If you manage your domain through Cloudflare, your DNS records are likely set to Proxied mode by default (shown as an orange cloud icon). While this is great for regular websites, it breaks email services like UGMail because Cloudflare intercepts the connection.
Why Does Cloudflare Proxy Break Email?
When Cloudflare proxy is enabled, all traffic goes through Cloudflare's servers first. This causes three problems for UGMail:
SSL cannot be installed — UGMail needs to verify domain ownership to issue a certificate, but Cloudflare's proxy intercepts this verification.
Mail server (IMAP/SMTP) won't connect — Outlook, Thunderbird, and iPhone use IMAP (port 993) and SMTP (port 465/587). Cloudflare only proxies HTTP/HTTPS traffic, so email clients cannot connect.
Webmail may show errors — Cloudflare can modify headers and cache responses, causing authentication issues.
Step 1: Log in to Cloudflare
Go to dash.cloudflare.com and select the domain you are using with UGMail.
Step 2: Go to DNS Settings
Click DNS in the left sidebar, then click Records. You will see a list of all your DNS records.
Step 3: Find Your UGMail CNAME Records
Look for the two CNAME records you created for UGMail: one for Webmail & Admin (mail.yourdomain.com → mail.ugmail.co) and one for Mail Server (smtp.yourdomain.com → smtp.ugmail.co).
Step 4: Click the Orange Cloud Icon
For each of the two CNAME records, click the orange cloud icon in the Proxy status column. It will change to a grey cloud with the label DNS only. You must do this for both CNAME records — if you only disable proxy on one, the other will still not work.
Step 5: Save and Wait
Cloudflare applies DNS changes almost instantly, but it can take 2–5 minutes to propagate. After waiting, go back to your UGMail Rebrand page and click Re-check & Install SSL. If it says "DNS OK! Installing SSL..." — you're done! If it still says "Still proxied!" — wait another minute and try again.
Troubleshooting
Still showing Proxied after disabling? Wait longer (up to 5 minutes), check both records, look for Cloudflare Page Rules that may force proxy on those subdomains, and check for CNAME flattening if your CNAME is on the root domain.
Will disabling proxy affect my website? No. You are only disabling the proxy for the specific subdomains used by UGMail (e.g., mail.yourdomain.com and smtp.yourdomain.com). Your main website's DNS records remain unaffected.
Summary
Log in to Cloudflare → DNS → Records
Find both UGMail CNAME records
Click the orange cloud to switch to DNS only (grey cloud)
Wait 2–5 minutes
Click Re-check & Install SSL on the UGMail rebrand page