I have M365 Family and a domain name not on GoDaddy

I don't know about the optional part Karl. My domain registrar provides a DNS server and editing tool and publishes the entries required for using MS365 within my domain. I have also seen them published elsewhere on the internet. I am not sure what you think that MS does on their server side or GoDaddy does on their DNS server side that forces one to use the other. Perhaps their is another "secret handshake". Please illuminate us.

Another thing I discovered is that mail sent as described sometimes ends up in the recipients Junk folder.

Of the 3 main tests used by email providers, email passes SPF and DKIM but fails DMARC because header.from doesn't match smtp.mailfrom. With the DMARC entry set to p=none, mail mostly gets through. The header says of DKIM that the message was signed which may account for its getting through.

I investigated whether it is related to the fact that I cannot add my preferred email as an alias because it is the same as my MS account name. (I use Thunderbird Identity as a subterfuge). I created a new outlook.com user and added them to my family. I logged on and was able to add a preferred email using my domain registered in Family. Mail sent from this user got handled properly with the header and smtp both set to my domain. It passes the SPF and DMARC tests, but it says the message isn't signed!

So it seems I can only get 2 out of 3 tests passed regardless of how it's done.

I tried it but it wouldn’t let me specify my preferred email as an alias. So I did this:

• Left email address as outlook_xxxxxxxxxxxxx on outlook.com
• Used Thunderbird with default identity set to my preferred email. Mail gets sent with preferred from address. I can do without Outlook.
• Emails sent to my preferred email (which is same as my MS a/c) arrive in Family 365 where TB can read them.
• Mail set up on iPad and iPhone Apple mail seem to work ok, though from address is outlook_xxxx. But replies go to the inbox ok, and reading works.

So it will do for me, just in time for the trial period end. The remaining worry is that MS might close the avoid-GoDaddy loophole in the future.

Thanks @TestMicrosoft365.

Yes, that’s how I read the rules.

It’s a pity this wasn’t clear before I set up my and family MS accounts using their preferred email instead of a new, outlook.com one.

It didn’t occur to me as when I was working at a school we logged in with our email address, though I think email may have been gmail.

Which leaves me with the problem of what to do now.

• Try the ‘not recommended’ path and see if it works. Has anyone risked this?
• Find another email solution and be grateful to Family365 for the TB storage and office apps..

Ken

As regards custom email / Microsoft account / email, the following scenario may be the only usable option according to what is stated in the documentation:

(because it is not possible to enter an email address without censoring it, the " @ " is replaced by " * " in the following text, thank you very much)

• for each Microsoft 365 Family member, first create a Microsoft account (for example) in the format name.account*outlook.com
• this account will be used to log in to all Microsoft 365 services
• for emailing purposes only on a custom domain, each member will be assigned an address in the name*nodaddy.domain format
• emails will arrive at this address and leave from this address
• all other activity is stored with the Microsoft account / name.account*outlook.com

It's a bit schizophrenic for the user, but it is clearly stated that it is not recommended to use your own email address for logging in (and also sharing) within the Microsoft365 Family subscription. Setting up a Microsoft account in the format of an email address on your own "nodaddy" domain (merry*nodaddy.domain) necessarily leads to even bigger problems when it is not at all clear to the user what is an email address and what is an MS account.