Standard email setup for Microsoft 365 / Outlook

Connect your Microsoft 365 or Outlook email to Commslayer using the recommended Standard setup. This gives you unlimited sending with no daily caps.

Time required: About 10 minutes

Before you start

You'll need:

Admin access to your Microsoft 365 account
Access to your domain's DNS settings (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, Shopify, etc.)
An email address on your domain (like support@yourstore.com) with a mailbox you can forward from — not a free @gmail.com address

Step 1: Create your inbox in Commslayer

Go to Settings → Inboxes and click Add inbox
Select Email
Choose Standard setup (the recommended option)
Enter your support email address (e.g., support@yourstore.com)
Give your inbox a name (e.g., "Support" or your store name)
Click Create inbox

Step 2: Add DNS records

Commslayer will show you two DNS records to add. These let us send emails on your behalf.

Add the DKIM record

Log in to your domain registrar (where you bought your domain)
Find DNS settings or DNS management
Add a new TXT record:
- Name/Host: Copy from Commslayer (looks like xxxxxxxx._domainkey)
- Value: Copy the long string from Commslayer
- TTL: Leave as default
Save the record

Add the Return-Path record

Add a new CNAME record:
- Name/Host: Copy from Commslayer (looks like pm-bounces)
- Value: Copy from Commslayer
- TTL: Leave as default
Save the record

Verify your records

Click Verify in Commslayer. Records usually verify within a few minutes, but can take up to 48 hours to propagate.

Troubleshooting: If verification fails, double-check that you copied the values exactly. Some registrars automatically add your domain to the end - if so, remove your domain from the Name field.

Step 3: Enable external forwarding in Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 blocks external forwarding by default. You need to enable it before emails can reach Commslayer.

Enable external forwarding in Microsoft 365 → — Follow this guide for step-by-step instructions with screenshots.

Quick version:

Go to the Microsoft Defender Portal
Navigate to Email & collaboration → Policies & rules → Threat policies
Click Anti-spam outbound policy (Default) → Edit protection settings
Set Forwarding rules to On - Forwarding is enabled
Set Restriction placed on users who reach the message limit to No action, alert only
Save

Then set up email redirection in Outlook:

Sign in to Outlook on the web
Go to Settings → Mail → Rules
Create a new rule: Apply to all messages → Redirect to → paste the Commslayer forwarding address
Check Stop processing more rules
Save the rule

Step 4: Test your setup

Send a test email to your support address from a different email account. It should appear in your Commslayer inbox within a minute or two.

Only new forwarded emails will appear in Commslayer - historical emails are not imported.

Common issues

"Your organization does not allow external forwarding"

You'll see an error like: 550 5.7.520 Access denied, Your organization does not allow external forwarding.

This means Microsoft 365 blocked the email from leaving your account. Follow Enable external forwarding in Microsoft 365 → to fix it.

Emails not arriving

Double-check that the outbound spam filter policy was updated and saved
Ensure your organization's security policies allow external forwarding and redirection
Verify the redirection rule in Outlook was set up correctly with no conflicting rules
Confirm the redirection address is correct (copy it fresh from Commslayer)

DNS records not verifying

Wait up to 48 hours for propagation
Check whatsmydns.net to see if your records have propagated
Make sure you didn't include your domain twice in the Name field