Now that you understand MX records, you should configure them to receive emails at your domain. When you’re switching to Google Apps and you want to receive emails in Google Mail (Gmail), you’ll need to point your MX records to the Google mail servers.

You modify MX records using the administration tools of your domain host and not the Google Admin console. The basic steps below are applicable to all domain hosts. The exact steps for doing so are slightly different for each host. See specific instructions for popular hosts. You may need to Identify your domain host first. See What should I tell my domain host? for advice. Also try to avoid bounced messages after changing MX records.

To configure MX records for a domain:

1. Sign in to the domain host's administrative console for your domain.
    
2. Locate the page on which you can update the domain MX records.
   
   The page is typically called something like DNS Management, Name Server Management, or Advanced Settings.
    
3. Locate the MX records for your domain. You may have one or more MX records resembling:

   Name/Host/Alias	Time to Live (TTL)	Record Type	Value / Answer / Destination
   Blank or @	86400	MX	10 mail1.example.com
   Blank or @	86400	MX	20 mail2.example.com

   
    
4. Optionally, reduce the Time to Live (TTL) to 300 seconds for every existing MX record. This tells name servers across the internet to check every 300 seconds (or five minutes) whether you updated these DNS records. This allows you to apply changes to your DNS records much more quickly. Also, if necessary, you can revert any DNS record changes a lot quicker when you’ve set a low TTL.
   
   Any DNS record change will apply only after the initial TTL of that record expires. For example, a value of 86400 seconds = 1440 minutes = 24 hours before any update will be applied. This also means that you need to wait 24 hours after the TTL of a DNS record is updated once you change it to 300 from 86400.
    
5. Update the existing MX records to include the value / answer / destination of the desired MX record values. Also create new MX records if necessary to include all servers listed on that page. To do this, you must:
   • Enter the fully qualified server name, such as ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM. Many domain hosts also require a trailing period at the end of the server name.
      
   • Set the priority for the MX record by preceding the server name with the priority number specified on the MX record values page. Some domain hosts may require you to set the priority in a separate field.
     
     Note: MX records with a lower number have higher priority than MX records with a higher number. Different domain hosts use different priority numbering systems. Regardless of the system, the important fact is the relative priorities of MX records.
      
6. Delete MX records not pointing to our servers or give them a lower priority (priority value higher than 10) than those pointing to Google.
    
7. Save your changes and wait until they take effect.
   
   Be aware it may take up to 72 hours before changes are propagated, depending on the TTL that was configured for your MX records. Until records have been updated worldwide, you will still receive email through your old mail server.

If you have difficulty, first try to troubleshoot MX records. Then contact your domain host for assistance.