how do i change the MX for email

Question

changing MX for emails. I would like to open my email in google but Microsoft will not allow me to edit or delete my MX

Answer 1

Hi @Andrew Stella,

Thank you for reaching out regarding your question about changing the MX record for your email domain.

Based on what you’ve shared, I understand that you’re trying to route incoming email to Google rather than Microsoft 365, and that you’re encountering limitations when attempting to edit or remove the MX record from within the Microsoft 365 admin center. If this is not an accurate understanding of the situation, please feel free to let me know and share any additional details, so I can provide more targeted guidance.

If this is the case, the explanation provided by the Q&A Assist aligns with how MX records are managed. In short, MX records are edited at the domain’s DNS host (such as the domain registrar or DNS provider), not directly within Microsoft 365. The Microsoft 365 admin center displays the MX record values required for mail flow to Microsoft services, but it does not control whether the record can be edited or deleted. Any changes must be made where the domain’s DNS is hosted.

You may want to review and try the recommended approaches outlined by the Q&A Assist to determine whether they apply to your environment, particularly confirming who currently hosts your DNS and whether your domain’s nameservers are pointing to Microsoft or another provider.

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You may also want to keep the following in mind before switching. (I’ll use GoDaddy as an example below)

• When the MX record still points to Microsoft 365, mail will continue going to Microsoft

For example: if your domain is hosted with GoDaddy and, under DNS > MX Records, you see an entry similar to *.mail.protection.outlook.com. This means Microsoft 365 is still the active mail destination. In this state, all new inbound email will continue to be delivered to Microsoft 365, even if users no longer sign in to those mailboxes.

• To have new incoming email delivered to Google, the MX record must be updated at the domain’s DNS

For example: if your domain is hosted with GoDaddy, this change is made under DNS > MX Records. In this scenario, the Microsoft 365 MX record, typically the one that points to an address ending in *.mail.protection.outlook.com, would need to be removed or replaced. Once that Microsoft MX record is no longer active and the MX records provided by Google are in place, inbound email will route to Google instead of Microsoft 365.

• If nameservers point to Microsoft, external changes will not take effect

For example: if your domain was previously set up so that Microsoft manages DNS, the nameservers for the domain may be set to Microsoft values such as ns1.bdm.microsoftonline.com. In this situation, even if you sign in to GoDaddy and attempt to change the MX record there, those changes will not take effect because GoDaddy is not hosting DNS for the domain.

To switch mail delivery to Google in this case, the domain’s nameservers would first need to be changed back to GoDaddy (or another DNS provider that allows direct MX management). Once GoDaddy is again hosting DNS for the domain, MX records can then be updated there to point to Google, and mail delivery will follow the new configuration.

• After updating MX records, changes are not applied instantly across the internet.

DNS propagation depends on the domain’s TTL values and how frequently external mail systems refresh DNS information, so there may be a delay before all senders begin delivering mail to the new destination.

For example, if the MX record has a TTL of 3600 seconds (1 hour), some external mail servers may continue using the old MX information for up to an hour after the change. During that time, those senders may still deliver email to Microsoft 365, even though the MX record has already been updated to point to Google.

I hope this information is useful. Thank you for taking the time to raise this question. If you need any further clarification or assistance, please feel free to leave a comment under this post.

If you find my post useful, kindly consider upvoting it. Doing so can assist others in the community who may have similar questions in finding solutions more quickly.

Thank you for your contributions to the forum.

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Answer 2

MX records are edited at the DNS host for the domain, not directly in Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 only shows what MX record is required for mail to flow to Microsoft; it does not control whether the record can be edited or deleted at the registrar/host.

To point mail to Google instead of Microsoft 365, the MX record at the DNS host must be changed from the Microsoft 365 value (for example, MSxxxxxxx.mail.protection.outlook.com) to the Google Workspace MX records, and any Microsoft 365 MX entries removed or deprioritized.

General process (outside Microsoft 365):

1. Sign in to the DNS hosting provider for the domain (often the domain registrar or a separate DNS service).
2. Locate the DNS zone for the domain and find existing MX records.
3. Note the current Microsoft 365 MX value (it will look like <MX token>.mail.protection.outlook.com as described in the Microsoft guidance).
4. Add or update MX records to use Google’s MX targets instead of the Microsoft 365 MX value.
5. Remove or lower the priority of any MX records that point to Microsoft 365 if mail should no longer flow there.
6. Save changes and wait for DNS propagation (can take up to 48–72 hours depending on TTL and global caching).

If the DNS zone is hosted on Windows-based DNS under your control, the Microsoft guidance for adding/removing MX records applies in reverse when moving away from Microsoft 365:

1. Open DNS Manager for the domain.
2. Go to Action > Mail Exchanger (MX).
3. Edit the existing MX record that points to Microsoft 365 (the Address field containing <MX token>.mail.protection.outlook.com) and replace it with the Google MX value, or delete it and create new MX records for Google.
4. Remove any obsolete MX records that should no longer receive mail.
5. Save changes.

Important behaviors from Microsoft’s documentation:

• When the MX record is pointed at Microsoft 365, all email for that domain is delivered to Microsoft 365 mailboxes. To move delivery to Google, the MX must be changed at the DNS host.
• DNS changes can take time to propagate: documentation notes up to 48–72 hours for other organizations’ email systems to recognize the new MX.
• TTL on MX records affects how quickly changes take effect; a lower TTL (for example, 3600 seconds) allows faster switchover.

If the portal in Microsoft 365 appears to “not allow” editing or deleting MX, that is expected: the Microsoft 365 admin center only provides the values and status, but the actual edit must be done at the DNS provider. If the domain’s nameservers were previously changed to Microsoft-managed DNS, the MX record is still edited in the DNS system that currently hosts the zone (the nameserver owner). In that case, switch nameservers back to a DNS provider that will host Google’s records, then configure MX there.

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References:

• Create DNS records for Microsoft using Windows-based DNS
• Change your Microsoft 365 email address to use your custom domain
• Migrate email to Exchange Online using the Exchange cutover method
• Migrate Google Workspace mailboxes to Microsoft 365 or Office 365
• Change nameservers to set up Microsoft 365 with any domain registrar
• Migrate to Microsoft Defender for Office 365 - Phase 3: Onboard
• Connect Microsoft Teams Essentials (Microsoft Entra ID) to an existing email system with calendar