To set up email with Google Apps, you need to direct your domain's mailflow to your Google Apps account. You do this by pointing your domain's Mail Exchange (or MX records) to Google mail servers. They are configured after enabling your email service. For a complete list of setup steps, see How do I begin?

What are MX records?

MX records are DNS settings associated with your domain that direct its mail to the servers hosting your users' mail accounts. These settings are managed by your domain host, not by Google. To make sure mail always gets delivered, you typically create records for multiple servers, all of which can deliver mail to users. That way, if one server is down, mail can be routed to another server, instead. You determine which servers get tried first by assigning priorities, using values like 10, 20, 30, and so on. The lowest value gets highest priority.

For instance, if the domain example.com has two MX records—10 mail1.example.com and 20 mail2.example.com—mail is delivered first to 10 mail1.example.com because it has the lowest number priority. If that server is down, mail is redirected to :20 mail2.example.com, and so on. If different MX records have the same priority, one server is chosen arbitrarily.

Ready to set up mail now?

To direct your domain's mail to Google Apps, configure your MX records as described below. After that, mail sent to your users will be delivered to their Gmail accounts:

• I'm new to configuring MX records. See configure MX records for step-by-step instructions for setting up MX records with your domain host.


• I know how to configure MX records. See MX record values to find out exactly which values to enter for your MX records.


• Need more help? Troubleshooting MX records walks you through the process of getting MX records working.

Need more information?

Please read our Basic Guide to DNS first if you're unfamiliar with the Domain Name System (DNS) and review our Basic Guide to Domains to brush up on other related terms.

Don't want to deliver email directly to users' Gmail accounts? Email delivery options describes more advanced forms of delivery.