---
title: "Email sending FAQ"
description: "Answers to common questions about sending your first email, the shared onboarding domain, and setting up your own domain."
canonical: "https://bird.com/docs/knowledge-base/faq/email-sending"
---

# Email sending FAQ

Use these answers to send a first email, understand the shared onboarding domain, and prepare your own sending domain.

## Can I send email before verifying a domain?

**Yes.** Your workspace can send from Bird's shared onboarding domain without DNS setup. It delivers only to **verified members of your workspace** and sandbox addresses, and it has a daily recipient cap. Use it only for testing.

One exception: the mail sandbox addresses (like `delivered@` and `bounce@` at `messagebird.dev`) always work, so you can simulate deliveries and bounces without inviting anyone.

See [Sending from the shared domain](/docs/knowledge-base/dns-and-domains/shared-domain) for the full rules, or jump straight to the [Send your first email](/docs/get-started/send-your-first-email) quickstart.

## What is the onboarding domain, and what are its limits?

The shared onboarding domain is `messagebird.dev`: a Bird-owned domain that your workspace can send from without setup (messages come from `onboarding@messagebird.dev`). Its guardrails, all by design:

- **Recipients must be verified members of your workspace.** Sends to anyone else are rejected with a clear error.
- **A daily recipient cap** resets every UTC day. See [Sending from the shared domain](/docs/knowledge-base/dns-and-domains/shared-domain) for the exact limit.
- **Sandbox addresses are exempt** from the members-only rule, but still count toward the cap.

It never goes away: even after you verify your own domain, the shared domain stays available as a known-good test sender. Full details in [Sending from the shared domain](/docs/knowledge-base/dns-and-domains/shared-domain).

## Can I use a Gmail, Yahoo, or other free-email address as my From address?

**No.** You can only send from domains you've verified in Bird, and you can't verify `gmail.com`: you don't own it. Even setting that aside, it wouldn't work: free-mail providers publish strict DMARC policies, so mail claiming to be from `you@gmail.com` but sent through Bird would fail authentication and be rejected or junked by recipients. Gmail and Yahoo's own bulk-sender rules require exactly this kind of authentication.

Send from a domain you own, such as `you@yourcompany.com`, and verify it in Bird. See [Gmail & Yahoo sender requirements](/docs/knowledge-base/deliverability/gmail-yahoo-requirements) and the [Sending domains guide](/docs/guides/email/sending-domains).

## How do I set up my own sending domain?

Register the domain in Bird, publish its DKIM, return-path, and DMARC records, and wait for verification. The [Sending domains guide](/docs/guides/email/sending-domains) covers the lifecycle. For provider-specific steps, see the [DNS walkthroughs](/docs/knowledge-base/dns-and-domains/generic-registrar).

## Where do I start as a developer?

The [Send your first email](/docs/get-started/send-your-first-email) quickstart uses the shared onboarding domain, so you can test an API key before configuring DNS.

## Next steps

- [Deliverability FAQ](/docs/knowledge-base/faq/deliverability): verification times, warmup, suppressions, open rates
- [Sending from the shared domain](/docs/knowledge-base/dns-and-domains/shared-domain): the onboarding domain in full
- [Sending domains](/docs/guides/email/sending-domains): the developer guide to your own domain

## Related resources

- [Getting started with email](/learn/email/getting-started-with-email) (video)
- [Should I use a Bird SDK or call the API directly?](/explained/platform/should-i-use-an-sdk-or-call-the-api-directly) (answer)
- [Email](/email-api) (product)
- [Build your first integration](/learn/paths/integration) (course)

[Get an implementation brief](/learn/workspace?topic=email)