Tips to setup mail server completely in WHM/cPanel?

Chris Worner · Sep 19, 2023

Hello everyone,

I've recently installed WHM/cPanel on my server and I'm looking for guidance on setting up a comprehensive mail server. I want to ensure that my websites can send and receive emails seamlessly on this server. Could you please share any guides or tips to help me achieve this?

Thank you in advance!"

AlbaHost · Sep 19, 2023

PTR records for your main shared IP/hostname and nameservers.
DKIM, DMARC and you are good to go. After that, you can verify if everything is OK in: https://mxtoolbox.com/deliverability and https://www.mail-tester.com/

Cheerag Nundlall · Sep 20, 2023

Setting up a comprehensive mail server in WHM/cPanel for seamless email functionality involves a series of essential steps. First, ensure you've selected the right mail server software (Dovecot + Exim) in WHM's "Mailserver Selection" section. Next, configure DNS records properly by setting up MX records pointing to your server's IP address. These records are crucial for email routing.

With DNS in place, create email accounts for your domains through cPanel's "Email Accounts" feature. You can also set up email forwarders and autoresponders here. Make sure to secure your email communication by installing SSL/TLS certificates, which you can obtain through Let's Encrypt in cPanel.

To enhance email deliverability and security, implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. These authentication mechanisms help verify your email's legitimacy and protect against spoofing. Additionally, fine-tune Exim mail server settings in WHM's "Exim Configuration Manager" to customize your email server's behavior. Regularly monitor email logs for any issues or unusual activities using WHM's log analysis tools. Don't forget to implement security measures and anti-spam solutions available in WHM to safeguard your mail server against threats. Regularly backup your email data using WHM's backup tools to prevent data loss.

Finally, thoroughly test your mail server by sending and receiving emails to ensure it functions correctly. Maintain documentation of your email server's configuration for reference and troubleshooting.

Enjoy your setups!

reginao · 2025-09-18T08:52:45+0100

Hi! First, I think some congrats are in order

Setting up a comprehensive mail server in WHM/cPanel is a great step. Some tips that may help:

- Go to “Mailserver Selection” section in WHM and make sure you're using the right software (Dovecot + Exim).
- Make sure your MX records are set up correctly to point to your server's IP address. Also don't skip the SSL/TSL certificate installation via Let's Encrypt in cPanel.
- Also check your SPF, DKIM, DMARC records

To test or know for sure if your websites can send and receive emails seamlessly on this server, you can try the free email deliverability test by Warmy.io (sorry can't paste the hyperlink yet as I'm fairly new here). You'll be given a list of email addresses (mixture of Yahoo, Gmail, Outlook) then you can send a test email. You'll receive a very detailed report on how much of your emails were received in the inbox, or spam, or bounced.

Hope this helps!

Tips to setup mail server completely in WHM/cPanel?

Chris Worner

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AlbaHost

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Cheerag Nundlall

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reginao

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