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Prerequisites

You can start using TenantCore with infrastructure you already control. For the current bring-your-own-tenant workflow, you need a TenantCore account, a Microsoft 365 tenant you are authorized to administer, and at least one domain you already own. You do not need to purchase a Microsoft 365 tenant from TenantCore.

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1. A TenantCore account

You need an active TenantCore account. You can sign in with email and password, Google, or Microsoft. New users can use the 14-day TenantCore Plus trial to experience the main automation workflow before selecting a paid plan. Base, Plus, and Complete each include 3 tenant slots for customer-supplied Microsoft 365 tenants. The Plus trial includes 1 tenant slot. A tenant slot is capacity to connect one Microsoft 365 tenant to TenantCore. It is not an included Microsoft 365 tenant or Microsoft license. See Plans & Entitlements for the current plan matrix, trial limits, reporting history, integrations, Automatic DNS, and API access.

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2. A Microsoft 365 tenant you can administer

For the current BYOT experience, you must already have access to the Microsoft 365 tenant you want to connect. You should be able to complete the Microsoft consent flow using an account with sufficient administrative authority for the permissions TenantCore requests. TenantCore uses Microsoft authorization to connect the tenant. You do not paste a Global Administrator password into TenantCore during the normal connection flow.

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Before you connect

Make sure:
  • the tenant is active
  • you can sign in successfully
  • you are authorized to grant the requested Microsoft permissions
  • Exchange Online is available for the mailbox workflows you plan to use
TenantCore checks tenant access, required permissions, and Exchange readiness after connection.

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3. At least one domain you already own

TenantCore does not register or create domains. You need a domain that you already control and intend to use with the connected Microsoft 365 tenant. You should also have access to the DNS provider that hosts the domain’s DNS zone. A domain can be managed only through the TenantCore tenant it belongs to.

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4. DNS access

You need one of the following.

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Option A — a supported Automatic DNS provider

Automatic DNS is available on Plus, Complete, and the Plus trial for supported providers. Current direct-provider support includes:
  • Porkbun
  • Cloudflare
  • Namecheap
You connect the DNS provider through TenantCore so TenantCore can apply supported Microsoft 365 DNS changes for domains already registered to your TenantCore account. Provider credentials stay server-side and are not exposed through the public TenantCore API.

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Option B — manual access to your DNS provider

If your provider is not directly integrated for Automatic DNS, or provider API access is unavailable, use TenantCore’s manual DNS workflow. TenantCore shows the records that need to be added, and you publish them directly at your DNS host.

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Namecheap eligibility

Namecheap restricts API access to eligible accounts. If your Namecheap account cannot use the API, use the manual DNS workflow instead.

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5. A sending-tool account — optional

You do not need a sending tool to create domains or mailboxes in TenantCore. If you want TenantCore to automate the provider-side connection, have an account with one of the directly integrated sending tools ready before that step. Other Microsoft 365-compatible sending tools can still be connected manually.

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6. A licensed Exchange user for Outlook access — optional

If you want to open TenantCore-created mailboxes natively in Outlook, your BYOT tenant needs at least one suitable licensed Exchange Online user. That user becomes the Outlook sign-in account you use to open TenantCore mailboxes in Outlook. TenantCore can grant that user:
  • Full Access
  • Send As
to the TenantCore-created mailboxes you select. The Outlook sign-in account does not need an administrative role simply to open delegated mailboxes. If you do not need Outlook access, skip this step.

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What you do not need

You do not need:
  • a Microsoft 365 tenant purchased from TenantCore
  • a separate Microsoft license for every TenantCore-created mailbox just to use the standard mailbox workflow
  • TenantCore-managed MFA before you can create or connect a mailbox
  • a directly integrated DNS provider if you are comfortable using manual DNS
  • a directly integrated sending tool if you are comfortable connecting the mailbox manually
  • API access unless you are on Complete and want programmatic automation
For the smoothest first setup, have the following ready:
Once those are ready, continue to Quickstart.