Adding an MX record for Google Workspace or Microsoft 365

To route mail to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, you replace your domain's existing MX records with the ones your provider supplies, then add supporting TXT and CNAME records for verification and deliverability. On ASEOHosting you do this in cPanel's Zone Editor. Changes usually take effect within an hour, though full DNS propagation can take up to 24 to 48 hours.

What an MX record does

An MX (Mail Exchanger) record tells the rest of the internet which server accepts email for your domain. Each MX record points to a hostname and carries a priority value: lower numbers are tried first, and equal values share load. When you move mailboxes to a hosted provider, your domain must stop pointing at your cPanel server's local mail and instead point at the provider's inbound servers.

Before you begin

Two things matter here. First, deliver a full cutover: remove the default cPanel MX record so mail does not split between two systems. Second, in WHM or cPanel set the domain's mail routing to Remote Mail Exchanger so the local server stops trying to deliver mail to itself. In cPanel this option lives under the Email section, in Email Routing.

Steps in cPanel Zone Editor

1. Log in to cPanel and open the Domains section, then click Zone Editor.
2. Find your domain and click Manage to see all existing records.
3. Delete any current MX records that point to your old mail host (for example mail.yourdomain.com).
4. Click Add Record, choose type MX, and enter the values from your provider.
5. For Google Workspace, add a single record: priority 1, destination smtp.google.com.
6. For Microsoft 365, add: priority 0, destination yourdomain-com.mail.protection.outlook.com (Microsoft generates the exact hostname in your admin center).
7. Save, then set mail routing for the domain to Remote Mail Exchanger.

Supporting records you should not skip

MX alone gets mail flowing, but authentication records keep it out of spam folders. Add these as TXT records in the same Zone Editor:

• SPF authorizes your provider to send for you. Google uses

  v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all

  Microsoft uses

  v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all

• DKIM is a TXT (or CNAME) record whose exact value is generated in the provider's admin console. Publish the selector record they give you.
• DMARC ties SPF and DKIM together. A starting policy is

  v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com

• Microsoft 365 also needs two CNAME records (autodiscover and, for some tenants, enterpriseregistration/enterpriseenrollment) plus a TXT verification record; the admin center lists the exact targets.

Verify the change

After propagation, confirm the records resolve from your own machine:

dig MX yourdomain.com +short
nslookup -type=mx yourdomain.com

You should see only the provider's hostnames returned. If old records still appear, wait for the TTL to expire or clear a stale local resolver cache. Because ASEOHosting gives each site a dedicated Class C IP, your outbound mail footprint stays cleanly separated from other domains, which supports deliverability rather than any direct ranking effect.

For a deeper look at record types and priorities, see the DNS and IP management hub at /faq/dns-and-ip-management/, review SPF in RFC 7208, or contact our support team if you want us to stage the cutover with you.