Cloud

How to Add a Custom Domain to Office 365

The domain name of a business is a huge part of its public persona. Make sure it’s part of your Office 365 tenant.

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Adam Bertram is a 20-year IT veteran, blogger and freelance writer. Follow him on Twitter @adbertram.

Office 365 allows businesses to add custom domains to their tenants, providing a personalized experience for their users and brand. Using a domain that a business’s partners and clients will trust over the default provided by Microsoft builds credibility. In fact, Office 365 allows users to add up to 900 domains, offering plenty of flexibility. Here’s how to add a domain to Office 365.

1. Enter the Domain Name

Sign in to the Office 365 admin portal. Navigate to Setup and Domains, then click Add domain. In the Enter a domain you own field, add the custom domain that the business controls and wants to use for its Office 365 tenant. Click Next and move on to the next steps of verifying domain ownership.

2. Verify the Domain

To verify, click Add a TXT record. Copy the value from the TXT value field. Navigate to the DNS registrar and open the DNS Management page. Add the TXT record using the @ symbol for the host and the value provided by Office 365. Use a time-to-live of one hour or less. Navigate back to the Office 365 portal and click on Verify.

3. Select the Right Services

Once the portal validates your ownership of the domain, click on I'll add the DNS records myself on the Update DNS records page. The following page will offer several services for use: Exchange, Skype for Business and Mobile Device Management for Office 365. Select which services you want to use and click Next.

4. Update the DNS

Finally, the Update DNS settings page will list many records. All of these will need to be added to the organization’s existing DNS records on its registrar’s DNS Management page. After adding all of the records, head back to the Office 365 tenant and click on Verify and Finish. Enjoy the new custom domain in your Office 365 tenant.

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