Verify your domain to unlock features (for business email accounts)

Applies to Google Workspace Business and Essentials editions, Google Cloud, Android Enterprise, and Chrome Enterprise.

If you signed up for a Business edition with a Gmail address, go here instead.

If you sign up for a supported Google service with your organization email address, you can verify your domain to unlock additional admin features, such as the ability to create user accounts, manage user profiles, and control password strength. You can also verify your domain if one of your users signs up for a Google service using their organization email address. In this case, when you verify your domain, you take over management of the Google service for your organization.

Unlock more features

When you verify your domain, you:

  • Take full administrative control of all managed user accounts in your organization. You can create user accounts, manage user profiles and security settings, and more.
  • Get advanced features for Drive, Meet, and Chat.
  • (Business editions) Get Gmail and Calendar apps.
  • (Essentials editions) Can switch to another Google Workspace edition to get Gmail.

Compare features in email-verified and domain-verified accounts:

How domain verification affects users

If you're an admin of a team with other users as members, after you verify your domain, those users automatically become managed users in your organization. Managed users can no longer sign up for Google services using their work email address.

If there are other teams in your organization, to apply admin controls for the user accounts in those teams, you need to transfer the unmanaged work accounts. After you transfer an unmanaged work account, it can't be reverted to an unmanaged account. For details, go to Transfer unmanaged work accounts.

If users in your organization have created unmanaged personal accounts, and you want to manage those user accounts, you need to transfer the unmanaged personal accounts after domain verification. For details, go to Transfer unmanaged personal accounts.

If you have Essentials Starter

To unlock features such as Gmail, you must first upgrade to Enterprise Essentials and verify ownership of your domain. Optionally, you can also choose to upgrade to a Business edition. If you don't upgrade to Enterprise Essentials before you start the domain verification process, you'll be prompted to upgrade to a paid edition after you verify your domain.

  1. Upgrade your account to Enterprise Essentials.
  2. Verify your domain.
  3. (Optional) Switch to the appropriate Business edition for your needs.

Renew or cancel any suspended subscriptions

If your organization's Google account has any suspended subscriptions, you need to renew or cancel them before you start the domain verification process. The Billing page in your Admin console shows the status of your subscriptions.

How to verify domain ownership

Step 1: Get access to your domain host

To verify your domain with Google, you must have:

  • The sign-in information for your domain host—Your host is typically where you bought your domain, such as GoDaddy or Enom. If you're not sure where you bought your domain, go to Identify your domain registrar.
  • Access to your domain's DNS settings/records—You'll need to update your domain's DNS settings (also called DNS records). Most domain hosts let you do this yourself, by signing in to your account at the host. Others may update your settings for you.

    If your domain host doesn't allow updating DNS settings, you can verify your domain by updating files at your domain's website. Go to Verify your domain with a TXT record.

Step 2: Update your domain settings (use the domain verification tool)

Follow these steps to verify you own your domain.

I'm already an admin for a Google service

If you have access to your Google Admin console:

  1. In the Google Admin console, go to Menu and then Account and then Domains.

    Requires having the Domain settings administrator privilege.

  2. Click Manage domains > Verify domain. Then follow the steps in the verification tool.

    Important: If a message appears that says you can't verify your domain, go to If you can't verify your domain later on this page.

  3. When it's time to verify your domain, you'll be asked to sign in to your domain host. You'll get a verification record to add to your domain's DNS settings. Or, you can add a tag or file to your website's files.

    Click below for step-by-step instructions to add the verification record for your host. Also find generic steps if your host isn't listed.

    GO TO VERIFICATION STEPS FOR YOUR DOMAIN HOST

    Important: The verification record doesn't affect your existing website or email.

  4. After you add the verification record to your DNS settings, you'll tell the verification tool to look for this record. After a few minutes (though it might take up to 1 hour), you'll get a confirmation message that your domain is verified.
  5. (If you're using Essentials Starter edition) Follow the instructions to upgrade your subscription to Enterprise Essentials or Enterprise Essentials Plus within 8 days; otherwise, domain verification will be canceled.
  6. If there are unmanaged work accounts in your domain, you're prompted to transfer those accounts to become managed accounts. For details, go to Transfer unmanaged work accounts.

Once you complete all on-screen steps to unlock additional features, you can start using your domain-verified Google service.

I'm taking control from another admin

If you don't have access to the Google Admin console:

  1. Go to the sign-up page for your service:
  2. Sign up using your email address at the domain you're verifying.

    Use an address where you can get mail.

  3. Follow the instructions in the section I'm already an admin for a Google service previously on this page.

Step 3: Set up billing (required to avoid account suspension)

  1. In the Google Admin console, go to Menu and then Billing and then Subscriptions.

    Requires having the Billing management privilege.

  2. Under Subscriptions, next to your Google service—such as Enterprise Essentials, Business Standard, or Chrome Enterprise Upgrade)—click Set up billing.
  3. Follow the instructions to set up billing.

For details, go to one of the following:

After you verify your domain

  • Users are notified—Existing users get an email telling them that their Google accounts have a new administrator.
  • (Essentials Starter) You'll lose access to the Team dashboard—Instead, you'll perform all management tasks from your Google Admin console, where more business features become available.
  • You become the sole admin for users—Any previous admins lose access to management controls, such as the Team dashboard (Essentials only) or Admin console.
  • (Essentials Starter) You might need to create a sign-in password—If your team used SSO, after domain verification, you'll be prompted to set a password for your Google Account before you can access your new Google service.

Manage your organization's domain-verified Google account

As a super admin for your organization's domain-verified Google account, you can manage all aspects of your service, including creating user accounts, configuring security settings, creating policies, and more.

Learn more about managing user accounts:

If you're using Enterprise Essentials or Enterprise Essentials Plus, learn more about:

Questions

Why must I verify my domain to unlock features?

Before we can unlock identity management features for any organization, we need to know they own their domain. This helps prevent anyone from using Google services with someone else's business identity.

A domain is what comes after www. in web addresses. This is often your organization's name, followed by .com. An example is yourbusiness.com.

Who is my domain host?

If you're not sure where you bought your domain, go to Identify your domain registrar.

Can I tell if my domain is verified?

To check if your domain has been verified:

  1. In the Google Admin console, go to Menu and then Account and then Domains.

    Requires having the Domain settings administrator privilege.

  2. If you don't see a message asking you to verify your domain, your domain has been verified.

How long does verification take?

Adding your verification record takes about 10 minutes. It can take up to 1 hour for us to confirm you added the record, but it usually happens more quickly.

Can I get help with domain verification?

You can contact us directly for help: Contact support


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