How to Set Up Business Email on Your Own Domain (Singapore Guide)

Quick summary: how to set up business email with your domain

1. Choose a provider and sign up with your domain (for example yourcompany.com.sg).
2. Prove you own the domain by adding a TXT record at your registrar.
3. Create the mailboxes for each person, before switching mail over.
4. Add the MX record so incoming mail goes to the new provider.
5. Add SPF, turn on DKIM, then publish a DMARC record.
6. Set up aliases (info@, sales@) and any shared inbox.
7. Connect phones and laptops, and turn on multi-factor authentication for everyone.

If you are moving from old email (for example your web host's email or a personal Gmail), plan the switch so old messages are copied across and no new mail is lost. More on that below.

What you need first

• A domain in your own name. If you don't have one yet, register it at a registrar. A .com.sg requires your business to be registered (or registering) with ACRA, Enterprise Singapore or a Singapore professional body, and the administrative contact verifies with Singpass or Corppass. See SGNIC's .SG rules.
• Login to your domain's DNS. Usually this is at the registrar, but sometimes DNS is managed somewhere else (for example Cloudflare or your web host). Find out where before you start.
• A company card to pay Microsoft or Google directly.
• A list of people and addresses you need, for example jane@, accounts@, info@.
• An hour of quiet time. Most of the steps are quick, but DNS changes can take time to take effect.

Step 1: choose a provider

For a small business, the realistic choice is Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. Both cost a few dollars per user per month for the entry plan (as of October 2026, Microsoft 365 Business Basic is listed at US$7.00 per user per month on an annual plan, and Google Workspace Business Starter at S$9.40 per user per month on the flexible plan, both excluding tax). Our Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace guide compares them plan by plan, with links to the official price pages.

Email bundled with cheap web hosting can work for one person. But it usually lacks the spam filtering, MFA, mobile apps and admin controls you will want as you grow.

Step 2: verify your domain

During sign-up, the provider asks you to prove you own the domain, usually by adding a TXT record with a code they give you. Copy the value exactly into your registrar's DNS settings and click verify. If your registrar supports Domain Connect, Microsoft 365 can add the records for you after you sign in. Microsoft explains both routes in Connect your domain by adding DNS records.

Step 3: MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC

These records tell the world where to deliver your mail and how to tell real email from your domain apart from forgeries. Add them at your DNS host.

MX record: where incoming mail goes

• Google Workspace: one MX record, host @, value smtp.google.com, priority 1. Remove old MX records. Google says changes can take up to 72 hours to be recognised. Source: Google's MX set-up guide.
• Microsoft 365: one MX record, host @, with the unique value shown in your admin centre (copy it from there), priority as high as your registrar allows, typically 0. Also add the recommended autodiscover CNAME so Outlook sets itself up.

SPF: who is allowed to send

SPF is a single TXT record at @ listing the services allowed to send email as your domain. You can have only one SPF record per domain. If you also send from other services, combine them into that one record.

• Microsoft 365 only: v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all (Microsoft's SPF guide)
• Google Workspace only: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all (Google's SPF guide)

DKIM: a digital signature on every email

• Google Workspace: in the Admin console go to Apps, Google Workspace, Gmail, Authenticate email. Generate a 2048-bit key (the default selector is google), add the TXT record it shows at google._domainkey, then click Start authentication. Google notes it can take up to 48 hours to start working. Source: Google's DKIM guide.
• Microsoft 365: add the two CNAME records selector1._domainkey and selector2._domainkey with the values shown for your domain, then switch DKIM on in the Defender portal's Email authentication settings. Source: Microsoft's DKIM guide.

DMARC: what to do with forgeries

DMARC is a TXT record at _dmarc that tells receiving servers what to do with mail that fails SPF and DKIM, and where to send reports. Both Google and Microsoft recommend starting in monitoring mode, for example v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourcompany.com, and moving to quarantine and then reject once the reports show all your real email passes. Our guide on emails going to spam explains how to do that safely.

Step 4: aliases and shared inboxes

You don't need a paid licence for every address.

• Aliases deliver to an existing person's inbox, for example info@ going to the owner. Google Workspace allows up to 30 aliases per user at no extra cost (Google's alias help).
• Shared inboxes let several people read and reply from one address such as accounts@. In Microsoft 365, a shared mailbox doesn't need its own licence up to 50 GB (Exchange Online limits). In Google Workspace, use a Google Group set up as a collaborative inbox.
• Leavers: when someone leaves, convert or redirect their mailbox rather than deleting it, so client emails aren't lost.

Step 5: phones and laptops

• Microsoft 365: install Outlook on each laptop and phone and sign in with the new address. The autodiscover record does the rest.
• Google Workspace: use Gmail in the browser, or the Gmail app on phones, signed in with the work account.
• Turn on MFA for everyone before people start using the account. Microsoft's free security defaults require all users to register for MFA. In Google Workspace, enforce 2-Step Verification in the Admin console.
• Add an email signature with your name, role, phone and website, and keep it consistent across the team.
• Remove old accounts from devices once the move is complete, so nobody keeps sending from the old address.

Moving existing mail? Copy old messages across before or right after the MX switch, and keep the old mailbox until every user confirms their folders are complete. Both Microsoft and Google provide migration tools for common sources.

Common mistakes that send mail to spam

• Two SPF records instead of one combined record. This makes SPF fail completely.
• Forgetting other senders: your website's contact form, Xero, Shopify or a newsletter tool also send as your domain and need their own set-up.
• Never turning DKIM on. The DNS record exists, but signing was never switched on in the admin console.
• No DMARC record at all. Gmail requires one from bulk senders, and without it anyone can send email that claims to be from your domain.
• Jumping straight to p=reject before checking reports, so legitimate invoices start bouncing.
• Old MX records left in place, so some mail still goes to the old host.

You can check all of this in seconds with our free domain check, which reads your SPF, DKIM, DMARC and HTTPS settings and explains any problems in plain English.

Do it yourself or get help?

If you are comfortable copying values into a DNS panel, you can do everything above yourself in an afternoon. Follow the provider's wizard, then add DKIM and DMARC, and run the domain check to confirm.

If you'd rather not touch DNS, or you need it working this week, our Business Email Setup (S$249, up to 5 mailboxes, delivered in 2 business days) sets up Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace on an account in your name with MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC done. If you don't have a domain yet, Domain & DNS Setup (S$99) registers or transfers it in your name and sets auto-renew so it never lapses. Licence and domain fees are paid by you, directly to the provider.