Microsoft 365 is a cloud-based service that provides you with the tools and features you need to work from anywhere, on any device. With Microsoft 365, you can access email, calendar, contacts, files, apps, and more.
But what if you want to use your own domain name for your Microsoft 365 account? For example, if your business name is “ABC Inc.”, you might want to use “abc.com” as your email address instead of “abc@outlook.com”.
In this article, we will show you how to add a domain to Microsoft 365 in five easy steps. You will learn how to verify that you own the domain, how to configure the DNS records for Microsoft 365 services, and how to test your domain connection.
Step 1: Verify that You Own the Domain
Before you can add a domain to Microsoft 365, you need to make sure that you are the owner of the domain. This means that you have registered the domain name with a domain registrar or DNS hosting provider and that they have confirmed your ownership.
To verify that you own the domain, follow these steps:
- Sign in to the Microsoft admin center at 5.
- Go to Settings > Domains.
- On the Domains page, select Add a domain.
- Enter the name of the domain you want to add and select Next.
- Select Verify ownership.
- Follow the instructions on the screen. You might need to enter some information from your domain registrar or DNS hosting provider’s website or app.
If everything goes well, you should see a message that says “You’re all set! Your new custom domain is now verified.” If not, see Troubleshoot verification issues for more help.
Step 2: Configure the DNS Records for Microsoft 365 Services
After verifying that you own the domain, you need to configure some DNS records for Microsoft 365 services. These are special settings that tell Microsoft where and how to deliver your emails and other services using your custom domain name.
To configure the DNS records for Microsoft 365 services, follow these steps:
- Sign in to the Microsoft admin center at 5.
- Go to Settings > Domains.
- On the Domains page, select Add a domain.
- Enter the name of the domain you want to add and select Next.
- Select Choose how you want to verify ownership.
- Select Verify ownership again if prompted.
- Select Next.
- Select Choose which services are included in this connection.
- Select Add next-to each service that includes your custom domain name. For example:
- Exchange Online
- SharePoint Online
- Teams
- OneDrive
- Outlook on web
- And more
- Select Next when done selecting all services.
- Select Next when done choosing which services are included in this connection.
- Select Next when done configuring all settings for this connection.
You should see a message that says “Your new custom domain is now configured.” If not, see Troubleshoot configuration issues for more help.
Step 3: Test Your Domain Connection
The last step before adding a custom domain name is testing its connection with Microsoft 365 services. This will ensure that everything works as expected and that no emails are bounced back or lost.
To test your custom domain connection with Microsoft 365 services, follow these steps:
- Sign in to Outlook on web at 6.
- Enter your email address using your custom domain name (for example, abc@abc.com) and select Sign in.
- Check if an email arrives from one of these sources:
- A welcome email from Microsoft
- An email from someone who has an account at one of these sources:
- Exchange Online
- SharePoint Online
- Teams
- OneDrive
- And more
- An email from someone who has an account at another source but uses an alias or distribution list with your custom domain name (for example, jane@abc.com)
- An email from someone who has an account at another source but uses an alias or distribution list with another alias or distribution list with your custom domain name (for example, jane@abc.com -> john@abc.com)
- An email from someone who has an account at another source but uses an alias or distribution list with another alias or distribution list with another alias or distribution list with your custom domain name (for example, jane@abc.com -> john@abc.com -> bob@abc.com)
- And more
If everything looks good, you have successfully added a custom domain name to Microsoft 365!
