Setting up sending mailboxes

Atom sends from a domain you keep just for it, never your main one, so your main domain's reputation stays safe whatever happens. Most companies buy a close variation of their name, for example getkestrel.co.uk for kestrel.co.uk.

1. Add the domain

The quick way: let Atom buy it. Under Buy a sending domain through Atom in Mailboxes, Atom shows lookalikes of your website's domain that are free, with their yearly price. Choose one and your email provider (Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace). Atom buys it, sets its SPF, DMARC and mail records, points it at your website, and adds the price to your next invoice. Then add the domain to your Microsoft 365 or Google account, and copy the verification and DKIM records they show into Add a record your email provider asks for next to the domain.

Or buy it yourself:

1. Buy the domain from any registrar.
2. Set it up with your email provider: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or another provider.
3. In Atom, open Mailboxes, enter the domain, choose the provider and select Add domain. For another provider, also enter the DKIM selector its set-up guide gives you.

2. Add the records

Atom shows the records to add at your registrar, and checks them for you:

• SPF says which servers may send for the domain. - Microsoft 365: v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all - Google Workspace: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all
• DKIM signs every email so receivers can trust it. - Microsoft 365: turn DKIM on for the domain in Microsoft Defender (Email authentication), then add the two CNAME records it shows. - Google Workspace: generate the record in the Google Admin console (Apps, Gmail, Authenticate email), add it, then select Start authentication.
• DMARC tells receivers what to do with email that fails: v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain

Records can take a few hours to appear. Select Check the records again when you have added them. Nothing is sent from the domain until all three pass.

3. Add mailboxes

Create the mailbox with your provider first (for example sam@getkestrel.co.uk), then add it in Mailboxes. Each one:

• starts slowly while it warms up, sending only a few emails a day at first,
• sends as nobody until you choose a team member or the AI assistant on Senders,
• sends nothing until it is connected to Atom.

Your plan sets how many mailboxes are included.

Connecting mailboxes

Connecting lets Atom send from your mailboxes and read the replies.

• Microsoft 365: open Connections and select Connect Microsoft 365. An administrator of your Microsoft organisation approves Atom once; every mailbox on a Microsoft 365 domain is then linked. No passwords are shared, and an administrator can withdraw Atom at any time in Microsoft Entra (Enterprise applications).
• Google Workspace: next to the mailbox in Mailboxes, select Connect with Google and sign in to Google as that mailbox (for example sam@getkestrel.co.uk). Allow Atom to send, read your inbox and use your calendar. Do this once for each Google mailbox. No passwords are shared, and you can withdraw Atom at any time in your Google Account (Security, Third-party apps). Atom sends nothing through Google's own invitations: meeting invites go from Atom, through its checks.
• Other providers: next to the mailbox in Mailboxes, open Connect with server details and enter the sending (SMTP) and reading (IMAP) server names from your provider's help pages, the username and the password. Use an app password if your provider offers one. Atom signs in to both servers to check them, sends nothing, and keeps the details encrypted; they are never shown again. Each email Atom sends is also saved to the mailbox's Sent folder. Replies are picked up every few minutes.

Until a mailbox is connected, Atom sends nothing from it.