Verify a domain at Network Solutions

  • Article

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 This topic is no longer being updated and might become out of date.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 Network Solutions, and you want to configure it to work with 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 Network Solutions, and then Azure AD uses that record to confirm that you own the domain.

Note

  • If you registered your domain with Network Solutions 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 Network Solutions. 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 Network Solutions

  • 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 Network Solutions in the next section.

Step 2. Create a DNS record at Network Solutions

The cloud service uses a DNS record that you create at Network Solutions 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 Network Solutions.

Note

You may notice differences between the Network Solutions website and the website described in these instructions.

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

  1. Go to Network Solutions and click Manage My Domain Names.

  2. Click Log in, and then type your user ID and password.

  3. In the Log in to: drop-down list, select Manage My Domain Names, and then click Login.

  4. Select the domain name that you are verifying, and then go to the Domain Names page.

  5. On the Domain Names page, click Edit Advanced DNS Records.

  6. On the Update Advanced DNS page, under Text (TXT) Records), click Edit TXT Records.

  7. In the first empty row, in the Host box, type the following: @

  8. In the TTL box, type 1 to set TTL to one hour.

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

  10. Click Continue.

  11. In the Confirm Your Request dialog box, review the record that you created, and then click Save Changes.

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. Go to Network Solutions and click Manage My Domain Names.

  2. Click Log in, and then type your user ID and password.

  3. In the Log in to: drop-down list, select Manage My Domain Names, and then click Login.

  4. Select the domain name that you are verifying, and then go to the Domain Names page.

  5. On the Domain Names page, click Edit Advanced DNS Records.

  6. On the Update Advanced DNS page, under Mail Servers (MX Records), click Edit MX Records.

  7. In the first empty row, in the Priority box, type a number that is larger than the number you’ve specified for existing MX records. This can help prevent the new MX record from interfering with mail routing for the domain.

  8. In the TTL box, type 1 to set TTL to 1 hour.

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

  10. Click Continue.

  11. In the Confirm Your Request dialog box, review the record that you created, and then click Save Changes.

After you create either the TXT record or the MX record and sign out of the website, return to the cloud service 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 in the cloud service portal, and return later to try domain verification again.

    Note

    If it has been more than 72 hours since you made the changes to your Network Solutions account, sign in to the Network Solutions 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