Migrating Your Email from Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace

This guide covers everything you need to do yourself, since we can't log into your Google or GoDaddy accounts on your behalf. Follow these steps in order.

Step 1: Verify Your Domain with Google

Google needs proof that you own your domain before it will activate your Google Workspace account.

1. Go to admin.google.com and sign in with the temporary Google Workspace email you created (e.g. temp--example@example.com) and the password you set.
2. You should see a red banner: "Verify your domain to begin using Google Workspace." Click it.
3. On the "Choose how to verify your domain" screen:
   • Do not use "Sign in with GoDaddy" (this hasn't worked reliably).
   • Instead, click "Other verification options".
4. Google will give you a TXT record that looks something like:

   google-site-verification=abcXYZ123examplecode

5. Copy the entire code (everything after the = sign, or the full string if instructed — the page will label exactly what to copy).

Add the TXT record in GoDaddy

1. Log into your GoDaddy account at godaddy.com.
2. Go to My Products → Domains, find your domain (e.g. yourdomain.com), and click DNS or Manage DNS.
3. Click Add New Record (or Add).
4. Fill in:
   • Type: TXT
   • Name/Host: @ (this means "the root domain")
   • Value: paste the code Google gave you
   • TTL: leave as default (usually 1 hour)
5. Click Save.
6. Go back to the Google admin console and click Verify. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to work, since DNS changes take time to spread ("propagate"). If it doesn't verify immediately, wait 30–60 minutes and try again.

Step 2: Update Your MX Records (this is the step that actually switches your mail)

⚠️ Important: Only do this step once your domain is verified in Step 1, and once you're ready for new mail to start arriving in Google Workspace instead of your old Microsoft inbox. This is the point where incoming mail switches over.

In GoDaddy's DNS settings for your domain:

1. Delete or edit the existing MX record(s) that currently point to Microsoft/Office 365.
2. Add a new MX record:
   • Type: MX
   • Name/Host: @
   • Value/Points to: SMTP.GOOGLE.COM
   • Priority: 1
   • TTL: leave as default

3. Add an SPF record (helps prevent your emails being marked as spam):

   • Type: TXT
   • Name/Host: @
   • Value: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all

   (If you already have an SPF record from Microsoft, don't add a second one — edit the existing one to include Google's part instead. Two SPF records will cause problems.)

4. Add a DMARC record (optional but recommended):
   • Type: TXT
   • Name/Host: _dmarc
   • Value: v=DMARC1; p=none;
5. Click Save.

MX changes typically take effect within a few minutes to a few hours, but can occasionally take up to 24–48 hours to fully propagate everywhere.

Step 3: Migrate Your Old Emails from Microsoft 365 to Gmail

Once your Google Workspace mailbox is verified and active, you can pull your old mail across yourself using Google's built-in migration tool — this only needs your own logins, not ours.

1. In the Google Admin console (admin.google.com), go to Menu → Account → Data migration.
2. For Migration type, choose Email.
3. For Migration source, select Microsoft Office 365 (this works for Outlook.com/Exchange Online accounts too).
4. Google will ask you to sign in with your Microsoft 365 account (your old email login) and grant permission for Google to read the mailbox. This is you authorizing it directly — no third party needs your password.
5. Choose what to migrate:
   • Date range: e.g. "all mail" or a specific start date
   • Folders: you can migrate everything, including your custom supplier folders — these will carry across (they may need renaming afterward, but the content comes through)
6. Under Select users, add the mailbox(es) to migrate — just enter the source (old) and destination (new Gmail) address for each one.
7. Click Start migration.
8. You'll see a live status per mailbox (Migrating / Completed / Error). Larger mailboxes with years of history can take several hours to fully copy over — this runs in the background, so you can close the browser and check back later.

Step 4: Check Everything Came Across

1. Log into your new Gmail account and confirm:
   • Old folders/labels are present (they'll appear as labels in Gmail rather than folders — this is normal, Gmail organizes mail this way)
   • Message counts look roughly right compared to your old mailbox
   • Recent emails and attachments open correctly
2. Send yourself a test email from another account to confirm new mail is arriving in Gmail, not your old inbox.

Step 5: Wrap Up

• Once you're confident everything has come across and new mail is flowing to Gmail, you can cancel your Microsoft 365 email subscription with GoDaddy.
• Set up any email signatures, forwarding rules, or filters you had in Outlook — these don't transfer automatically and need to be recreated in Gmail settings.
• If you'd like a Gmail shortcut on your desktop, you can create one via your browser (Chrome: menu → More tools → Create shortcut), or simply bookmark gmail.com.

If anything gets stuck

Send us a screenshot of exactly which screen you're on and what error (if any) you're seeing, and we're happy to talk you through the next click. We just can't log into your Google or GoDaddy account directly on your behalf, since those need your own credentials.