I'm assisting a non-profit organization with their Google Workspace setup, specifically the free tier. Currently, they use Microsoft 365 (Outlook) for their email, but leverage Google Workspace for sharing Drive and Calendar features.
The challenge arises because I have two staff members who aren't in our Google Admin user list. When I try to add them, I receive an error message indicating that they can't be invited because they already have personal Google accounts linked to their work emails. Unfortunately, I can't reclaim or transfer these accounts because I can't find a transfer tool for unmanaged users in the Admin Console, likely due to the tier limitations.
Google is asking me to verify domain ownership through a TXT record to unlock certain features.
Here's the DNS situation:
- The registrar is GoDaddy, and the nameservers point to ns2.wixdns.net and ns3.wixdns.net.
- I can't adjust MX records because the GoDaddy UI is locked due to the nameserver settings.
I managed to access an old Wix account, but it has no domain linked to it. The nameservers seem to be leftovers from a previous website.
The risk is significant because our MX records currently point to Outlook through the Wix nameservers, and switching them back to GoDaddy to add the necessary Google TXT record may disrupt email flow.
I can't afford any downtime for our Outlook emails, and I need to add the two users to the Google Directory to resolve calendar sharing issues.
I'm looking for the safest way forward. Should I switch nameservers to GoDaddy to verify the domain? If I do, how can I ensure the Microsoft MX records stay intact? Is there a way to force Google to see the TXT record without accessing the Wix DNS panel? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
2 Answers
Before making any changes, it'd be smart to get a solid grasp of how DNS works. You might want to first set up the DNS records at the new host to mirror the existing ones, which should help when you switch the nameservers. Whichever server your email server is communicating with will provide the same response, maintaining your MX record. Also, consider switching to a more reliable DNS provider like Cloudflare in the future; GoDaddy can be a real headache. After that, just add your TXT record to verify domain ownership. Remember, you don't need to have Google host your email right away. You can create Google user accounts without using Gmail, which could potentially simplify things for you.
I think you should definitely replicate the Microsoft 365 MX/SPF/DKIM records in GoDaddy DNS first, before switching nameservers. That way, when you do switch over, the mail flow should stay intact.
I’d suggest holding off on changing the nameservers until you’ve replicated all existing Microsoft 365 DNS records in your new GoDaddy account. Once that’s done, flipping the nameservers should keep your email running smoothly while you add the TXT record for Google.
Thanks for the tips! Just to clarify, I can’t add a TXT record at Wix, that's the issue. I get that I need to switch back to GoDaddy to unlock it, but I'm worried it might mess up my existing email setup. So, if I switch nameservers, would that disrupt the flow, considering everything’s set up with Wix? What do you recommend?