GCP Cloud DNS: Set up G Suite MX records

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. 

  • If you’re in the Setup Wizard, go to the Add G Suite MX records instructions. If you don’t have the wizard open, sign in to the G Suite Setup Wizard. The wizard will help you tell Google to find your new MX records and direct your mail to Gmail.

Next you 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. 

Change your MX records

Step 1: Sign in to your domain host

  1. Sign in to your Google Cloud Platform Console.
  2. On the left under Networking, select Network services and then Cloud DNS.

    Networking > Network services > Cloud DNS

Step 2: Go to your DNS records

  1. Either open an existing DNS zone or click Create zone to create a new one.
  2. Choose the option that matches your situation:
    • If you don’t have any existing MX records in this zone, click Add record set.
    • If you have existing MX records in the zone that you want to change to Google G Suite MX records, click Edit Edit.

    The Record sets portion of the page is shown.

Step 3: Add the G Suite MX records

To direct your email to your G Suite account, you have to add new MX records to your domain. These are the records that you need to add:
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
Note: The values are the G Suite mail servers. We include 5 servers in case one fails or requires maintenance.
To add new MX records from the Create record set page:
  1. On the Create record set page, from the Resource Record Type field, select MX.

    MX is selected from the Resource Record Type drop-down list.

  2. In the DNS Name field, enter @ or leave the default entry.
  3. In the TTL field, enter 3600.
  4. In the TTL Unit field, select seconds.
  5. In the Preference and mail server field, enter the first MX record, starting with numerical one to indicate the priority, as shown in the table above: 1 aspmx.l.google.com
  6. Click Add item.

    The first MX record is added on the Create record set page.

  7. In the second Preference and mail server field, enter 5 alt1.aspmx.l.google.com.
  8. Click Add item.
  9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 until all of the priorities and MX records from the table above have been added.

    All 5 MX records are entered in the Create record set page.

  10. Click Create.

    Your new G Suite set of MX records is shown on the Zone details page.

To change existing MX records from the Zone details page:
  1. From the Zone details page, click Edit Edit next to the existing set of MX records.

    Edit icon is selected for changing an existing MX record set.

    The MX record set opens for editing.

  2. In the TTL field, enter 3600.
  3. In the TTL Unit field, select seconds.
  4. In the first Preference and mail server field, replace the existing record with the priority and record value for the first MX record from the table above (1 aspmx.l.google.com).
  5. Continue replacing the existing records value with the priorities and MX records from the table above.

    If you need another record field, click Add item.

    If any of the old MX records are left after you’ve added all 5 Google MX records, click Close Close next to it.

  6. After all 5 Google MX records have been added, click Save to save the Google MX records.

    All MX records have been edited in the Zone details page.

 

The new records can take up to 72 hours to propagate across the internet, depending on your DNS hosting provider. It might be less than 72 hours, but during this time, mail sent to your email domain might bounce. Until then, you'll keep getting messages at your previous email service provider.

If you still need help configuring your MX records, contact Google Cloud Platform support.

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