I have a store set up, but have not set up an email service since moving my domain to Shopify. I know the username and password but am now faced, when logging in, with a message to say I haven’t logged in for 3 months and need a recovery email. Support seem unable to help me. Any ideas pls?
That sounds really frustrating, it usually happens when the domain’s email DNS settings weren’t fully reconfigured after moving to Shopify.
If you still have access to your domain host, you might just need to update or verify your MX and recovery records to get your email reconnected.
If you’d like, I can walk you through checking the right settings so you can recover access without needing to rely on support again.
Hey,
Got it, that’s actually a common issue after migrating domains to Shopify. Since the email isn’t yet reconnected, your best move is to reset it directly through your domain host (where your email was originally created, e.g. Google Workspace, Zoho, or your registrar).
Once that’s recovered, you can reconnect it inside Shopify under Settings → Domains → Email Hosting or set up forwarding through your provider.
If you’d like, I can take a quick look at your setup and guide you step-by-step based on where your domain and email are hosted.
Hey, thanks for responding.
It is the Shopify login screen that says “Your account has been inactive for more than three months.”
I have looked at the DNS settings and see mx.*********.com.cust.b.hostedemail.com
Owner Tucows
The website was hosted at Hostinger before Shopify. We switched the domain registration to Shopify as well. I have no way to change DNS without access to Shopify.
I don’t understand what Tucows has to do with anything, maybe a default Shopify uses for email services, but they are a wholesaler, I can’t sign up to email services with Tucows themselves.
The OpenSRS email MX record depends on your email cluster and should be in the format mx.yourdomain.com.cust.[cluster].hostedemail.com. For example, Cluster A uses mx.yourdomain.com.cust.a.hostedemail.com, and Cluster B uses mx.yourdomain.com.cust.b.hostedemail.com. You can find your specific cluster information in the OpenSRS support documentation.
Looks like Shopify have a relationship with OpenSRS/tucows, and this looks like the MX record they require. SO I could just sign up to OpenSRS for a cheap email, and be ok. hmmm
Just to clarify a key point first:
The message “Your account has been inactive for more than three months” comes from the Shopify Email marketing tool inside your Shopify admin. It does not refer to your domain email inbox. So there is no issue with your email account being disabled—this message is only about not using Shopify’s email feature recently.
Now, regarding your actual email hosting:
The MX record you found (mx.***.hostedemail.com, owned by Tucows) tells us that your email is being hosted through Hostedemail / OpenSRS, which is a service owned by Tucows.
Shopify uses this provider by default when a domain is transferred and email forwarding is enabled.
That’s why you see Tucows—it’s normal and expected.
You won’t log in through Shopify to access the inbox.
Instead, you need to log in through Hostedemail’s webmail portal.
To help you further, I can:
Identify the correct login URL for your email
Help you recover access if you don’t remember the recovery email
Guide you step-by-step if needed
If you let me know the email address you’re trying to access (you can partially hide it for privacy), I can point you directly to the correct login page and recovery process.
Let me know—happy to help you get this sorted!
You’re exactly right — Shopify uses OpenSRS/Hostedemail (owned by Tucows) in the background for domain email forwarding. That’s why the MX record format matches their structure.
However, there’s an important detail to be aware of:
Shopify only sets up email forwarding through OpenSRS, not full mailbox hosting.
This means you can receive emails and forward them to another inbox, but you don’t actually have a mailbox to log into unless you set one up directly with a provider.
So signing up directly with OpenSRS (or one of their resellers like Hover, Enom, etc.) could work, but:
OpenSRS doesn’t sell email directly to end users — they only work through resellers.
You would need to buy the mailbox from a reseller that uses the same Hostedemail system.
Better options using the same MX structure:
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Hover Mail (also owned by Tucows)
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Enom Webmail (another Tucows reseller)
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Other Hostedemail resellers
These will let you create a full mailbox that works with your current MX records.
Once the mailbox is created, everything will work smoothly with your current domain settings — no DNS changes needed.
If you’d like, I can help you:
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Confirm which reseller matches your current setup
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Recommend the easiest/cheapest provider
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Help you connect the mailbox correctly
Just let me know and I’ll guide you through it!
Thanks, yes, it seems this is what I need to do, find a cheap email account even if use for only a few days to get everything recovered. But I need one that can use the current MX record.
Your previous note, there is no secondary email, I did find the webmail login, but my shopify username/password doesn’t get me in.
If only Shopify would drop that 3 months check from the login page https://accounts.shopify.com/login I’d be ok.
Thank you for the help. I’m off to waste money on a crap email service that I only need for 1 email, thats if the MX record works.
I totally understand the frustration—needing to pay for an email service just to access one recovery email feels unnecessary, especially when everything was already working before.
A couple of suggestions that might save you time and money before signing up for a random email service:
1. You don’t need Shopify login details for webmail
The webmail login (from the MX record provider) uses a separate email account username/password that would have been created when the email service was originally set up. Shopify account credentials won’t work there.
If you don’t have those email credentials, the provider (e.g. OpenSRS/Hostedemail) may be able to reset or recover them as long as you can verify domain ownership.
2. Consider temporarily switching MX to a free email provider
Instead of paying for a random service, you could:
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Use something like Zoho Mail (free plan) or Google Workspace trial
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Temporarily update the MX record
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Receive the recovery email
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Then switch it back
This way, you’re not forced into a paid plan you don’t need.
3. Ask Shopify Support to trigger a manual recovery
Sometimes they can bypass the “3 months inactive” screen by sending a recovery email directly to a different address on file—but you have to request “manual account recovery” specifically, not just normal support.
- I didn’t set up an email service. It was on the to-do list.
- I cant change the MX record without Shopify access.
- Support aren’t willing to remove the 3 month flag.
FIXED:
Support finally got in contact. I contacted them from my own email (which is the username on my own account). After a lot of back and forwards, I managed to identify myself and take control of the account, and move the account over to my own email. (After transferring my own shop to a new email). Now I have control I can set up an email service and start the process of transferring the accounts (both) back to their correct emails.
Thanks for all the responses guys.