WordPress.com: Set up MX records

Tip! Only Google Workspace customers who want to use Gmail must change their MX records. You can skip this procedure and continue to use your current email provider with Google Workspace.

A Beginner's Guide to Signing up for Google Workspace

You’re now ready to set up Gmail as your business email for your domain (and, if you haven’t already, verify your domain).

To do this, you need to sign in to your domain host and direct the email for your domain to the Google Workspace servers. It’s like registering your new address with the post office when you move so that your mail gets delivered to the right place. We’ll walk you through the steps.

Before you begin

• Verify that you own your domain.

  Or, you can verify now with an MX record. We’ll show you how while you're setting up the MX records.

• Create user accounts in Google Workspace for your team.

  If your team members already use email with your domain (their email address ends with your domain), you have to create their user accounts in Google Workspace before you change any MX record settings. Otherwise, they won't be able to send or receive messages with their business address in Gmail.

Change your MX records

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Step 1: Sign in to your domain host

1. Leave the Google Admin console setup instructions open.
2. Open a new tab or browser window and go to the WordPress site.
3. Enter the email address or username and password you created when you purchased your domain from WordPress.
4. Click Continue.

   If you don’t know your account information, you can reset your password or recover your account.

Step 2: Go to your DNS records

1. At the top left of the WordPress site, click My Site.
2. In the left pane, click UpgradesDomains.

   

3. Click the domain name that you want to verify.
4. Click DNS records, then Manage.

   

Step 3: Add the new MX records

How you add the MX records depends on whether you’ve already verified your domain.

Option 1: Verify your domain and set up email automatically

Important: Requires your TXT verification record. If you already verified your domain, use option 2 instead.

1. On the DNS records page, click Email setup, and select Google Workspace.
2. In the text field, paste the TXT record you copied from step 1.

   

3. Click Set up Google Workspace.

   Your domain is verified, and the Google Workspace MX records are added to your WordPress domain DNS records.

4. Skip to step 4.

Option 2: Manually enter MX Records (domain already verified)

1. On the DNS Records page, next to all MX records, click , then Delete. You'll add new ones in the step below.

   

2. Click Add a record.
3. From the Type list, select MX.

   

4. Leave the Name field empty.
5. Enter smtp.google.com in the Handled by field.
6. In the Priority field, enter 1.
7. Click Add DNS Record.

Step 4: Tell Google to find your new MX records

1. Return to the browser tab where you have the Google Workspace setup tool open. (You can reopen the tool if you closed it.)

2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Activate Gmail.

   Important! Some registrars may require additional time to publish your MX records. If the Google Workspace setup tool can't find your new records, wait an hour before you try again.

   If you need additional help with your DNS settings, please contact your registrar. They are experts in managing your domain and are eager to help you. 

 

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