Verify a domain at Register.com

Updated: September 10, 2015

Applies To: Azure, Windows Intune

Important

Please bear with us as we migrate this and other content to the Microsoft Azure website. This topic is no longer being updated and might become out of date. Please bookmark the updated Azure article on this subject, Add your own domain name to Azure AD.

If you already have a domain registered with Register.com, and you want to configure it to work with your Microsoft Azure AD tenant, domain verification is required to confirm that you own the domain. To verify your domain, you create a DNS record at Register.com, and then Azure AD uses that record to confirm that you own the domain.

Note

  • If you registered your domain with Register.com but moved your DNS hosting to another provider, you’ll need to create the DNS record where your DNS is now hosted.

  • Before you can verify your domain, you must add the domain to Azure AD. When you’ve added a domain but the domain hasn’t yet been verified, the status is Click to verify domain. For more information about adding a domain, see Add your custom domain to Azure AD.

  • You can add and verify a domain name only once. If someone else in your company has already added and verified a domain name, you will receive an error message if you try to add the same domain again.

The following instructions describe how to verify a domain that is registered at the domain registrar Register.com. You must complete all of these steps to verify your domain in Azure AD. For general instructions about verifying a domain, see Verify a domain at any domain name registrar.

Complete these steps

  • Step 1. Gather your domain information

  • Step 2. Create a DNS record at Register.com

  • Step 3. Verify your domain

Step 1. Gather your domain information

You’ll need some information about your domain so that you can create the DNS record that will be used for verification.

  1. On the portal, in the left pane, click Domains. Follow the instructions to add a domain to the cloud service.

    Note

    If you have already added a domain, on the Domains page, in the list of domain names, find the domain that you are verifying. In the Status column, click Click to verify domain.

  2. On the Verify domain page, in the See instructions for performing this step with: drop-down list, choose your DNS hosting provider. If your provider doesn’t appear in the list, choose General instructions.

  3. In the Select a verification method: drop-down list, choose Add a TXT record (preferred method) or Add an MX record (alternate method).

    Not sure which verification method to choose? See Verify your domain by using a TXT record or an MX record?.

  4. From the table, copy or record the Destination or Points to Address information.

You’ll need this information when you create the new DNS record at Register.com in the next section.

Step 2. Create a DNS record at Register.com

The cloud service uses a DNS record that you create at Register.com to confirm that you own the domain. Use the instructions below to create a TXT record (or, if you prefer, an MX record) for a domain that is registered at Register.com.

Note

You may notice differences between Register.com’s website and the website described in these instructions.

To add a TXT record to verify your domain in Azure AD, do the following.

  1. Sign in to your account at Register.com.

  2. On the MY ACCOUNTS tab, click the name of the domain that you’re verifying.

  3. At the bottom of the page, under Advanced Technical Settings, in the TXT row, click Edit TXT Records (SPF).

  4. On the TXT Record page, in the Host Name box, type the following: @

  5. In the TXT Record box, type or paste the Destination or Points to Address that you recorded in Step 1. Gather your domain information.

  6. Click Continue.

  7. On the Confirm Changes to Domain Alias page, review the DNS record that you created, and then click Continue.

  8. Sign out of the Register.com website.

If you prefer, you can instead create an MX record to verify your domain. To create an MX record to enable Azure AD to verify your domain, do the following.

  1. Sign in to your account at Register.com.

  2. On the MY ACCOUNTS tab, click the name of the domain that you’re verifying.

  3. At the bottom of the page, under Advanced Technical Settings, in the MX row, click Edit Mail Exchanger Records.

  4. On the Add MX Records page, in the left box, type the following: @

  5. In the Priority drop-down list, select Low.

  6. In the Points to box, type or paste the Destination or Points to Address that you recorded in Step 1. Gather your domain information.

  7. Click Continue.

  8. On the Confirm Changes to Domain Alias page, review the DNS record that you created, and then click Continue.

  9. Sign out of the Register.com website.

After you create either the TXT record or the MX record and sign out of the website, return to the cloud service portal to verify the domain as described in Step 3. Verify your domain.

Note

Typically it takes about 15 minutes for your changes to take effect. But it can take up to 72 hours for the record that you created to propagate through the DNS system.

Step 3. Verify your domain

After the record that you created for your domain has propagated successfully through the DNS system, do the following to finish verifying your domain with Azure AD.

  1. On the portal, in the left pane, click Domains.

  2. In the Domains list, find the domain that you’re verifying, and then, in the Status column, click Click to verify domain.

  3. On the Verify domain page, click Verify.

    • If domain verification succeeds, a dialog box appears to let you know that your domain has been added to your account.

    • If domain verification fails, then the changes that you made at the domain registrar might need more time to propagate. Cancel the verification process, and return later to try domain verification again.

    Note

    If it has been more than 72 hours since you made the changes to your Register.com account, sign in to the Register.com website and verify that you entered the DNS record information correctly. If you entered the information incorrectly, you must remove the incorrect record and create a new one with the correct information by using the procedures in this topic.

  4. Click Finish. Your domain status is now listed as Verified in the list of domains.

After you’ve verified your domain, you can configure your domain to work with your accounts.

See Also

Other Resources

What is an Azure AD tenant?
Administering your Azure AD tenant