1Open the Microsoft 365 admin center
Sign in at admin.microsoft.com with a Global Administrator account. Domain changes are admin-only.
Verify your domain in Microsoft 365
Add one TXT record to prove ownership, then let the wizard add your mail records — about five minutes of clicking.
The process
The full path through the admin center. Crumbs jump to the matching Directions step.
Directions
2Go to Settings → Domains
Open Settings, then Domains, then Add domain. Enter your domain name and continue.
3Add the verification TXT record
Microsoft gives you a TXT record proving you own the domain. Add it at the root of your DNS zone, then click Verify.
Host: @ Type: TXT Value: MS=ms12345678
4Let it add MX, SPF, and Autodiscover
After verification choose to add Exchange records. If Microsoft hosts your DNS it adds them automatically; otherwise copy the MX, the SPF include (include:spf.protection.outlook.com), and the Autodiscover CNAME into your DNS host.
MX: @ -> example-com.mail.protection.outlook.com (priority 0) TXT: @ -> v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all CNAME: autodiscover -> autodiscover.outlook.com
5Complete the wizard
Click Finish. Mailboxes can now use the custom domain. Allow up to an hour for MX changes to route mail to Microsoft.
Common issues & fixes
Verification TXT won't validate.
Make sure it's at the root (@) and that you didn't paste it as a CNAME. DNS can take up to an hour; retry after propagation.
Mail still goes to your old provider.
Two MX records exist. Remove the old host's MX so only the outlook.com MX remains, otherwise delivery splits.
SPF now has two records.
Merge the Outlook include into your single existing SPF record instead of publishing a second v=spf1 record.
Domain stuck as 'Setup in progress'.
One required record is missing or wrong. Open the domain, click the health check, and fix the specific record it flags.
Written and maintained by Ben McDaniel. Drafted with AI assistance and human-reviewed against each vendor's current setup flow. Vendor interfaces change — if a step looks different, the underlying record is what matters.