Verify your domain to unlock features (for Gmail accounts)

If you signed up for your Google service with a business email address, go here instead.

If you signed up for a Google Workspace Business edition with a Gmail address, you can unlock additional administrative features by verifying you own your domain. If you don’t own a domain, you can buy one during the verification process.

Unlock more features

When you verify your domain, you get a custom domain email address. You can also create user accounts, manage user profiles and security settings, and access administrative controls.

Compare features for Gmail and domain-verified accounts.

Review impacts to your Gmail account

When you verify your domain, you create a custom email address that ends in @yourdomainname.com. All of your emails from your Gmail address, as well as any Google Drive files and other data from your Gmail account, are retained in your new domain-verified account under your custom email address.

Your custom email address becomes your primary address for sending and receiving emails. You continue to receive emails sent to your Gmail address, and you can choose to send emails from your Gmail address. For details, go to Step 3: Change the "From" address.

Domain-verified accounts don’t support some services that work with personal Gmail. For example, if you verify your domain, you can no longer use Google Family, Google Fit, or Google Nest.

Option 1: Use a custom address for a domain you own

To unlock more features for your Google service, such as a custom email address, you need to verify that you own your domain. If you don’t own a domain, you can purchase one during this process. Follow these two steps to verify a domain.

Step 1: Get access to your domain host

The domain host is the service that manages your DNS records and stores your website's data. To verify your domain with Google, you must have:

The sign-in information for your domain host—Your host is typically (but not always) the same as your domain registrar where you bought your domain, such as GoDaddy or Enom. If you’re not sure where you bought your domain, go to Identify your domain registrar.
Access to your domain's DNS settings—You'll need to update your domain’s DNS settings (also called DNS records). Most domain hosts let you update your DNS settings when you sign in to your account at the host’s website. Others may update your settings for you.
If your domain host doesn't allow you to update DNS settings, you can verify your domain by updating files at your domain's website. Go to Verify your domain with a TXT record.

Step 2: Update your domain settings (use the domain setup tool)

Follow these steps to verify you own your domain.

Go to the domain setup tool.
Click Use a domain you already own.
Sign in to your domain host. You'll get a verification record to add to your domain’s DNS settings. Or, you can add a tag or file to your website’s files.
Click the following link for step-by-step instructions to add the verification record for your host. Also find generic steps if your host isn't listed.
Verify your domain (registrar-specific steps).
After you add the verification record to your DNS settings, tell the tool to look for this record when prompted.
After a few minutes (though it might take up to 1 hour), you’ll get a confirmation message that your domain is verified. Click Open Gmail.

Option 2: Set up a new custom domain address

Go to the domain setup tool.
Click Buy a new domain.
Follow the steps to search for, select, and register the domain.
After a few minutes (though it might take up to 1 hour), you’ll get a confirmation message that your domain is verified. Click Open Gmail.

Manage your organization's domain-verified Google account

As a super admin for your organization's domain-verified Google account, you can manage all aspects of your service, including creating user accounts, configuring security settings, creating policies, and more.

Learn more about managing user accounts:

About making another user a super admin

You can also make another user a super admin. Another super admin can delete any user, including you, from the domain-verified account. If they delete you, they can choose to let you retain all your data. In this case, all the data from your domain-verified account, including any Gmail account data that was carried over, is retained and reverts back to your Gmail account.

However, a super admin can also choose to delete all your data when removing you from the account. In this case, all the data from your domain-verified account, including any Gmail account data that was carried over, is permanently deleted.

To avoid potential permanent loss of your account data, including data from your Gmail account that was carried over to your domain-verified account, use care when making another user a super admin.

For steps, go to Make a user an admin.

Questions

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Why must I verify my domain to unlock features?

Before we can unlock identity management features for any organization, we need to know they own their domain. This helps prevent anyone from using Google services with someone else's business identity.

A domain is what comes after www. in web addresses. This is often your organization's name, followed by .com. An example is yourbusiness.com.

Who is my domain host?

Your domain host is typically (but not always) the domain registrar where you bought your domain. If you’re not sure where you bought your domain, go to Identify your domain registrar.

Can I tell if my domain is verified?

After you complete the steps described earlier on this page, you can check if your domain has been verified:

Sign in with an administrator account to the Google Admin console.
If you aren’t using an administrator account, you can’t access the Admin console.
In the Admin console, go to Menu AccountDomains.
If you don't see a message asking you to verify your domain, your domain has been verified.

How long does verification take?

Adding your verification record takes about 10 minutes. It can take up to one hour for us to confirm you added the record, but it usually happens more quickly.

Can I get help with domain verification?

You can contact us directly for help: Contact support

I verified my domain but want to go back to just my Gmail account. What should I do?

To revert to using your personal Gmail, follow the steps in Cancel Google Workspace (for Gmail accounts).

When you cancel your Workspace subscription, all of your messages and data are transferred to the Gmail address you used when you signed up. While you can continue to use Gmail and the related services such as Google Drive, you no longer have a Workspace subscription or access to the Admin console. You can sign up for a Workspace Business subscription again using your Gmail address, without verifying your domain.

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