Custom Email Domain

Send email notifications from your own domain instead of the default NextStep address. You can either verify your domain with our email service or use your own SMTP server.

Overview

By default, emails are sent from support@getnextstep.io (or notifications@yoursubdomain.getnextstep.io if you have a subdomain). With a custom email domain, emails come from your own address — for example, notifications@yourdomain.com.

There are two ways to set this up:

Option 1: Domain Verification (Recommended)

This is the easiest approach. You add a few DNS records and we handle the rest.

Setup

1. Go to Settings > Team Members > scroll to Custom Domain > click the Email tab.
2. Click Domain Verification.
3. Enter the domain you want to send emails from (e.g., mail.yourdomain.com).
4. Click Verify Domain.
5. Add the DNS records shown in the table to your domain provider.
6. Click Check Status to verify.

DNS Records

You’ll need to add these records with your domain provider:

• 1 TXT record — verifies domain ownership
• 3 CNAME records — enables DKIM email signing for deliverability

All records are displayed in the app after you click Verify Domain. Simply copy and paste them into your DNS provider.

Verification Status

The verification checks two things:

• Domain verification — confirms you own the domain (TXT record)
• DKIM verification — enables email signing (CNAME records)

Both must pass for the domain to be active. Click Check Status to refresh.

Once verified, all email notifications from your team will be sent from notifications@yourdomain.com.

Option 2: Custom SMTP (Advanced)

Use your own mail server to send emails. This gives you full control over email delivery.

Setup

1. Go to Settings > Team Members > scroll to Custom Domain > click the Email tab.
2. Click Custom SMTP.
3. Fill in your SMTP server details:
   • Host — your SMTP server address (e.g., smtp.gmail.com)
   • Port — usually 587 (STARTTLS) or 465 (SSL)
   • Username — your SMTP username
   • Password — your SMTP password or app-specific password
   • From Email — the email address to send from
   • From Name — the display name (optional)
4. Click Save & Continue.
5. Click Send Test Email to verify your settings.

Supported Providers

Any SMTP server works. Common options include:

• Gmail — smtp.gmail.com, port 587
• Microsoft 365 — smtp.office365.com, port 587
• SendGrid — smtp.sendgrid.net, port 587
• Mailgun — smtp.mailgun.org, port 587
• Amazon SES — email-smtp.us-east-1.amazonaws.com, port 587
• Your own server — any standard SMTP server

Security

Your SMTP password is encrypted before being stored and is never visible in the app after saving. Only the email-sending service can decrypt it when sending notifications.

Testing

After saving your SMTP settings, click Send Test Email. A test email will be sent to your account email address. If it arrives, your settings are correct and SMTP will be used for all future notifications.

How Email Priority Works

When sending emails, NextStep uses this priority:

1. Custom SMTP — if configured and verified, emails go through your SMTP server
2. Verified Domain — if configured and verified, emails are sent from your domain via our servers
3. Custom Subdomain — if set, emails come from notifications@yoursubdomain.getnextstep.io
4. Default — emails come from support@getnextstep.io

Removing Custom Email

Click Remove next to your email configuration. Emails will revert to the default sender (your subdomain or support@getnextstep.io).

Related

• Branding & Custom Domain — set up your logo, brand colour, and custom URL
• Sharing via Email — how process invitation emails work
• Account & Billing — custom email requires a paid plan