SPF Record Checker

Validate your domain's SPF record to prevent email spoofing and improve your email deliverability.

What is an SPF Record?

An SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record is a type of DNS TXT record that lists all the servers authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain. Its primary purpose is to combat email spoofing, where spammers or attackers send emails with a forged "From" address.

When a mail server receives an email, it can check the SPF record of the sending domain to verify if the email came from an authorized IP address. If the check fails, the receiving server can mark the email as spam or reject it outright.

Why is an SPF Record Important?

A properly configured SPF record is crucial for email deliverability and security. It builds trust with receiving mail servers, increasing the chances that your legitimate emails land in the inbox, not the spam folder.

Key benefits include:

Improved Deliverability: A valid SPF record signals to ISPs like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo that you are a legitimate sender, which is a key factor in their filtering decisions.
Brand Protection: It prevents unauthorized parties from sending emails using your domain, protecting your brand's reputation from being associated with spam or phishing attacks.
DMARC Compliance: SPF is a fundamental component of DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance), the gold standard for email authentication.

How Does an SPF Record Work?

The process is simple but effective. When you send an email, the recipient's mail server performs a DNS lookup to find the SPF record on your domain. It then checks if the IP address of the server that sent the email is listed in that record. If there's a match, the SPF check passes. If not, it fails.

How to Create and Fix an SPF Record

An SPF record is published as a TXT record in your domain's DNS settings. A typical record looks like this:

v=spf1 a mx include:_spf.google.com ~all

To create one, you need to identify all the services you use to send email (e.g., Google Workspace, SendGrid, Mailchimp) and include their specific SPF mechanisms in your record. Be careful not to exceed the 10 DNS lookup limit, which is a common source of validation errors.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have multiple SPF records on my domain?

No. A domain must have only one SPF record. Having multiple records will cause a "PermError" (Permanent Error) during validation, which makes your SPF setup invalid and can hurt deliverability.

What is the difference between ~all (SoftFail) and -all (Fail)?

~all (SoftFail) suggests to receiving servers that emails from unlisted sources are suspicious but should still be accepted, possibly placed in spam. -all (Fail) is a strict policy that tells servers to reject any email from a source not listed in the SPF record.

What is the 10 DNS lookup limit?

The SPF specification states that a record cannot generate more than 10 DNS lookups (e.g., from `include`, `a`, `mx` mechanisms). Exceeding this limit will cause a validation error. Our checker will help you identify if you've exceeded this limit.

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