This MS-102 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage a microsoft 365 tenant. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company has just purchased Microsoft 365 Business Standard and added the custom domain 'fabrikam.com' to the tenant. They want to verify domain ownership. Which DNS record type must they add to their DNS provider?
MX record
Why wrong: MX records are used for mail routing, not domain verification.
CNAME record
Why wrong: CNAME records are used for aliasing domains, not verification.
TXT record
A TXT record with the verification string is the standard method for domain ownership verification.
SPF record
Why wrong: SPF records are used for email authentication, not domain verification.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
TXT record
To verify domain ownership in Microsoft 365, you must add a TXT record containing a unique verification string provided by the Microsoft 365 admin center. The TXT record is the standard DNS record type used for domain validation because it can store arbitrary text data without affecting email routing or other services. Microsoft 365 checks for this specific TXT record to confirm you control the domain.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
MX record
Why it's wrong here
MX records are used for mail routing, not domain verification.
CNAME record
Why it's wrong here
CNAME records are used for aliasing domains, not verification.
TXT record
Why this is correct
A TXT record with the verification string is the standard method for domain ownership verification.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
SPF record
Why it's wrong here
SPF records are used for email authentication, not domain verification.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the TXT record used for domain verification with the SPF record, which is also a TXT record type, but SPF is specifically for email authentication and not for proving domain ownership.
Detailed technical explanation
The TXT record for domain verification must contain the exact value provided by Microsoft 365, which is typically a long alphanumeric string like 'MS=msXXXXXXXX'. This record is checked by Microsoft's domain verification service via a DNS lookup; the record must be publicly resolvable and not cached from a previous verification. In real-world scenarios, if the domain is already used for email, adding a TXT record for verification does not interfere with existing SPF or DKIM records, as multiple TXT records can coexist.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
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FAQ
Deploy and manage a Microsoft 365 tenant — This question tests Deploy and manage a Microsoft 365 tenant — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: TXT record — To verify domain ownership in Microsoft 365, you must add a TXT record containing a unique verification string provided by the Microsoft 365 admin center. The TXT record is the standard DNS record type used for domain validation because it can store arbitrary text data without affecting email routing or other services. Microsoft 365 checks for this specific TXT record to confirm you control the domain.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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