Verify a domain at a domain name registrar

1. Gather your domain information
   
2. Create a DNS record at your DNS hosting provider
   
3. Verify your domain with Office 365
   

You’ll need some information about your domain so that you can create the DNS record that will be used for verification.

1. In Office 365, in the header, click Admin.

2. Under Management, click Domains. Follow the instructions to add a domain to Office 365.

   Note:
   If you’ve already added a domain to Office 365, on the Domains page, in the list of domain names, find the domain that you are verifying. In the Status column, click Click to verify domain.

3. On the Verify domain page, in the See instructions for performing this step with: drop-down list, choose your DNS hosting provider. If your provider doesn’t appear in the list, choose General instructions.

4. In the Select a verification method: drop-down list, choose Add a TXT record (preferred method) or Add an MX record (alternate method).

   Not sure which verification method to choose? See Verify your domain by using a TXT record or an MX record?.

5. From the table, copy or record the Destination or Points to Address information.

You will need this information when you create the new DNS record at your DNS hosting provider in the next section.

Office 365 uses a DNS record that you create at your DNS hosting provider to confirm that you own the domain. Use the instructions below to create a TXT record (or, if you prefer, an MX record) for your domain.

Note:
You may notice differences between your DNS hosting provider’s website and the website described in these instructions.

To add a TXT record to verify your domain in Office 365, do the following.

1. Sign in to your DNS hosting provider’s website, and then select the domain that you’re verifying.

2. In the DNS management area for your account, select the option to add a TXT record for your domain.

3. In the TXT box for the domain, type the following: @

4. In the Fully qualified domain name (FQDN) or Points to box, type or paste the Destination or Points to Address that you recorded in Step 1. Gather your domain information.

5. Where it asks for TTL information, type 1 to set TTL to one hour.

6. Save your changes, and then sign out of your domain registrar’s website.

If you prefer, you can instead create an MX record to verify your domain in Office 365. To create an MX record to enable Office 365 to verify your domain, do the following.

1. Sign in to your DNS hosting provider’s website, and then select the domain that you’re verifying.

2. In the DNS management area for your account, select the option to add an MX record for your domain.

3. In the MX box for the domain, type the following: @

4. In the Fully qualified domain name (FQDN) or Points to box, type or paste the Destination or Points to Address that you recorded in Step 1. Gather your domain information.

5. Where it asks for TTL information, type 1 to set TTL to one hour.

6. Where it asks for a priority (or preference), type a number that is larger than the number you’ve specified for existing MX records. This can help prevent the new MX record from interfering with mail routing for the domain. Instead of a priority, you may see the following options: Low, Medium, High. In this scenario, choose Low.

7. Save your changes, and then sign out of your domain name registrar’s website.

After you create either the TXT record or the MX record and sign out of the website, return to Office 365 to verify the domain.

Note:
Typically it takes about 15 minutes for your changes to take effect. But it can take up to 72 hours for the record that you created to propagate through the DNS system.

After the record that you created for your domain has propagated successfully through the DNS system, do the following to finish verifying your domain with Office 365.

1. In Office 365, in the header, click Admin.

2. Under Management, click Domains.

3. In the Domains list, find the domain that you’re verifying, and then, in the Status column, click Click to verify domain.

4. On the Verify domain page, click Verify.

   • If domain verification succeeds, a dialog box appears to let you know that your domain has been added to your account.
     
   • If domain verification fails, then the changes that you made at the domain registrar might need more time to propagate. Cancel the verification in Office 365, and return later to try domain verification again.
     

   Note:
   If it has been more than 72 hours since you made the changes to your domain, sign in to the domain registrar’s website and verify that you entered the DNS record information correctly. If you entered the information incorrectly, you must remove the incorrect record and create a new one with the correct information by using the procedures in this topic.

5. Click Finish. Your domain status is now listed as Verified in the list of domains.

After you’ve verified your domain and changed the domain’s name server settings on your domain name registrar, you can configure your domain to work with Microsoft Exchange Online, Lync Online, and SharePoint Online in Office 365.

Concepts