, up to now, I’m having fun with much more) if I needed to change addresses.
Management over your logins: Most on-line companies use your electronic mail deal with as your login, and whilst you would possibly belief Google (or Yahoo, or one other electronic mail supplier) with that info, I’d quite management it myself. If I wish to change electronic mail suppliers once more—or my electronic mail account will get shut down for some cause—it gained’t have an effect on the logins I’ve arrange below my area.
Extra highly effective aliases: E-mail aliases are a good way to tame your inbox. For example, I’ve an deal with only for receiving newsletters, and I robotically filter them right into a “Newsletters” folder after they arrive.
In case you’re utilizing Gmail, you’d create an alias that appears like yourname+newsletters@gmail.com for this function. However entrepreneurs are studying to disregard these methods, and you are able to do extra with a customized area. Fastmail, as an example, can take any alias you haven’t arrange prematurely and kind it right into a folder. If a retailer asks for my electronic mail, as an example, I may give them nameofthatstore@jarednewman.com, and their mail will robotically land in a “Junk” folder. (That is particularly helpful for websites that block the usage of masked electronic mail addresses.)
Vainness functions: In case you’re conducting enterprise through electronic mail, an deal with like “whats up@yourname.com” seems to be extra skilled than a Gmail or Outlook deal with. It’s additionally a enjoyable approach to impress family and friends.
Customized area setup in Fastmail
Potential pitfalls
Whereas having a customized area for electronic mail is empowering, it comes with some baggage that I’ve skilled firsthand.
It prices cash: Registering my jarednewman.com area prices $30 per 12 months (although I’ve been paying that toll for years regardless), and most electronic mail suppliers cost additional to make use of a customized area with their companies.
Setting it up will be intimidating: Connecting a customized area requires digging into your web site’s DNS settings and following some very particular directions out of your electronic mail supplier. You’ll have to repeat and paste a couple of strains of cryptic textual content, then maintain your breath whereas ready for brand spanking new emails to undergo. I nonetheless discover this a bit nerve-racking, particularly when switching a site from one electronic mail supplier to a different.
Some electronic mail suppliers will promote you a customized area and set it up robotically, however watch out with this feature. Chances are you’ll have to switch the area earlier than switching electronic mail suppliers, in any other case you might lose entry to your deal with.
Exporting mail is one other story: Whereas a customized area removes a serious barrier to switching electronic mail suppliers, taking your previous emails with you is a separate course of. Every supplier has its personal import/export move, and sorting by it takes additional effort and time.
What it seems to be prefer to edit your DNS information
Methods to get began
Except your electronic mail supplier provides computerized setup, you’ll have to register a site identify first. Cloudflare, iwantmyname, and namecheap are all strong registrars really helpful by varied electronic mail suppliers, and Google has an extended listing of choices right here.
After buying a site, you possibly can join it along with your electronic mail supplier. Listed below are some notable electronic mail suppliers with customized area assist, what they cost for it, and hyperlinks to their setup directions:
- iCloud Mail: Requires iCloud+ ($1/mo. and up). Provides area registration and computerized setup through CloudFlare. See directions to buy a site or arrange an current one.
- Gmail: Requires Google Workspace ($7/mo. and up). See directions.
- Fastmail: Subscription required ($5/mo. and up). Provides area registration and computerized setup. (Necessary: In case you use computerized setup and later determine to change electronic mail suppliers, you should switch the area from Fastmail to a brand new registrar first.) See directions.
- Proton Mail: Requires a paid plan ($5/mo. and up). See directions.
- Zoho Mail: No subscription wanted, although the free plan is buried right here. See directions.
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