Standard email setup for GoDaddy domains with Microsoft 365 / Outlook

Before you start#

This guide is for domains registered with GoDaddy whose mail is actually hosted on Microsoft 365 / Outlook (not GoDaddy Workspace Email). All DNS changes happen in GoDaddy's DNS Management; all forwarding changes happen in Microsoft 365.

You'll need:

• Admin access to GoDaddy DNS Management for your domain
• Global admin access to the Microsoft 365 admin center / Microsoft Defender portal
• Your Commslayer inbox created, with its Forward to Email address ready (Settings → Inboxes → your inbox → Forward to Email)

Quick check first: in GoDaddy → DNS Management, look at your MX record. If it points to something like yourdomain-com.mail.protection.outlook.com, you're in the right place. If it points to smtp.secureserver.net, your mail is hosted by GoDaddy itself and GoDaddy's own Email Forwarding page (not this guide) is what controls delivery. And if you already have a rule set up on GoDaddy's Email Forwarding page for this address while your MX points to Outlook, delete it — it won't do anything, since GoDaddy never receives the mail to forward.

Standard setup (single inbox)#

Time: ~10 minutes, plus up to an hour for DNS/policy propagation.

Step 1: Create your inbox in Commslayer#

1. Go to Settings → Inboxes and click Add inbox

2. Select Email

   

3. Choose Standard setup (the recommended option)

   

4. Enter your support email address (e.g., support@yourstore.com)

5. Give your inbox a name (e.g., "Support" or your store name)

6. Click Create inbox

   

Step 2: Add DNS records in GoDaddy#

In GoDaddy → DNS Management → Add New Record, add the two records shown in your Commslayer inbox's DNS settings panel:

• DKIM — matches the type/value shown in Commslayer exactly
• Return-Path — a CNAME record

Back in Commslayer, confirm both show as Verified before continuing (can take a few minutes to a few hours).

Step 3: Enable external forwarding in Microsoft 365#

Microsoft 365 blocks auto-forwarding to external domains by default, and there are two separate settings that both need to be on — missing the second one is the most common reason forwarding silently fails.

3a. Anti-spam outbound policy:

1. In the Microsoft Defender portal, go to Email & collaboration → Policies & rules → Threat policies → Anti-spam policies.

2. Open Anti-spam outbound policy (Default) → Edit protection settings.

3. Set

   Automatic forwarding rules to "On – Forwarding is enabled." and Restriction placed on users who reached the message limit to "No action, alert only" and click Save.

3b. Remote domain settings (easy to miss):

1. In the Exchange admin center, go to Mail flow → Remote domains → Default.

1. Click Edit reply types.
2. Enable Allow automatic forwarding. Save.

Skipping 3b causes messages to be silently dropped with reason RESOLVER.MSGTYPE.AF in message trace, even though the rule in Step 4 fires correctly. Allow 15–60 minutes for both settings to propagate.

Step 4: Create the Outlook redirect rule#

1. In Outlook on the web, go to Settings → Mail → Rules → Add rule.
2. Condition: Apply to all messages.
3. Action: Redirect to → your Commslayer Forward to Email address.
4. Check Stop processing more rules. Save, and confirm the rule is toggled on.

Use Redirect, not Forward — Redirect preserves the original sender information.

Step 5: Test your setup#

Send a fresh test email from an external address (e.g. Gmail) to your domain address and confirm it appears in Commslayer. If it doesn't, see Common issues below.

Common issues#

• Mail stays in Outlook and never reaches Commslayer, while GoDaddy's Email Forwarding page shows it as configured. Your MX record points to Microsoft 365, so GoDaddy's own forwarding tool never runs. Follow steps 3 and 4 above and delete the unused GoDaddy forwarding entry.
• Message trace shows Drop with the reason RESOLVER.MSGTYPE.AF; handled AutoForward addressed to external recipient. The remote domain setting "Allow automatic forwarding" (step 3b) is still off. Complete step 3b, wait 30 to 60 minutes and test again.
• Message trace shows Failed even after steps 3a and 3b. The settings haven't taken effect yet. Wait 30 to 60 minutes and send a fresh test message.
• Every email arrives twice in Commslayer. Two forwarding methods are active at once: a duplicate Outlook rule, or an Outlook rule plus mailbox-level forwarding set in Exchange admin center → Recipients → Mailboxes → your mailbox → Mail flow settings. Keep one of them.
• The redirect appears to work but nothing shows in Commslayer. The Forward to Email address is mistyped, or the test was sent to an address that isn't the inbox address or an alias on it. Copy the address again from the inbox settings and check which address you wrote to.

Need help?#

If forwarding still isn't working after this guide, contact support from the chat inside the app and attach a screenshot of your Microsoft 365 message trace results. It shows us where the message stops.