Before we begin

Hello 👋🏻,

My name is Patrick, founder of Cloud Captains, a Dutch Google Partner based in The Hague.

We at Cloud Captains believe that knowledge should be shared and that the wheel does not need to be reinvented. We also believe that certain standards must be met to guarantee a secure IT environment.

This document focuses on domains in Google Workspace and the basic settings.

Domains

Who owns the domain?

We often see this happen: there is no access to the DNS (Domain Name System) of the domain used in Google Workspace as the primary domain, and the domain data (whois) such as owner, address, and more are not the data of the company using the domain but, for example, of the website builder.

Ensure you check your whois information via ICANN Lookup or SIDN.

What do you need to receive messages?

To start, the domain must be added to the Google Workspace environment. The first domain added is the primary domain, which is the main domain, and then you can add, for example, a secondary domain or a domain alias. Several records are needed in the domain. First, the domain must be verified by adding a TXT record or a Cname record.

Once the domain is verified, you need to check what needs to happen to ensure everything runs smoothly. Is the domain already in use? In that case, a migration plan will have been drawn up. Do you want to receive emails on your domain? In that case, the MX records must be changed to "smtp.google.com". Then the SPF record must be added and, where possible, a DKIM and DMARC record.

Checking your records

If you want to check your records in your domain, you can use a DIG (Domain Information Groper) command from your own computer or via a website. Go to this website Dig (DNS lookup) and enter the domain.

In Google Workspace

Finding your domain(s)

In the admin console, you can go to the following in the menu: Accounts → Domains → Manage domains.

Unmanaged users

It is possible that an account was created in the Google system using the domain you want to add. Check for accounts via unmanaged users.

Changing primary domain

It is possible to change the primary domain to another domain via the admin console under Accounts → Domains → Manage domains.

Conflicting domain

It may be that your domain is marked as in use in the Google system. You can submit a request to Google to release your domain from the other environment via this form.

Domain types

  • Primary domain: The main domain of the Google Workspace environment.
  • Secondary domain: An additional domain with its own set of users.
  • Domain alias: An alias for the primary domain.

⚠️ Warning Unmanaged users are not displayed in Unmanaged users with a domain alias and are immediately overwritten without warning to the administrator when the settings are not changed.