# Adding your first domain


Welcome to DMARCwise! To start, you'll need to add a domain.

## Adding a domain

In the dashboard:

- Click the <DocsButton>Add domain</DocsButton> button in the top right corner.
- Type your domain name in the dialog.
- Confirm by clicking the <DocsButton>Add domain</DocsButton> button.

<DocsInfoBlock>

Remember to remove the `www.` subdomain prefix when adding domain names, e.g. `dmarcwise.io` and not `www.dmarcwise.io`.

For more recommendations around domain names and subdomains, read [Subdomains](/docs/domains/subdomains).

</DocsInfoBlock>

## Setting up DMARC

To allow DMARCwise to receive and process the DMARC reports, you'll need to create (or update) a **DNS record** for your domain.

For this quick start guide we recommend that you use the **Hosted DMARC** feature: this mode lets you delegate the DNS record management to us with a `CNAME` record. You'll then be able to manage the DMARC configuration from the dashboard, without going through your DNS provider for every change.

<DocsInfoBlock color="yellow">

⚠️ The Hosted DMARC feature is not available on the free plan.

</DocsInfoBlock>

<DocsInfoBlock color="green">

For more detailed information about **manual vs hosted** configuration, read [Setting up DMARC](/docs/dmarc/setup).

</DocsInfoBlock>

In the dashboard, after adding a domain:

- Navigate to the **DMARC **tab.
- Select the **Hosted** tab in the setup box.
- Click <DocsButton>Switch to hosted mode</DocsButton> to load the existing DMARC configuration (if any) and start the onboarding process.

You'll be asked to create a DNS record with these settings:

- **Record type**: `CNAME`
- **Name**: `_dmarc` (or `_dmarc.{your domain}`)
- **TTL**: `3600`

The value of the record is different for every domain so it will be provided in the dashboard.

<DocsInfoBlock color="green">

Read [How to create a DNS record](/blog/create-dns-record) for some tips on how to set up the DNS record. If you're unsure about something or you get stuck, feel free to [contact us](/contact).

</DocsInfoBlock>

### Validating the domain

In the dashboard, click the <DocsButton>Validate</DocsButton> button to verify that the DMARC record is correctly set up.

If you see a message that tells you to try again later, it means that our system isn't seeing the record (yet). DNS records are cached, so you sometimes need to wait a few minutes or hours for DMARCwise to be able to see the updated record.

You can also leave the dashboard and we'll try to validate the domain automatically in the background. You'll receive an email from us as soon as we detect the DNS record.

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While you wait for the first DMARC reports, you can proceed with [Running a diagnosis](/docs/getting-started/running-a-diagnosis). You can also [set up SMTP TLS reporting](/docs/tlsrpt/setup) to monitor inbound email delivery.