Why this is the correct setup:
• include:[Link]: This authorizes the 4 new Microsoft 365
accounts to send emails.
• ip4:[Link]: This authorizes your 100 cPanel accounts to continue sending
emails from your current server.
• -all: This tells other mail servers (like Gmail or Yahoo) that only these two sources
are allowed. This is the best way to prevent your emails from going to the recipient's
spam folder.
Important Reminder for the GoDaddy DNS Page:
1. Check for duplicates: Ensure you do not have two TXT records starting with v=spf1.
If you have an old one, delete it or edit it to match the one above.
2. TTL (Time to Live): Set the TTL to 1 Hour (3600 seconds) so the change takes effect
quickly.
3. Wait for Propagation: After you save this in GoDaddy, it can take anywhere from 1
to 4 hours for the whole internet to "see" the update.
What’s the next step?
Once you have this SPF record saved and you've set your domain to Internal Relay inside
the Microsoft Admin Center, you are ready to point your MX Record to Microsoft.
To find your unique MX record, you’ll need to look inside your Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
Every account has a slightly different "prefix" based on your domain name.
Where to find it:
1. Log in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
2. Go to Settings > Domains.
3. Click on your Domain Name (e.g., [Link]).
4. Click on the DNS Records tab.
5. Look for the MX row. The value in the Points to address or value column is what you
need.
What it usually looks like:
It will follow this specific pattern:
[Link]
(Note: The dots in your domain name are replaced by dashes in the first part of the record.)
How to update it in GoDaddy:
Once you have that value, follow these steps to switch the "Main Switchboard" over to
Microsoft:
1. Log in to your GoDaddy DNS Management.
2. Find your existing MX record (which currently points to your cPanel or GoDaddy
mail).
3. Edit it:
o Priority: 0 (This is very important; it must be the highest priority).
o Host: @
o Points to: (Paste the [Link] value).
o TTL: 1 Hour.
4. Delete any other old MX records if they exist. There should only be one MX record
for your domain.
The "Point of No Return" Checklist
Before you click "Save" on that MX record, please double-confirm these three things
are done:
1. Users Created: Have you created the 4 user accounts in the Microsoft Admin
Center?
2. Internal Relay: Have you changed the Domain Type to Internal Relay in Microsoft
Settings?
3. Outbound Connector: Have you created the connector pointing to your cPanel IP
([Link])?
If those three are done, you can safely save the MX record. Emails for your 4 Microsoft
users will stay in Microsoft, and emails for your 100 cPanel users will be "passed through"
to your cPanel server automatically.
Once you have updated the MX Record at GoDaddy, you need to verify that the "bridge" is
working. You don’t want to wait for a client to tell you their email is bouncing!
Follow this 3-Step Test Plan to ensure both systems are talking to each other:
Test 1: External to Microsoft 365
The Goal: Ensure mail from the outside world reaches your new Microsoft accounts.
• The Action: Send an email from a personal account (like Gmail or Yahoo) to one of
your 4 new M365 addresses.
• Success: The email arrives in the Outlook/M365 inbox.
Test 2: External to cPanel (The Most Important Test)
The Goal: Ensure Microsoft is correctly "relaying" mail to your 100 cPanel users.
• The Action: Send an email from a personal account (Gmail/Yahoo) to one of your
100 cPanel addresses.
• Success: The email hits Microsoft, Microsoft realizes the user isn't there, passes it
through the Connector, and it arrives in the cPanel webmail/inbox.
Test 3: Internal "Cross-Talk"
The Goal: Ensure your new M365 users can email your old cPanel users.
• The Action: Send an email from one of your 4 M365 accounts to one of your 100
cPanel accounts.
• Success: The email is delivered to the cPanel user. (If this fails with a "User not
found" error, it means your Internal Relay setting is not active yet).
•
What to do if something fails:
• If Test 2 fails (cPanel doesn't get mail): Check your Outbound Connector. Ensure
it is pointing to IP [Link] and that your cPanel server isn't blocking Microsoft's
IP addresses in its firewall.
• If Test 3 fails: Double-check that the domain is set to Internal Relay and NOT
Authoritative in the M365 Admin Center.
• If all mail bounces: Check your MX Record at GoDaddy for typos.
Pro-Tip for cPanel:
Inside your GoDaddy cPanel, go to Email Routing and make sure it is set to "Local Mail
Exchanger." Since the cPanel server is the final destination for those 100 accounts, it
needs to know it should keep the mail it receives.