Google Domains: Set up G Suite MX records

Tip! Changing MX records is required only for G Suite customers who want to use Gmail. You can continue to use your current email provider.

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 G Suite 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 G Suite 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 G Suite 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 to start using G Suite

Step 1: Sign in to your domain host

  1. Open the Google Domains® site in a new tab. Keep the Admin Console open in the first tab.
  1. In the upper right of the Google Domains homepage, click Sign In.
  2. Enter your email address or phone number and password you created when you purchased your domain from Google Domains and click Next.

    If you don’t know your account information, click Forgot password or get Google Account help.

Step 2: Add the G Suite MX records

To direct your email to your G Suite account, you must add new MX records to your domain. Add the MX records shown in the table below in one step with synthetic records.

With synthetic records you can optionally add additional features that you select, when you add MX records.

MX server address Priority
ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM 1
ALT1.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM 5
ALT2.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM 5
ALT3.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM 10
ALT4.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM 10
Important: Some registrars require you to add a period after the .COM in the MX server address.
  1. On the My domains page, next to the domain you want to set up with Gmail, click Manage.
  2. On the left column, click DNS.

    Under Domain overview, DNS is selected.

  3. Scroll down to the Synthetic records section.
  4. From the Subdomain forward list, select G Suite.

    G Suite is selected from the Subdomain forward lis in the Synthetic records section of Google Domains.

  5. Click Add.

    The MX records are saved to your domain’s DNS records.

Step 3: Tell Google to find your new MX records

  1. Open the setup tool in the Admin console. 

  2. In the Gmail section, click Activate.

    A red circle highlights the "Activate." option in the Gmail section.

  3. Verify that you've created all existing email addresses and are ready for Gmail to start receiving all email for your domain. Click Continue.

  4. On the next page, scroll to the bottom and click Activate Gmail.

    A red circle highlights the Activate Gmail button on the bottom right of the MX records table.

Note:

  • The records can take several hours to update, so you might not immediately get new email messages in Gmail. Until then, you'll continue to receive messages at your old email provider.
  • If you see the MX records setup validation in progress message in the Admin console for more than a few hours, make sure you entered the MX address records and priorities correctly in the DNS records stored with your host.
  • If you still need help changing your MX records, contact G Suite support.
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