How to set up Google Workspace email (you@yourdomain.com)

Set up a professional Gmail at your own domain — MX records, SPF, DKIM, DMARC. All the pieces that stop your email landing in spam.

8 min read intermediateUpdated Jun 10, 2026

Reviewed by the editorial team · Jun 10, 2026

Before you start

Step by step

01
Sign up at workspace.google.com
Choose Business Starter ($6/user). Enter your domain when prompted.
02
Verify your domain ownership
Google gives you a TXT record. Add it at your registrar's DNS (under @). Verify usually completes in 1-15 min.
03
Add the MX records
Replace any existing MX records with Google's: smtp.google.com priority 1 (in 2026, Google consolidated to a single MX). Old setups have 5 records — delete them all first.
04
Set up SPF
Add a TXT record on @ with value: 'v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all'. If you already have an SPF record, MERGE — never have two SPF records.
05
Set up DKIM
Workspace admin → Apps → Google Workspace → Gmail → Authenticate email → Generate new record (2048-bit). Add the TXT it generates at the subdomain it specifies.
06
Set up DMARC
Add a TXT on _dmarc with value 'v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:postmaster@yourdomain.com'. Start with quarantine, move to reject after 30 days of clean reports.
07
Send a test
Email yourself at a Gmail address. Click 'Show original' → confirm SPF, DKIM, DMARC all show PASS. Without all three, you'll land in spam.