How to Setup Your Domain for Microsoft Office 365 & Microsoft Exchange Online

Here’s how to get your DomainsFoundry domain working with Microsoft 365 for Business or Microsoft Exchange Online. We’ll cover verifying your domain and configuring DNS so you can send and receive email through Office 365.

What you’ll need

  1. A domain registered with DomainsFoundry
  2. A Microsoft 365 for Business or Microsoft Exchange Online subscription from Microsoft

Overview

  1. Register your domain with Office 365
  2. Configure your DNS records

Register your domain with Office 365

  1. Sign in to the Office 365 admin portal.
  2. Click Settings > Domains.
  3. Select Add domain.
  4. Type your DomainsFoundry domain name and click Next.
  5. Copy the TXT value shown — it looks something like MS=ms12345678.
  6. Log in to the DomainsFoundry Dashboard, navigate to My Domains, and choose the domain you’re connecting to Microsoft 365.
  7. Click DNS in the menu.
  8. Under Add New Record, fill in:
    • Name: @
    • Type: TXT
    • Value: MS=ms12345678 (paste the value Microsoft gave you)
  9. Click Add.
  10. Head back to the Office 365 admin portal and click Verify.
  11. Microsoft checks your domain ownership. Once verified, click Next.

DomainsFoundry applies DNS changes right away, but Microsoft may take an hour or two to detect the new TXT record. Give it some time and retry if verification doesn’t go through on the first attempt.

Configure your DNS records

Add the DNS records Microsoft needs to your DomainsFoundry DNS zone. Leave your nameservers exactly where they are — there’s no need to transfer them to Microsoft.

  1. Sign in to the DomainsFoundry Dashboard.
  2. Open My Domains.
  3. Select the domain linked to Microsoft 365.
  4. Click DNS in the menu.
  5. Find and edit your MX record (typically mail.example.com). Update it to the MX record Microsoft gave you:
    • Name: @
    • Type: MX
    • Value: 0 example-com.mail.protection.outlook.com.
  6. Click Save.
  7. Create a new CNAME record for autodiscover:
    • Name: autodiscover
    • Type: CNAME
    • Value: autodiscover.outlook.com
  8. Click Add.
  9. Create a TXT record for SPF:
    • Name: @
    • Type: TXT
    • Value: v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all
  10. Click Add.
  11. Go back to the Office 365 admin portal, click Verify, then Finish.

DNS updates usually propagate within 24 hours, though it’s often quicker.

Should I change my nameservers to Microsoft’s?

You might come across older tutorials recommending a nameserver swap to Microsoft. For a standard Microsoft 365 email configuration, this is unnecessary. Microsoft advises keeping your domain registered with your current DNS provider (such as DomainsFoundry) and simply adding the records they specify to your existing zone.

Swapping nameservers introduces extra complexity and can disrupt other services if DNS records aren’t moved over properly. The method described above keeps things simple and avoids those risks.

Common problems

Verification fails

The TXT record must match the value Microsoft gave you character for character. It can take up to 15 minutes for the record to propagate. If verification still fails, review the record in your DomainsFoundry Dashboard.

Email stops working or won’t send

Give DNS propagation up to 24 hours. After that, confirm every DNS record from Step 2 exists and is entered correctly in your DomainsFoundry Dashboard.

Do I need all the records?

You must have the MX record (handles incoming mail), the autodiscover CNAME (lets Outlook find your mail server), and the SPF TXT record (proves your mail is authorised). Additional records like SRV may be required for other Microsoft 365 services — check your Microsoft admin centre for specifics.

See also