Knowledge Base

How to change DKIM key value in Plesk without causing mail delivery outages

Question

How to change the DKIM key DNS record value without causing mail delivery outages?

How to upgrade DKIM key length from 1024 bits to 2048 bits for existing domains on Plesk 18.0.55 or later without causing mail delivery outage?

Answer

Note: By default, DNS records time to live (TTL) is 24h. Any DKIM record change requires that time for the external DNS services cache to expire and in the meantime an updated DKIM sign might cause mail delivery issues when an external mail service still has the old value cached.

Apply the corresponding section depending on where the Domain DNS zone is hosted and managed from:

DNS zone is hosted and managed by Plesk 18.0.56 and above.

Log into Plesk
Open the DKIM key record at Domains > example.com > Hosting & DNS > DNS > default._domainkey
Set the TTL (time to live) to 60 (seconds) and hit Ok to apply.
Wait for the previous TTL (1 day by default) to expire.
Go to Domains > example.com > Mail Settings
Create New DKIM Selector > Set Selector Name as test > Create
Under Active DKIM Selector select the radio toggle for test > Apply
Under Active DKIM Selector click Remove for default > **OK

**
Repeat the same steps to create a new default DKIM selector and delete the test
Create New DKIM Selector > Set Selector Name as default > Create
Under Active DKIM Selector select the radio toggle for default > Apply
Under Active DKIM Selector click Remove for test > OK > Apply.
Verify that the new record content is available externally following these instructions.

DNS zone is hosted and managed by Plesk 18.0.55 and below.

Log into Plesk
Open the DKIM key record at Domains > example.com > Hosting & DNS > DNS > default._domainkey
Set the TTL (time to live) to 60 (seconds) and hit Ok to apply.
Wait for the previous TTL (1 day by default) to expire.
Disable and re-enable DKIM to generate the 2048 bits record from Plesk 18.0.55 or to regenerate a 1024 bits record for older versions.
Verify that the new record content is available externally following these instructions.

DNS zone is hosted and managed externally Plesk 18.0.56 and above.

On your DNS server dashboard, open the DKIM TXT key record default._domainkey.example.com for edition.
Set the TTL (time to live) to 60 (seconds) and apply the change.
Wait for the previous TTL (1 day by default) to expire.
Open the DKIM key record at Domains > example.com > Hosting & DNS > DNS > default._domainkey
Set the TTL (time to live) to 60 (seconds) and hit Ok to apply.
Wait for the previous TTL (1 day by default) to expire.
Go to Domains > example.com > Mail Settings
Create New DKIM Selector > Set Selector Name as test > Create
Under Active DKIM Selector select the radio toggle for test > Apply
Under Active DKIM Selector click Remove for default > **OK

**
Repeat the same steps to create a new default DKIM selector and delete the test
Create New…