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You can keep your website on HostCloud and use Google Workspace (Gmail) or Microsoft 365 (Outlook) for your business email. This guide shows you which DNS records to change, and one cPanel setting you mustn’t skip.
This guide is for domains that use HostCloud nameservers, so DNS is edited in cPanel’s Zone Editor. If your DNS is with Cloudflare or another provider, make the same changes there. See Where to edit your DNS.
Once you change your MX records, new email goes to Google or Microsoft instead of your HostCloud mailboxes. Set up your mailboxes there first, and copy any old email you want to keep.

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Before you start

Start the domain setup in your Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 admin console. It shows the exact records to add for your domain, including a verification record. Always use the values it gives you. The ones below are typical examples.

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Step 1: Verify your domain

Your provider asks you to add a TXT record to prove you own the domain, for example google-site-verification=… or MS=ms…. Add it in Zone Editor as a TXT record for your domain. See Add or edit DNS records.

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Step 2: Change the MX records

1

Open Zone Editor

Log in to cPanel, open Zone Editor, and click Manage next to your domain.
2

Remove the old MX record

Find the existing MX record (usually pointing to your own domain or mail.yourdomain.com) and delete it.
3

Add the new MX record

Add the MX record your provider gave you:

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Step 3: Set Email Routing to remote

This step is easy to miss. Without it, email sent from your website or from other accounts on our server may still be delivered to your old HostCloud mailboxes.
1

Open Email Routing

In cPanel, type Email Routing in the Search Tools box and open it.
2

Choose remote

Select your domain and choose Remote Mail Exchanger. Click Change.

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Step 4: Update SPF and add DKIM

So your emails aren’t marked as spam, update your SPF record and turn on DKIM in your provider’s admin console. If your website also sends email (for example, contact forms), your SPF record must include HostCloud too. Open Email Deliverability in cPanel to see the suggested record, and combine both into one SPF record. See SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained. DKIM is a record your provider generates for you. Copy it from their admin console into Zone Editor exactly as shown.
Microsoft 365 also asks for an autodiscover CNAME record so Outlook can set itself up. Add it from the Microsoft 365 admin center’s list.

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Step 5: Wait and test

DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to work everywhere. Then send a test email to your address from a different account, and reply to it. See How long DNS changes take to work. Still stuck? Open a ticket with your domain name and which provider you’re moving to.