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Create SPF at the DNS provider authoritative for your domain, publish exactly one TXT record for each domain or subdomain, and place every legitimate sending service in that record. A correct SPF record starts with v=spf1, uses each provider’s documented include: or IP mechanism, and ends with an enforcement qualifier such as ~all or -all.

If mail is failing, the usual causes are duplicate SPF records, a record published at the wrong DNS name, an unlisted sender, more than 10 DNS lookups during evaluation, or changes that have not propagated. The procedures below show how to create the record, combine providers, diagnose each failure, and verify the result alongside DKIM and DMARC.

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What an SPF record does

Sender Policy Framework (SPF) tells a receiving mail server which servers and services are permitted to send messages using your domain. Google describes it as a record that defines “the mail servers and domains that are allowed to send email on behalf of your domain.” SPF is published in DNS as a TXT record; it is not configured in the mailbox application itself.

When a message arrives, the recipient evaluates the sending IP address against the SPF policy for the domain used in the message’s envelope-from or return-path. Mechanisms such as ip4, ip6, a, mx, and include: identify permitted infrastructure. The record begins with v=spf1 and normally ends with a qualifier that determines what happens to sources that do not match.

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SPF authenticates sending infrastructure; it does not encrypt mail, inspect message content, or prove that the visible From address is trustworthy by itself. Configure DKIM and DMARC as complementary controls.

Plan the record before editing DNS

Do not copy a record from another organization or assume that a provider’s value applies to every product it operates. Make an inventory of every system that sends mail with your domain and identify the exact envelope-from or return-path domain it uses.

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Build a sender inventory

  • Your primary mailbox service, such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
  • Marketing and newsletter platforms.
  • Help-desk or ticketing systems.
  • Website forms and application servers.
  • CRM, billing, monitoring, and transactional-mail services.
  • Any legacy server, hosted appliance, or subdomain that sends directly.

For each service, obtain its current SPF instruction from the provider’s documentation. Record whether it supplies an include: domain, fixed IPv4 or IPv6 ranges, or another supported mechanism. Remove a service from the policy only after confirming that it no longer sends mail.

Find the authoritative DNS provider

Log in to the service that hosts the authoritative name servers for the domain. Your registrar and your DNS host may be different companies. If a hosting partner manages the DNS zone, make the change in that partner’s dashboard rather than in an unused or separate DNS account.

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How to create an SPF record

  1. Open the DNS editor. In a typical dashboard choose DNS, Add record, and TXT. For a root-domain record, many interfaces use @ as the name. A subdomain uses its own label, such as news for news.example.com.
  2. Check for an existing SPF value. List TXT records at the exact owner name. A value that begins with v=spf1 is already an SPF policy; edit and extend it instead of creating another one.
  3. Assemble one policy. Start with v=spf1, add the documented mechanism for every legitimate sender, and finish with the qualifier you have selected. Separate terms with spaces. Do not put unrelated verification TXT values into the SPF string.
  4. Enter the value exactly. Use the provider’s spelling, underscores, periods, and hyphens. Do not replace an include: target with a similarly named domain or with a value intended for a different product.
  5. Save and inspect the result. Confirm that the dashboard stored one TXT value beginning with v=spf1 at that name and did not insert an unintended line break or extra quotation marks.
  6. Verify after DNS publication. Query the authoritative server and at least one public resolver, then send a controlled message and inspect its Authentication-Results header for the SPF result.

Ready-to-use provider examples

These strings are documented examples, not universal policies. They apply only when the named provider is the sender, and they must be merged with mechanisms for every other service that sends as the same domain.

Sending arrangement Example SPF value Ending qualifier What to check
Google Workspace only v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all Soft fail (~all) Add the mechanisms for any website, marketing, CRM, or transactional sender.
Microsoft 365 v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all Fail (-all) Use this Microsoft 365 target exactly; do not substitute another Microsoft-related hostname.
Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:spf.protection.outlook.com ~all Soft fail (~all) Merge both includes into one TXT record, then add every additional legitimate sender.

The qualifier is an operational choice. A soft fail asks receivers to treat an unauthorized source suspiciously, while a fail is a firm assertion that the source is not authorized. Coordinate a stricter qualifier with testing and with all departments that send mail; an omitted vendor can otherwise cause legitimate messages to fail SPF.

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How to fix multiple SPF records

A domain or subdomain must have exactly one SPF record. Two TXT records that both begin with v=spf1 do not provide a fallback or a combined policy. Receivers can return a permanent error (permerror) because the SPF specification expects one policy at the queried name.

Merge, do not add another record

  1. Query the exact name used by the failing message’s envelope-from or return-path.
  2. Open every TXT value beginning with v=spf1 and copy the legitimate mechanisms from each.
  3. Combine those mechanisms into one space-separated value, retaining a single v=spf1 at the beginning and one final qualifier.
  4. Delete the extra SPF TXT record only after its required senders have been incorporated into the surviving value.
  5. Check the DNS response again to confirm that only one SPF policy remains.

Other TXT records, such as site-verification or domain-key records, may coexist at the same DNS name. The restriction applies to SPF values, not to TXT records generally.

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How to fix the “too many DNS lookups” error

SPF evaluation is limited to 10 DNS lookups. The count includes lookups triggered by mechanisms and modifiers such as include:, a, mx, and redirects, including lookups nested inside an included provider policy. A long-looking string is not necessarily expensive, and a short string can exceed the limit when its includes are deeply nested.

Reduce the lookup count safely

  • Remove vendors that no longer send mail.
  • Replace unnecessary a or mx mechanisms with a provider’s documented fixed ip4 or ip6 ranges when those addresses are genuinely stable and maintained.
  • Consolidate overlapping services when one documented provider include covers them all.
  • Ask the sending provider whether it supports a maintained SPF-flattening design. A flattened list must be kept current because vendor IP ranges can change.
  • Do not delete a nested include merely to make a test pass. First confirm which service owns it and whether its addresses change.

After each change, use an SPF-aware diagnostic checker or inspect the provider’s published policy to count the complete evaluation path, not just the top-level terms. Keep the total below the protocol limit and review it whenever you add a sender.

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When SPF is not found or does not work

The record is at the wrong name

A root-domain policy normally uses @ in a DNS dashboard, but the actual DNS owner is the full domain name. A policy for example.com does not automatically authorize a message whose envelope-from is bounce.example.com. Publish a separate policy at the subdomain when that subdomain sends independently.

The record is at the wrong provider

Verify the domain’s authoritative name servers. If a hosting company or managed DNS partner controls the zone, editing a different provider’s dashboard has no effect. Query the authoritative server directly to see which service is answering for the domain.

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The value has syntax damage

  • It must start exactly with v=spf1, in lowercase or the provider’s documented form.
  • Mechanisms must be separated by spaces.
  • Remove accidental line breaks, pasted smart quotes, and extra quotation marks inserted into the value.
  • Check every include: target character for character.
  • Make sure the final qualifier is present and is not followed by another unrelated mechanism.

The TXT response is split or truncated

Google’s current guidance lists 255 characters per SPF string and a 512-byte TXT-file limit. A DNS interface may display a long value in multiple quoted chunks; that is acceptable only when the chunks are stored as one logical TXT record and returned as one SPF policy. Ask the DNS provider how it handles long TXT values rather than manually creating multiple v=spf1 records.

How to verify an SPF change

Verification should follow the actual DNS path and the actual sending domain. Replace example.com in the commands with your domain.

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  1. Query a public resolver: dig TXT example.com +short. On systems without dig, use nslookup -type=TXT example.com.
  2. Query the authoritative name server identified for the domain. This distinguishes an unpublished change from a public-resolver cache.
  3. Check that exactly one returned value starts with v=spf1, that every expected provider appears, and that no obsolete sender remains.
  4. Send a test message from each important system to a mailbox where you can view full headers.
  5. In the received message, inspect Authentication-Results. Confirm the SPF result, the domain evaluated, and the client IP. A pass for a different domain may not authenticate the domain you intended.

Do not repeatedly edit the record while caches still contain the old value. Change one issue, wait for resolvers to observe it, and test again.

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How long SPF changes take to work

Google says SPF authentication can take up to 48 hours after a record is added. The exact delay depends on DNS time-to-live values, resolver caches, and the receiving provider. During that window, one resolver may show the new policy while another still returns the previous one.

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Wait 24 to 48 hours before treating an unchanged public result as proof that the record failed. Query more than one public resolver and the authoritative server. If the authoritative response is correct but a public resolver is old, the remaining issue is propagation. If the authoritative response is wrong, fix the DNS zone or the owner name rather than waiting.

When legitimate mail still fails SPF

A passing policy for your mailbox provider does not authorize every system that uses your visible From address. Start with the message that failed and identify its envelope-from or return-path domain and sending IP.

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  1. List the outbound service that generated the message.
  2. Check that service’s documentation for its current SPF include or IP mechanism.
  3. Confirm whether it sends with your root domain, a dedicated subdomain, or a provider-owned return path.
  4. Add the documented mechanism to the one SPF record for the evaluated domain, unless the provider instructs you to delegate sending to a separate subdomain.
  5. Retest after propagation and inspect the header to ensure the receiver evaluated the intended domain.

Forwarding can also complicate SPF because a forwarded message may arrive from a server that was not in the original sender’s policy. DKIM and DMARC help provide additional signals when mail is forwarded or passes through intermediaries.

SPF limits and design constraints

Constraint Operational meaning
One SPF record per domain or subdomain Merge all authorized mechanisms into one TXT value; multiple SPF values can produce permerror.
10 DNS lookups during evaluation Count top-level and nested lookups from includes, a, mx, and redirects.
255 characters per SPF string Long policies may need DNS-provider-supported TXT string handling; do not create a second SPF record.
512-byte TXT-file guidance Keep the complete stored TXT response within the provider’s documented limit and verify how it serializes long values.
Propagation up to 48 hours Allow DNS caches to expire before concluding that a correctly published change failed.

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC together

SPF checks whether the sending infrastructure is authorized for the evaluated envelope domain. DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to the message, allowing the receiving system to verify that signed content and the signing domain have not been altered. DMARC lets a domain owner publish handling and reporting instructions and evaluates alignment between authenticated domains and the visible From address.

Microsoft advises deploying DKIM and DMARC alongside SPF because spoofing techniques can bypass reliance on SPF alone. Configure each control for the domains and subdomains that actually send mail, then review authentication reports and failed-message headers before tightening enforcement.

SPF maintenance checklist

  • Keep a current list of every service permitted to send mail.
  • Use the exact include: value or IP ranges documented by each provider.
  • Maintain one SPF TXT record at each sending domain or subdomain.
  • Review nested includes and keep evaluation at 10 DNS lookups or fewer.
  • Remove retired vendors promptly, but do not remove an active sender merely because it sends infrequently.
  • Recheck the policy when changing mailbox, marketing, CRM, website, or transactional-mail providers.
  • Query the authoritative DNS server and multiple public resolvers after changes.
  • Test real messages and read the complete Authentication-Results header.
  • Keep DKIM and DMARC configured as separate, complementary protections.

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