Google Apps

Configure domains and URLs

Work with domain hosts

Identify your domain host

Your domain has a hosting service that stores the domain's DNS records, including its MX records, CNAME and TXT records, NS records, and more. With Google Apps (or Webmaster Tools), you might need to modify your DNS records to set up various tools or services. For example, you might need to create a CNAME or TXT record to verify domain ownership after signing up for Google Apps. You'll also need to change your MX records to activate Gmail.

You make these changes with your domain host, not with Google. For some domain hosts, you can provide Google with your domain sign-in information so that we can make the necessary updates on your behalf, but your domain host still manages your domain's DNS records.

If you're not sure who your domain host is, there are a few ways to find out, depending on how you purchased your domain.

I purchased my domain when signing up for Google Apps

If you purchased your domain while signing up for Google Apps, then your domain host is one of our registration partners—either GoDaddy.com or eNom.com. To find out which one is your host:

  1. Sign in to the Google Admin panel. 
  2. Do one of the following:  

I purchased my domain elsewhere

If you didn't purchase your domain from one of our partners while signing up for Google Apps, try finding your domain host by looking up its name servers. Here are a few free tools that can help you out.

Search the whois database (pronounced who-is)

  1. Go to Google.com.
  2. Search for whois free to find a company that performs free queries of the whois database.
  3. Select a company from the search results. Two popular sites are Network-Tools.com and Kloth.net (not associated with Google).
  4. Type your domain name in the field and submit your query.

    Results list your domain's registrar and at least two name servers. Here are partial results for the sample domain theurbanexperience.org:

    • Domain Name: theurbanexperience.org
    • Registrar: Everydns.net
    • Name Server:ns4.everydns.net
    • Name Server:ns1.everydns.net

Alternately perform a name server (NS) lookup

  1. Go to Google.com.
  2. Search for NS lookup to find a company that performs name server queries.
  3. Select a company from the search results. Kloth.net (not associated with Google) is a popular site.
  4. Type your domain name in the field.
  5. Select NS records or Any records for your search query.
  6. Submit your query.

    Results list the name servers for your domain, as in:

    theurbanexperience.org nameserver = ns4.everydns.net
    theurbanexperience.org nameserver = ns1.everydns.net
    theurbanexperience.org nameserver = ns2.everydns.net
    theurbanexperience.org nameserver = ns3.everydns.net

Interpret the results

In many cases, the Registrar (reported in the whois results) is also your domain host. Sometimes, however, another "go-between" company is hosting your domain's DNS servers. To make sure either way, check out the name servers. Sometimes the servers themselves reveal the name of your host. The name servers in the results above, for example, show that EveryDNS is the domain host for theurbanexperience.org.

If your name servers don't name a specific company but are more obscure (as in asadns1.name-services.com), you can often find the name of your host by performing a search at Google.com for the server name. Search results will likely mention the company who owns that server.

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