Google Domains: Activate Gmail for Google Workspace

Tell the internet where to deliver your company's email messages

When someone sends a message to you@your-company.com, the internet looks up the MX records for @your-company.com to find your mailbox. To start using Gmail, you need to change your domain's MX records so the internet can start delivering your email messages to Google's mail servers.

MX records are controlled by your domain host, also known as your registrar. This is usually the company where you bought your domain or the one that hosts your website. 

Google can't change your MX records for you. Only the domain's owner can can do this. 

Before you begin

  • Make sure you have the email address and password you need to sign in to your Google Domains account. This account might be different from the one you use to sign in to Google Workspace.
  • Use the Google Workspace setup tool to add any remaining email accounts. Every existing email address in your company has to be associated with a  Google Workspace  account
  • Make sure now is a good time to make this change. It can take up to 48 hours for the rest of the internet to notice your new MX records. Your old email provider might receive some messages during this time.  

This won't be easy, but we're here to help

MX records have been around since the beginning of the internet. This is a complex task, and the steps are different for each person. We've tried to make this chore as easy as possible, but you may get frustrated.

Please read carefully, and we'll help you get through it!

What you need to do

1

Find your DNS settings at Google Domains

  1. Open Google Domains in a new tab and sign in with the account you used to buy your domain.
  2. Click the domain you're setting up today, then click menu "".
  3. In the left column, select DNS.

    Under Domain overview, DNS is selected.

2

Delete your current MX records

  1. Scroll to Custom resource records.
  2. If you see existing MX records, delete all of them from the list.

    In the custom resource records section, a mouse cursor points to the delete button next to an existing MX record.

If there are no MX records, skip to the next step!

 

 Add the MX records for Google Workspace

  1. Scroll to the Synthetic records section.
  2. From the Subdomain forward list, select Google Workspace.

    Google Workspace is selected from the Subdomain forward list in the Synthetic records section of Google Domains.

  3. Click Add.

    Google Domains automatically adds all of the DNS records you need to start using Gmail.

Tell Google Workspace you're ready to activate Gmail

  1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

    Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

  2. Check the boxes to confirm:

    1. You've created accounts for all existing email addresses in your organization.

    2. You're ready to stop receiving messages at your old email provider and start receiving them in Google Workspace.

  3. Click Continue.

  4. Scroll to the bottom of the next page and click Activate Gmail.

You might have to wait and try again

Some registrars take longer than others to let the world know that you have a new email provider:

  • If Google Workspace can't find your new MX records, come back in a couple of hours and click the Activate button again.
  • After you activate Gmail, updates can take up to 48 hours. Until the rest of the internet notices your new MX records, you'll still get email messages in your old email client.

Remember, Google Workspace has no control over your company's MX records. When in doubt, contact your registrar for help.

Was this helpful?
How can we improve it?

Need more help?

Sign in for additional support options to quickly solve your issue