Setting up a professional email address with Hostinger takes about 15 to 20 minutes. You need an active Hostinger hosting plan, a domain connected to your account, and access to your hPanel dashboard. This guide covers creating your email account, configuring DNS records, connecting to an email client, and troubleshooting common setup issues.
Every step here comes from Hostinger’s official help center and hPanel interface.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Time required | 15–20 minutes |
| Difficulty | Beginner |
| What you need | Active Hostinger hosting plan, registered domain, hPanel login credentials |
| What you will achieve | A fully functional professional email address ready to send and receive messages |
Before You Start
You do not need a separate email hosting plan. Hostinger includes email hosting with every web hosting plan. Your domain must be pointed to Hostinger’s nameservers before the email service works.
If your domain is registered elsewhere and still using another provider’s nameservers, the email setup will fail until you update them.
What you need ready:
- Your Hostinger account login email and password
- The domain you want to use for email (must be added to your Hostinger account)
- A password manager or a place to store your new email credentials
- An email client (Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, or your phone’s default mail app) if you plan to send and receive email from a desktop or mobile app instead of webmail
Important: If you bought your domain from a third-party registrar and you have not changed the nameservers to Hostinger’s, the email will not work until you do. Nameserver changes can take 24 to 48 hours to propagate worldwide.
How to Setup Hostinger Email
Step 1: Log in to hPanel
Open your browser and go to hostinger.com. Click the “Log in” button in the top right corner. Enter your email address and password.
You will land on the hPanel dashboard automatically. This is the main control panel for your hosting account.
If you get a “wrong credentials” error, use the “Forgot password” link to reset your password before continuing.
Step 2: Go to the Email Section
On the left sidebar of hPanel, find and click “Email.” A dropdown menu will appear with options like “Email Accounts,” “Forwarders,” “Autoresponders,” and “Email Deliverability.” Click “Email Accounts.” This opens the page where you manage all your email inboxes.
The exact position of “Email” in the sidebar may shift slightly depending on your screen size, but it is always in the lower half of the menu.
Step 3: Create a New Email Account
Click the blue “Create New Email Account” button near the top right of the Email Accounts page. A form will appear.
Fill in the fields:
- Domain: Select the domain you want to use from the dropdown list. If you have only one domain in your account, it will be pre-selected.
- Username: Type the part of the email address that comes before the @ symbol. For example, if you want info@yourdomain.com, type “info” here. Use only lowercase letters, numbers, and periods, no spaces or special characters.
- Password: Enter a strong password. Hostinger shows a strength meter. Aim for at least 12 characters with a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols. You can click the eye icon to see what you typed.
- Mailbox Quota: This sets the storage limit for this mailbox. The default is usually 1 GB. You can increase it up to the limit your plan allows. Your total available storage is shown below this field.
- Name: This is optional but recommended. Enter your full name or a business name. It will appear in the “From” field when people receive your emails.
Click “Create” at the bottom of the form. Hostinger will set up the mailbox. A confirmation message appears at the top of the screen within about 10 seconds.
Wait time: The new email account is usually ready within 30 seconds. If you see a “Setting up mailbox” message, wait up to 60 seconds and refresh the page.
Step 4: Access Your New Email Through Webmail
Once the account is created, you can send and receive emails immediately through Hostinger’s webmail interface. On the Email Accounts page, find your new email address in the list. Click the “View Webmail” button next to it.
A new tab opens with the Roundcube or Afterlogic webmail interface, depending on your plan.
Log in with the full email address and the password you set in Step 3. You will see a standard inbox layout. You can start composing emails right away.
Bookmark the webmail login page for quick access later. The URL is usually something like webmail.yourdomain.com or mail.yourdomain.com.
Step 5: Configure Email on a Desktop Client (Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail)
If you want to use a desktop program instead of webmail, you need to enter the correct server settings. Do not guess these. Open your email client and choose “Add Account” or “Manual Setup.”
Hostinger’s recommended settings for IMAP (what you should use):
- Server type: IMAP
- Incoming server: mail.yourdomain.com
- Incoming port: 993 (SSL/TLS required)
- Outgoing server (SMTP): mail.yourdomain.com
- Outgoing port: 465 (SSL/TLS required)
- Username: Your full email address (for example, info@yourdomain.com)
- Password: The password you created in Step 3
Important: Do not use POP3 unless you have a specific reason. IMAP keeps emails on the server so you can access them from any device. POP3 downloads emails to one device and removes them from the server, which causes problems if you check email on your phone and your computer.
If your email client asks for an “Authentication method,” select “Password, Normal” or “Plain.” Hostinger’s email servers use standard password authentication.
Step 6: Set Up Email on a Mobile Device (iPhone, Android)
The process on a phone is similar to a desktop client. iPhone users go to Settings > Mail > Accounts > Add Account > Other > Add Mail Account. Android users open the default Email app or Gmail app, tap the menu icon, go to Settings, and tap “Add account.”
Enter the same IMAP settings listed in Step 5. Use your full email address and password. The server addresses remain mail.yourdomain.com for both incoming and outgoing.
Ports 993 and 465 with SSL/TLS are the same for mobile.
If your phone auto-detects the settings and fails, delete the auto-detected values and enter the manual settings exactly as shown above. Auto-detection often guesses wrong for custom domain email.
Step 7: Verify DNS Records for Email Delivery (Optional but Recommended)
Hostinger usually sets up the required DNS records automatically when you create an email account. But sometimes a record is missing, especially if you migrated a domain from another provider. You should check three records to make sure your emails don’t end up in spam folders.
Go back to hPanel. Click “Domains” in the left sidebar, then select your domain. Click “DNS Zone Editor” or “Manage DNS.” Look for these records:
- MX record: This tells the internet where to deliver emails for your domain. Hostinger’s MX record should point to mx1.hostinger.com and mx2.hostinger.com with priority values of 10 and 20. If these are missing, add them.
- SPF record: This is a TXT record that lists which servers are allowed to send email for your domain. It should look like “v=spf1 include:_spf.hostinger.com ~all”. If it is missing, add it as a TXT record.
- DKIM record: This signs your outgoing emails with a digital signature. Go to the Email section in hPanel, click “Email Deliverability,” and find the DKIM section. Enable it if it is not already active. Copy the provided TXT record and add it to your DNS zone.
These DNS changes can take a few minutes to a few hours to propagate. Your email will still work while you wait, but delivery reliability improves once the records are fully active.
Important: If you previously used another email provider (like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365) with this domain, you must remove their old MX records from your DNS zone. Having two sets of MX records causes delivery conflicts and lost emails.
Step 8: Test Your New Email Account
Send a test email from your new address to another email account you have access to, such as a Gmail or Outlook address. Check that the email arrives in the inbox, not the spam folder. Then reply from that external account and confirm the reply reaches your Hostinger mailbox.
Also send a test email to your new Hostinger address from another provider. Wait a few minutes for it to arrive. If it does not appear within 5 minutes, check the spam folder in webmail.
A small percentage of legitimate test emails get flagged by filters on the first send.
If your test email from Gmail or Outlook ends up in Hostinger’s spam folder, that is normal on the first few sends. Mark it as “Not spam” inside webmail, and future emails from that sender should land in your inbox.
What to Do If Something Goes Wrong
Problem: “Authentication failed” error when setting up email in Outlook or Apple Mail
Fix: Double-check that you entered the full email address as the username, not just the part before the @ symbol. Also confirm the password is correct by testing it on webmail first. If webmail works but the client does not, delete the account from your email client and start the setup again, paying close attention to the port numbers.
Port 993 for IMAP and port 465 for SMTP with SSL/TLS are mandatory, not optional.
Problem: Emails you send from your Hostinger address get marked as spam by Gmail or Outlook recipients
Fix: This usually happens when the SPF or DKIM records mentioned in Step 7 are missing or incorrect. Check your DNS zone in hPanel. If the SPF record is missing, add it exactly as shown above.
Then go to the Email Deliverability section and enable DKIM signing. It can take up to 24 hours for email reputation to improve after these records are added. Until then, ask recipients to mark your messages as “Not spam.”
Problem: You cannot receive emails at all, even though sending works
Fix: This points to a missing or incorrect MX record. Go to the DNS Zone Editor for your domain. Delete any old MX records from previous providers (Google, Microsoft, cPanel, etc.).
Add Hostinger’s MX records if they are not already present: mx1.hostinger.com with priority 10 and mx2.hostinger.com with priority 20. After making the change, use a DNS propagation checker tool to confirm the new records have updated. It can take up to 48 hours, but most providers update within an hour.
Problem: You forgot your email password
Fix: Go back to the Email Accounts page in hPanel. Find your email address in the list and click the “Manage” or “Edit” button next to it. You will see a password field.
Enter a new password and click “Save” or “Update.” The change takes effect immediately. Update the password in your email client and phone as well, or you will get authentication errors on those devices.
What Happens Next
Once your Hostinger email is set up and working, you can start using it for business communication immediately. The email accounts you create are tied directly to your hosting plan, so there is no separate billing or renewal to worry about. As long as your hosting plan remains active, your email stays active.
You can create multiple email accounts for different purposes. A common setup includes info@yourdomain.com for general inquiries, support@yourdomain.com for customer service, and sales@yourdomain.com for business development. Each account gets its own separate inbox and password.
If you need more storage or additional features like email forwarding, autoresponders, and spam filters, those are all available within the Email section of hPanel. The Business Email plan from Hostinger offers more advanced tools, but the free email accounts included with web hosting cover the basics well for most small businesses and personal projects.
If you are still in the early stages of getting your website live, you might also need to point your domain DNS records to Hostinger if you are migrating from another platform. Getting that sorted now will prevent email delivery problems later.
Take the coupon below to start your Hostinger plan at a reduced rate. The email setup process is identical whether you purchase through a coupon or direct, so you lose nothing by saving money upfront.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I setup Hostinger email without a hosting plan?
No. Hostinger email accounts are tied to their web hosting plans. There is no standalone email-only plan.
You need an active hosting subscription to access the Email section in hPanel and create mailboxes. If you only want email without a website, you would need to purchase a basic hosting plan and leave the website empty.
How many email accounts can I create with Hostinger?
The number depends on your hosting plan. Shared hosting plans typically allow 50 to 100 email accounts. Business and cloud hosting plans offer unlimited email accounts within your total storage limit.
You can check your specific plan limit in the Email Accounts page the top shows a counter like “3 of 50 used.”
What is the maximum attachment size for Hostinger email?
Hostinger allows attachments up to 50 MB per email. This is larger than many free email providers. If you need to send files larger than 50 MB, use a file-sharing service and include a download link in the email body instead of attaching the file directly.
Does Hostinger email work with Outlook, Gmail, or Apple Mail?
Yes. Hostinger email uses standard IMAP and SMTP protocols that work with all major email clients. The server settings are the same across all clients.
Use mail.yourdomain.com for both incoming and outgoing servers, port 993 for IMAP, port 465 for SMTP, and SSL/TLS encryption. Gmail cannot be used as a direct frontend, but you can forward Hostinger email to your Gmail address or set up Gmail to send as your Hostinger address through the “Send mail as” feature in Gmail Settings.
How do I change my Hostinger email password?
Log in to hPanel and go to Email > Email Accounts. Find the email address you want to update. Click the three-dot menu icon or the “Manage” button next to it.
Select “Change Password” or edit the password field directly. Enter a new strong password and confirm it. The change takes effect immediately for webmail.
You will need to update the password in any desktop or mobile email clients you have configured.
Can I keep my Hostinger email if I cancel my hosting plan?
No. Cancelling your hosting plan deletes all associated email accounts and their contents. The emails are not recoverable after cancellation.
Before canceling, export any important emails from webmail using the export feature or forward them to another address. You can also use an email client to download all messages as a local backup before your hosting ends.
Do I need to configure SPF and DKIM records for Hostinger email?
These records are strongly recommended but not strictly required for basic email function. Without SPF and DKIM, your outgoing emails are more likely to be flagged as spam by providers like Gmail and Outlook. Hostinger sets these up automatically in most cases, but you should verify they exist in your DNS zone.
If they are missing, follow Step 7 above to add them.
How long does it take for a new Hostinger email account to start working?
The account is active within 30 to 60 seconds of clicking the “Create” button. You can start using webmail immediately. If you are also updating DNS records or changing nameservers, those changes take longer.
Nameserver changes can take 24 to 48 hours to propagate fully. During that time, email may work intermittently or not at all.
Ready to get started? Grab Hostinger’s current deal with 85% off plus a free domain. The coupon works on their shared hosting plans, which include everything you need for professional email setup.
If you want to compare Hostinger’s email capabilities to another provider before committing, the Hostinger vs Hostdime comparison covers mail features in detail.
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