Getting Started
Create your account, run the setup wizard, and open your first inbox in about 5 minutes.
This guide takes you from nothing to a working inbox on your own domain. You will need a domain you own and access to its DNS settings (or the contact details of the person who manages them).
Step 1: Create your account
Go to workspace.axene.io and click Sign up. Workspace has its own dedicated sign-in at workspace.axene.io; you create your account and organisation right there. You can sign up with:
- Email and password - enter your name, your organisation's name, your email, and a password (minimum 8 characters).
- Google - click "Continue with Google"
- GitHub - click "Continue with GitHub"
If you register with email and password, Workspace emails you a verification link (valid for 24 hours). Click it to confirm your address; the confirmation screen has a resend button if it does not arrive. Google and GitHub sign-ups skip this step because the provider has already verified the email.
Once your account exists, the sign-in page also offers:
- Magic link - click "Email me a sign-in link instead" and Workspace emails a one-tap sign-in link. It expires in 15 minutes, and there is nothing to remember.
- Two-factor authentication - enable email-OTP 2FA under Settings → Security. Signing in then asks for a 6-digit code sent to your email; you can also generate single-use recovery codes there as a backup.
- Password reset - click "Forgot?" on the sign-in page and Workspace emails a reset link, valid for 15 minutes.
After signing in, your organisation starts on the Free plan (1 mailbox, 1 domain, 5 GB storage, webmail only). See Plans for the paid tiers.
Step 2: Run the setup wizard
The setup wizard at workspace.axene.io/onboarding walks you through four short steps: connect a domain, publish DNS records, create a mailbox, and choose an import path. If you leave partway through, the wizard resumes where you stopped.
Connect your domain
Enter a domain you own, for example acme.co.ke. Registering a brand-new domain through Axene is coming soon; for now the wizard works with domains you already have.
A domain can only belong to one Workspace organisation. If the domain is already configured on another account, the wizard will tell you.
Publish the DNS records
Workspace generates five DNS records for the domain and shows them with copy buttons:
| Record | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | TXT | Proves you control the domain (axene-verify=...) |
| Mail exchanger | MX | Routes incoming mail to mail.axene.io (priority 10) |
| SPF | TXT | Authorises your domain's mail servers to send |
| DKIM | TXT | Adds a cryptographic signature to outgoing mail |
| DMARC | TXT | Tells receivers how to handle authentication failures |
Add each record at your DNS provider (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy, and so on), copying the host and value exactly as shown. The full record values, hosts, and what each one does are covered in Domains.
The wizard rechecks DNS automatically every 5 seconds while you are on this step, so you can leave it open in one tab while you paste records in another. You can also press Check DNS to run a check immediately.
DNS propagation depends on your provider and TTL settings. Cloudflare is usually instant to a few minutes; other providers can take from a few minutes up to 48 hours. If a record stays unverified, double-check the host and value, then give it time.
If someone else manages your DNS, do not copy records into a chat message. Instead, finish the wizard later and send them a DNS handoff link from the domain page. It gives them a public, read-only page with the exact records and a recheck button, no Axene account needed.
Verification
The domain is verified once all five records are live. At that point the wizard also enables mail hosting on the domain automatically, so it is ready to receive mail. DKIM signing for your outgoing mail is activated at the same time.
Create your first mailbox
Choose the address (the part before the @) and a display name, then pick a type:
- Personal - the mailbox is assigned to you and appears in your Mail view.
- Shared - a team inbox such as
support@orinfo@that you can grant teammates access to later.
You can skip this step and create mailboxes later from Admin → Mailboxes. See Mailboxes for quotas, sign-in provisioning, and bulk creation.
Choose an import path
Tell the wizard whether you are starting fresh or bringing mail over from Zoho, Gmail, or Outlook. This step just records your choice; the actual migration runs from the admin console whenever you are ready. See Import for the migration walkthrough.
Step 3: Open your inbox
Finishing the wizard drops you into Mail at workspace.axene.io/mail. From there you can:
- Send your first message and confirm delivery both ways.
- Set up a signature and sender identities.
- Add filters and a vacation responder.
- Connect a phone or desktop client over IMAP/SMTP with an app password (paid plans).
Send a test email from an external account (for example your personal Gmail) to your new address, and reply to it. This confirms both the MX record (receiving) and SPF/DKIM (sending) are working end to end.