Custom domain free

Question

Hallo, I own a domain and it is hosted by Microsoft on one of the free accounts they provided a number of years ago. It works fine as is however I am wondering about upgrading to 365 personal. I don't want to lose access to my existing email though.

Would I be able to continue to use my custom domain through a personal 365 account?

Would it be possible to revert later to the free version if I decided not to renew my subscription?

Finally, On my account it does provide the opportunity to upgrade to 365 but I am wondering if I could use a code purchased elsewhere?

Thanks,

David

Answer 1

Hi. I'm Brian and I'll try to help.

If you purchase a Personal or Family subscription, the custom domain should still apply. However, as of November 20, 2023, Microsoft will no longer support custom domains with Microsoft 365 Personal or Family. It will be supported with the Microsoft 365 business subscriptions. Custom domains should still work if you have one but you won't be able to create a new one. My personal inclination is to not use a feature for which there no longer is support because if it were ever to break, it would never be fixed and there would be no recourse. It's not that much more expensive to get a business subscription if a custom domain is important to you when using Microsoft 365 and you don't need to be an actual business to subscribe.

I use a custom domain with the free version of Outlook.com. Microsoft (or GoDaddy) is not the registrar. I have my custom domain point to a mailbox that I then forward to my @outlook.com address and I have the custom address configured as an alias for that Outlook.com mailbox. I also have it set as the default From address. If I use the web interface, the From address is my custom address and people receiving my messages see that address whether it's a new message or a reply to an existing message. It doesn't work as straight-forward with a mail client (you would see "on behalf of" in the From address). However, there's a work-around for that as well if you create a send-only account in the client that sends messages you want to show as From the custom address through the real custom domain mailbox rather than relaying through Outlook.com. It can take just a bit more thought about the From address when sending, but I'm so used to it now I rarely make a mistake. I most often use a Chromebook for my normal computer work and since that uses the web interface, the From is always good.

As long as the code you purchase is a genuine Microsoft 365 code and not, say, a code for Microsoft Office Professional Plus, which is often a pirated license, it shouldn't make a difference.

Answer 2

Hi David

I'm Anna and I'd be happy to help you with your question. In this Forum, we are Microsoft consumers just like yourself.

Yes, you can continue to use your custom domain with a personal 365 account. You would need to configure the custom domain in the Office 365 admin center and update the MX records for your domain to point to the Office 365 mail servers.

If you decide not to renew your subscription, your account will be downgraded to the free version, which means you will lose access to certain features and services that are only available with a paid subscription. However, you will still be able to access your email using the free version of Outlook.com.

You can use a code purchased elsewhere to upgrade to Office 365 Personal, as long as it is a valid code for that product and it hasn't been used before. You will need to redeem the code in the Microsoft Store or on the Microsoft website, and then follow the instructions to upgrade your account.

I hope this helps ;-), let me know if this is contrary to what you need, I would still be helpful to answer more of your questions.

Best Regards,

Anna

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Answer 3

Thank you all for your assistance. I did purchase a family 365 licence and it was very seamless to add to the custom domain and worked without any further intervention other than adding the licence code. I now have my custom domain through that.

I take the point that a business account would be better (I do have another email on business basic) but this email is not too critical, although I'd like to keep it, and with the family account I get the apps at a better price plus extra storage and my family can have accounts too.

The only uncertainty I have is whether if and when I cancel the office subscription on this account my custom domain will still work for free as it did before, but not sure whether I should worry about that at the moment although slightly curious.

I had a lot of issues when i set up my business basic, transferring the emails from the old provider. I haven't found MS support that knowledgeable to be honest so I doubt they would be able to help. They aren't aware of the free option which ended quite a number of years ago for new subscribers.

Thank you all for your advice.

David