Flash Sale:75% Off Hosting + Free DomainEnds in13h47m14sView Plans
Hostvento logoHostvento
Get Started

How to Add SPF, DKIM and DMARC Records to Your Domain

These three records help prove that your emails are really from you. They also keep your mail out of the spam folder.

Domains and DNS2 min read9 steps

What are these records?

A DNS record is a small line of information about your domain. DNS is like a phone book for the internet. It turns a website name into a number that computers understand.

  • SPF lists the servers allowed to send email for your domain. It is like a guest list at a party door.
  • DKIM adds a secret signature to each email. The receiver checks the signature to see that nobody changed the email.
  • DMARC tells receivers what to do when SPF or DKIM fails. For example, send the email to spam.

All three are stored as TXT records. A TXT record holds plain text.

Before you start

You need to edit the DNS zone of your domain. This is the place where all records live. If Hostvento hosts your DNS, use your control panel. If your DNS is somewhere else, use that company's DNS page.

Steps

  1. Log in to your client area.
  2. Open your hosting control panel from the Services menu.
  3. Find the Zone Editor (in cPanel) or the DNS management page.
  4. In cPanel, you can also open Email Deliverability. It shows SPF and DKIM and can fix them for you.
  5. To add SPF by hand, click Add Record. Choose type TXT. Set the name to your domain. Set the value like this:
v=spf1 +a +mx include:example-mail-server.com ~all

Replace example-mail-server.com with the real mail server name. Your welcome email or Hostvento support can tell you the right value. A domain should have only one SPF record.

  1. For DKIM, create a TXT record. The name is usually default._domainkey. The value is a long key made by your mail server. In cPanel, Email Deliverability shows this key.
  2. For DMARC, create a TXT record with the name _dmarc. A safe first value is:
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:you@yourdomain.com

This only watches and sends you reports. It does not block anything. Use your own email address.

  1. Click Save on each record.
  2. Wait up to a few hours. Then send a test email to check it.
Tip: Start DMARC with p=none. After a few weeks of clean reports, you can move to a stricter setting.

Careful: a wrong SPF record can make your real emails bounce. Copy the old value somewhere safe before you change it.

Quick recap

  • SPF lists who may send your mail.
  • DKIM signs your mail.
  • DMARC says what to do when checks fail.
  • All three are TXT records in your DNS zone.
  • Save a copy of old records before editing.