How to create an email account in cPanel — full setup with SPF, DKIM, DMARC

A cPanel email account without SPF/DKIM/DMARC lands in spam folders. This guide walks through creating the mailbox and configuring authentication properly. Prerequisite: an active Hostiger Web Hosting plan with cPanel.

1. Create the mailbox in cPanel

Log in to cPanel (usually at https://yourdomain.com:2083)
Under Email, click Email Accounts
Click Create — enter username (e.g. info), select domain, set a strong password
Storage quota: 1-5 GB is fine for most personal use; more for business
Click Create — the mailbox is instantly ready

2. Test the mailbox via webmail

Open https://yourdomain.com/webmail. Log in with the new address and password. Send a test email to a Gmail/Outlook address — it may land in spam initially. That's expected; SPF/DKIM/DMARC fixes it.

3. Configure SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

In cPanel → Email Deliverability → your domain → Manage. cPanel auto-suggests an SPF record like:

v=spf1 +a +mx +ip4:YOUR_SERVER_IP include:hostiger.com ~all

Click Install the Suggested Record. SPF tells Gmail/Outlook which servers are allowed to send email for your domain.

4. Configure DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

Same Email Deliverability page. Under DKIM, click Install the Suggested Record. This adds a public key TXT record — your server signs outgoing mail with the matching private key, proving authenticity.

5. Configure DMARC

DMARC tells receiving servers what to do with mail that fails SPF/DKIM. Add this TXT record via cPanel's Zone Editor:

Name: _dmarc.yourdomain.com
Type: TXT
Value: v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:[email protected]; pct=100

Start with p=quarantine. After a week of monitoring, upgrade to p=reject.

6. Verify deliverability

Send a test email to mail-tester.com. Aim for 8-10/10. Common issues:

SPF fail: the server IP isn't in your SPF record — add +ip4:YOUR_IP
DKIM fail: the DKIM DNS record hasn't propagated yet — wait 30 min
PTR (reverse DNS) missing: ask Hostiger support to set up rDNS for your VPS IP

7. Connect from Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird

Use these IMAP settings:

IMAP server: mail.yourdomain.com — port 993 (SSL)
SMTP server: mail.yourdomain.com — port 465 (SSL) or 587 (STARTTLS)
Username: the full email address ([email protected])
Password: the one you set in step 1

For dedicated business email at scale, Hostiger Email Hosting ($9.99/mo) includes pre-configured DKIM, anti-spam, and 10 GB storage per mailbox.