How to set up a custom .CA email on four most popular platforms

We’ve said it before: one of the single coolest things about registering your .CA is getting a custom email address. And now that you have one, we imagine you’ll probably want to use it with your favourite email platform, right?  

Read on for our step-by-step guide to getting your custom .CA email up and running with the four most popular platforms: Gmail, Outlook, iCloud mail and Yahoo Mail.   

Setting up your custom domain email with Gmail  

This method assumes two things: you already have email hosting in place (likely through your .CA domain registrar) and an existing Gmail account—i.e., [email protected].  

Step 1: log in to your Gmail account and click the gear/settings icon in the top right corner and then See all settings.  

Step 2: click on Accounts and import. Scroll down to Check email from other accounts and then click Add an email account.  

Step 3: now, you’ll enter your hosted (custom) email address—i.e., [email protected]. Click Next and then check the option to Import emails from my other account (POP3) followed by Next.  

Step 4: ensure your username is the same as your custom email address. Then, type in the password for your custom email. The POP server should be mail.yourcustomdomain.ca and then followed by Port number 110.  

Make sure you don’t check Always use a secure connection (SSL) when receiving email.  

Step 5: click Add account and you’re halfway there! Queue the Bon Jovi.  

Step 6: now you need to set up your account to be able to send emails from your custom email address. In your Gmail account, click the gear/settings icon in the top right corner and then See all settings.  

Step 7: click on Accounts and import. Scroll down to Send mail as and then click Add another email address. 

Step 8: now, you’ll be prompted to enter your name and custom (hosted) email address. Check the Treat as an alias box and then click Next step.  

Step 9: you should be greeted with a screen called Send emails through your SMTP server. The SMTP server name is mail.yourcustomdomain.ca. Then, for the username, you’ll type in your full email address and the password for that email address.  

Change the port number to 465 and check the box for Secured connection using TLS.  

Step 10: Click Add account and you’re all set!  

Setting up your custom domain email with Outlook  

To be able to send and receive emails using your custom domain, you’ll need to pay for one of the Microsoft Office 365 Business plans. If you want to keep costs down, go with the Business Basic plan at $8.10 per month. Depending on what registrar you used to purchase your domain, some offer Microsoft Outlook as an email option. 

Once you’ve parted with a few hard-earned loonies and toonies, log in to your Microsoft Office 365 account, navigate to the Apps section from the sidebar menu and click Admin. 

Step 1: select Set up email with a custom domain. You’ll be greeted with a pop-up window asking whether you want to use a domain you already own or buy a new one. Just click the Use a domain you already own button and keep moving.  

Step 2: now, a setup wizard should appear with an overview of the steps you’ll need to follow. Start by entering your custom domain name. Office will search for your domain and hosting provider and then ask you to confirm ownership.  

Step 3: you’ll be prompted to add a TXT record from Outlook. Grab that file then log into your web or email hosting provider account. From here, you should be able to add the TXT record to your DNS settings. 

Once added, switch back to your Office account and click Verify. Once the verification process is complete (which can take five to 10 minutes), you should be good to move on.  

Step 4: next, you’ll be prompted to add users. This is where you can create additional custom email inboxes for, say, your employees or anyone else on your team. If you don’t need multiple inboxes, just hit Skip.  

Step 5: here’s where we connect your custom domain to Microsoft Office 365. You’ll need to grab the MX (mail exchanger), CNAME and TXT records supplied by Office and add them to your email host’s DNS settings.  
 
What these records do is ensure that all of your emails get properly sent (and received) through Outlook.  

Step 6: once those records have been successfully added, you should be all set!  

Setting up your custom domain email with iCloud Mail (Apple)  

Like Outlook, to use custom email domains on Apple’s iCloud Mail platform, you’ll need an active iCloud + subscription—which can be had for as little as $1.29 a month.  

Oh, and let’s assume you already have an Apple ID, too!  

Step 1: log in to your iCloud account, navigate to Account settings and click Manage under “Custom email domain.  

Step 2: type in the custom domain that you’d like to use with iCloud.  

Step 3: now, you’ll be prompted to update your DNS records. This step ensures your emails get routed properly and are secured from any bad actors.  

iCloud+ will provide you a list of records (TXT, MX and CNAME) that you’ll need to copy and then add to your DNS settings. These settings can be accessed and updated through the account you have with your web or email hosting provider.   

Step 4: once the DNS changes have been made, give them a little bit of time to take effect and then hit Finish setup. Boom—done! 

Setting up your custom domain email with Yahoo Mail  

Step 1: start by logging in to your Yahoo Mail account, click the gear icon in the top-right corner of your screen and then go to More settings.  

Step 2: click Mailboxes on the left-hand menu and then Add mailbox.  

Step 3: you’ll now see a list of email providers (Google, Outlook, etc.)—click Other at the very bottom.  

Step 4: now, you’ll enter the following info and settings:  

• Email address: Add your full custom email address – i.e., [email protected].  
• For the account type, select IMAP.  
• Your incoming mail server should be: imap.exampledomain.ca  
• For the outgoing mail server (SMTP), enter smtp.exampledomain.ca 
• Enter the password for your custom email domain.  
• Incoming server (IMAP Port): 143  
• Incoming server (IMAP SSL Port): 993  
• Outgoing server (SMTP Port): 587  
• Outgoing server (SMTP SSL Port): 465  

Step 5: Click Save changes and you’re set!  

With a little know-how and digital elbow grease, you too can add your shiny new custom .CA email domain to all your favourite platforms.