Connect your email to Commslayer – Shopify

Connect your email to Commslayer using the recommended Standard setup. This guide is for stores using a Shopify-managed domain.

Time required: About 10 minutes

Before you start

You'll need:

Access to your Shopify admin (domain DNS settings)
Access to your email provider's settings to set up forwarding
An email address on your domain (like support@yourstore.com) with a mailbox you can forward from — not a free @gmail.com address

Note: Shopify manages DNS only for domains purchased through Shopify. If you bought your domain elsewhere and connected it to Shopify, edit DNS at your original registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc.) instead.

Step 1: Create your inbox in Commslayer

Go to Settings → Inboxes and click Add inbox
Select **Email **
Choose Standard setup (the recommended option)
Enter your support email address (e.g. support@yourstore.com)
Give your inbox a name (e.g. "Support" or your store name)
Click **Create inbox **

Commslayer will show you two DNS records to add. Keep this page open.

Step 2: Add DNS records in Shopify

Open Shopify DNS settings

Log in to your Shopify admin
Go to Settings → Domains
Click on your domain
Click Manage DNS or DNS settings

Add the DKIM record

Click Add record (or the + button next to TXT records)
Set the type to TXT
Fill in:
- Name / Host: Copy from Commslayer (looks like xxxxxxxx._domainkey)
- Value / Content: Copy the long string from Commslayer
- TTL: Leave as default
Click Save

Add the Return-Path record

Click Add record
Set the type to CNAME
Fill in:
- Name / Host: Copy from Commslayer (looks like pm-bounces)
- Value / Target: Copy from Commslayer
- TTL: Leave as default
Click Save

Shopify DNS limitations: Shopify's DNS editor has limited record types. If you can't add the records needed, consider managing DNS through Cloudflare instead.

Verify your records

Go back to Commslayer and click Verify. Records usually verify within a few minutes but can take up to 48 hours.

Step 3: Set up email forwarding

Log in to your email provider's settings or control panel
Find Forwarding, Email routing, or Email rules
Create a rule to forward all incoming email to the address shown in Commslayer
Save and enable the rule

Using Shopify Email Forwarding? Go to Shopify admin → Settings → Domains → your domain → Email forwarding and update the forwarding destination to the address Commslayer provides.

Important: Many providers send a confirmation email to verify the forwarding address. That email arrives in your Commslayer inbox — check there, find it, and click the link. Forwarding won't work until you do this.

Use forward or redirect — not "send as" or "reply to". Forward all messages, not just specific ones.

Step 4: Test your setup

Send a test email to your support address from a different email account. It should appear in your Commslayer inbox within a minute or two.

Only new forwarded emails will appear in Commslayer — historical emails are not imported.

Common issues

Forwarding not working

Check your Commslayer inbox for a confirmation email from your email provider — you must click the link before forwarding activates. This is the most common issue.

DNS records not verifying

Wait up to 48 hours for propagation
Check whatsmydns.net to see propagation status
Make sure you didn't include your domain twice in the Name field
Copy values exactly — no extra spaces
If Shopify doesn't support the record types needed, consider managing DNS through Cloudflare instead

Emails not appearing in Commslayer

Verify forwarding is enabled and active
Check that the forwarding address is correct (copy it fresh from Commslayer)
Look for any filters or rules that might be intercepting emails

Provider blocking external forwarding

Some providers block forwarding to external addresses by default. Check your provider's documentation or contact their support to enable it.