> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.protodesk.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Set up your support email

> Connect your support address, verify forwarding and sending DNS, and distinguish real email tests from test threads.

Connect your customer service email address so incoming messages appear in **Threads** and your team can reply by email. Receiving mail and authenticating outgoing mail are separate setup steps.

You need an Owner or Admin role, a support address on a domain your organization controls, access to its forwarding settings, and permission to add DNS records. Do not assume a personal mailbox domain that you cannot manage can complete this setup.

## 1. Save your support address

1. Open **Settings → Email**.
2. Under **Your customer service email address**, enter the address customers should use, such as `support@example.com`.
3. Enter an optional sender display name and select **Save**.
4. Wait for Protodesk to display the workspace's forwarding address under **Receiving emails**.

If an address already exists, use **Edit** only when you intend to change it. Changing the sending domain can require provisioning and verification again; do not replace a working address as a troubleshooting shortcut.

## 2. Configure incoming forwarding

Copy the exact forwarding address shown by Protodesk. At your email provider, forward messages sent to your support address to that destination. Finish any provider confirmation and make sure the forwarding rule itself is enabled.

Use **Test & verify forwarding** when setup is pending. The test sends a probe through your support address and its forwarding rule. A successful probe confirms forwarding and is not added as a customer conversation. If sending the probe fails because the sending identity is not ready, complete DNS verification and try again.

See [Forward email to Protodesk](/guides/forward-email-to-protodesk) for the detailed checks.

## 3. Verify outgoing email

Under **Sending emails (DNS verification)**, add the displayed DKIM and Return-Path records at your DNS provider. Copy the displayed names, types, and values rather than values from another workspace.

Select **Check now** while verification is pending, or **Re-check** when already verified. Both DKIM and Return-Path verification matter. These sending-authentication records do not require replacing the MX records for your existing mailbox.

See [Verify your email sending domain](/guides/verify-your-email-sending-domain).

## 4. Check activation and test both directions

Review **Enable email**. The support address, forwarding confirmation, and DNS verification must be ready. Setup may already show **Email is active** after successful verification; enable it if it remains inactive and the prerequisites are satisfied.

Select **Send test email** and check the signed-in administrator's mailbox. Then send a separate test message from an address you control to the support address, find it in Threads, and reply. Confirm receipt in the original sender's mailbox.

An **Add test thread** conversation keeps replies inside Protodesk, so it cannot prove real email delivery. For failures, use [Test and troubleshoot email delivery](/guides/test-and-troubleshoot-email-delivery). Never include provider passwords or API keys in support requests.


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