Here's how Office 365 users can get a custom email address without corporate headaches

Table of Content

• Getting Started with PowerShell-Based Management for Exchange Online
• TechGenix: Article on Choosing an Active Directory Domain Name
• The ultimate guide to Gmail backup
• How To add a custom domain name to your Microsoft 365 account
• What happens if I’m unable to verify my domain name?
• Adding Your Domain to a New Microsoft 365 Account

Finally, you get one and only one personalized email address per mailbox. This feature doesn't support creating additional aliases using your custom domain beyond the first one you create for each mailbox. The next screen will display the DNS records that you need to setup for your domain in order to start using Office 365 for email. You need to create MX record, 2 CNAME records and a TXT record. Use Select your DNS host link to see instructions for adding DNS records for your DNS hosting provider.

It’s also worth noting that it can take up to 24 hours for new DNS records to fully go through the system, although the process typically only takes about 10 minutes. Essentially, this involves adding a TXT record to the domain’s DNS record. In doing so, Microsoft will assign you a TXT name, value, and TTL that you must add to the domain’s DNS. The steps in this process vary widely depending on where you registered your domain. You can see an example of this process in the screenshot below.

Getting Started with PowerShell-Based Management for Exchange Online

You also have to be willing and able to configure DNS records and mail exchange handlers, a process that can seem as esoteric as anything they teach at Hogwarts. You can enable an option to update the DNS server to point to Microsoft, where Microsoft handles the process. Choosing this option means that Microsoft will be the DNS provider for your domain.

Any registry you choose will have a search box that allows you to search for a custom domain name. In the Settings dialog box shown above, click Premium and then click Get Started . TechGenix reaches millions of IT Professionals every month, empowering them with the answers and tools they need to set up, configure, maintain and enhance their networks. Microsoft uses domain name verification to prove that you own the domain name in question. Check out this guide on how to connect your domain to Office 365.

TechGenix: Article on Choosing an Active Directory Domain Name

Once the records are verified you will see the confirmation window saying You're all set up. Google's Gmail and Microsoft's Outlook.com are the two most popular free email services in the world, and either one is a perfectly good choice for your primary email account. As long as you're willing to settle for an address in someone else's domain, that is. Using a unique custom domain like "" with Microsoft 365 can help build credibility and recognition for your brand and can boost your business as a small business owner.

Select Skip this test if you use custom DNS setup and click Verify button. If you have a subscription to Office 365 Home, you can share that subscription with up to five people, each of whom also gets to create a personalized email address in your custom domain. The web-based interface is ad-free, and you can use any email client, including the Windows 10 Mail app or the Outlook program included with Office 365, to access your account.

The ultimate guide to Gmail backup

Furthermore, it’s not the best option if you plan on creating additional DNS records for unrelated services. Microsoft first rolled this feature out as a standalone Outlook.com Premium subscription back in 2016, but closed the program in late 2017. For the handful of readers who still have one of these subscriptions, Microsoft sent out a notice this week that it will shut down the Outlook.com Premium dashboard at the end of February 2020 and will not renew those subscriptions when they expire.

Microsoft 365 fully supports having multiple custom domain names. However, you can only map one custom domain name to each mailbox. Hopefully, you already have a custom domain name you can use. You can go to any one of the countless domain registries available online to purchase a domain name.

When you set up a brand new Microsoft 365 account, you’ll see a setup wizard when you log into the account for the first time. This wizard walks you through basic tasks such as installing Microsoft Office and adding a custom domain name. As you can see in the screenshot below, adding a custom domain name is as simple as entering the domain name you want to use. When you set up a new Microsoft 365 account, Microsoft automatically assigns a domain name to your account. It’s safe to assume that this default domain name will do the job.

It’s also worth noting that DNS records related to Skype and Microsoft Intune are optional. You won’t need to add those records unless you plan on using those services. Once the domain verification process completes, you’ll receive a prompt to add more DNS records to the domain’s DNS server. These records aren’t for verification purposes, but you’ll need them to make Microsoft 365 work properly.

At those prices, don't be surprised if some small businesses with one to five users decide to tempt the Microsoft licensing gods. That option takes you to the Personalize Your Email Address dialog box, shown here. Click Get A Domain if you want to buy a new domain; click the small I Already Own A GoDaddy Domain link at the bottom of the dialog box to attach a domain you already own. It’s easier to add a custom domain name to Microsoft 365 in the initial account setup process.

Follow the prompts to purchase or attach a domain at GoDaddy, and then enter the name you want to use for your personalized address. To attach a custom domain to Outlook.com, start on this Settings page. By contrast, Google Domains charges a flat $12 for a .com domain, with privacy protection as a no-cost option. Likewise, Namecheap charges $13 for a .com domain and promises that its WhoisGuard privacy protection service is "free forever." Read more on how you can change your email address to have it accommodate your custom domain name.

However, you can still use the default option until you’re ready to add a custom domain later on. Example of retrieving a TXT file to add it to a public DNS.Once you add the required DNS record, go back to Microsoft 365 and click the Verify button. Here, Microsoft 365 will check for the existence of the DNS record you created.

But it’s still good to go for a custom domain name — because it’ll better reflect your corporate identity. All small business tenants should have access to the Exchange Admin Center, but if you don't you can log into the Exchange control panel to edit the account and add additional addresses to a mailbox. This dialog box takes you to GoDaddy, which is the only supported domain registrar for Office 365 consumer accounts.

Educate yourself even further on adding custom domains to Microsoft 365. If TXT option is selected, you need to setup a TXT-record listed on the page. Click step-by-step instructions link to get instructions for your DNS hosting provider. The alternatives are a G Suite account or an Office 365 Business Essentials subscription, both of which cost $5 per user per month and don't include the Office 365 desktop apps. An Office 365 Business Premium subscription, with email and the desktop apps, costs $12.50 per user per month.