Microsoft email hosting nightmare

MJWyatt 0 Reputation points
2026-10-07T22:05:59.58+00:00

My daughter has a domain name she uses for business. Email is hosted by microsoft. As of a couple of days ago, Outlook and Microsoft say her domain does not exist. I have tried everything I know and have been unsuccessful. I've had two people look at it that have scads of computer experience. I've tried to contact support but there is no way to get a person on the line and I've tried all the online tutorials. She can still get into the Outlook account by creating an outlook email, but the email that shows up in the inbox is all from 2017 or earlier. Anyone have a clue or have any info to contact support for email hosting. I checked the DNS host for the domain and all is as it should be.

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For business
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  1. Lin v 1,550 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-07T22:23:07.44+00:00

    Hi MJWyatt,

    To help me better understand what is happening, kindly clarify a few details:

    • Where exactly do you see the "domain does not exist" message? Is it in Outlook desktop, Outlook on the web, the Microsoft 365 business sign-in page, or somewhere else?
    • What is the exact error message being displayed?
    • Are other users on the same domain affected, or is the issue limited to your daughter's mailbox?
    • Has the domain registration, Microsoft 365 subscription, or account configuration been changed recently?

    In the meantime, the AI answer appears to cover several valid areas to investigate. You may consider to review those checks first and see whether any of them match your current situation.

    Also, if further investigation is needed, I would recommend having the tenant's IT administrator open a support ticket with Microsoft, as they can access tenant and domain information that is not visible to the community.

    If your daughter is the only Global Administrator and is currently unable to access the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, consider contacting Microsoft Support by phone again. This would likely be the quickest way to reach the appropriate team for assistance.

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    I hope everything gets sorted out soon.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-10-07T22:06:15.76+00:00

    This points to either a domain/DNS problem in Microsoft 365 or an account sign-in mismatch after the custom domain was added.

    1. In the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to Setup > Domains.
    2. Check the Status column for the domain.
    3. If there is a warning or error, select the three dots (more actions) and choose Check health.
    4. Review the pane that opens. It shows which DNS records are wrong and what the records should be.

    If the issue is specifically that Microsoft says the domain does not exist, the documented checks are:

    • Verify the TXT verification record value is exact, including the MS= portion.
    • Make sure the DNS change was actually saved at the DNS host.
    • Allow time for DNS updates to propagate, which can take a few minutes and occasionally a few hours.

    If Outlook is failing to set up the mailbox even though the domain exists, one known cause is Autodiscover being answered incorrectly by the domain’s website host. In that case, the web hosting provider needs to make sure the web server does not respond to Autodiscover requests for the root domain.

    If the mailbox can still be opened only by using a different Outlook address and only very old mail appears, also check whether the Microsoft 365 sign-in name changed after the custom domain was added. A documented pattern is that after a new tenant adds and verifies a custom domain, the admin sign-in can change from the original .onmicrosoft.com address to the new custom-domain address, and the old sign-in can appear as if the account no longer exists. Try signing in in an InPrivate/Incognito window with the newer custom-domain username and the same password.

    If Outlook desktop still does not connect after DNS is confirmed, use Microsoft 365 domain health first, then Outlook troubleshooting.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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