Setting Up SPF Records

Configure SPF DNS records to authorize Mailnaptic to send email for your domain.

Setting Up SPF Records

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) tells receiving mail servers which IP addresses are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. Without SPF, your emails are more likely to be flagged as spam.

What Mailnaptic Provides

When you add a domain in Mailnaptic, the domain card on the Domains page shows the exact SPF record to publish. Copy the value from that page. It has this shape, with Mailnaptic's mail server host name and IP address filled in:

v=spf1 a:<mail server host> ip4:<mail server IP> ~all

Mailnaptic also shows a second SPF TXT record for the return-path (envelope) subdomain, together with an MX record for that subdomain. Add those as well, exactly as shown.

Adding the Record

Log in to your DNS provider.
Find your existing TXT records for the root domain (@ or example.com).
If you do not have an existing SPF record, create a new TXT record with the value shown in Mailnaptic.
If you already have an SPF record (e.g., for Google Workspace or Microsoft 365), add the Mailnaptic a: and ip4: entries from the record shown in Mailnaptic to your existing record, and keep a single ~all at the end. For example:
```
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com a:<mail server host> ip4:<mail server IP> ~all
```

Common Mistakes

Multiple SPF records — You can only have one SPF TXT record per domain. If you create a second one, SPF validation fails. Merge all entries into a single record.
Too many DNS lookups — SPF allows a maximum of 10 DNS lookups. Each include: and a: entry counts as one. If you exceed 10, use an SPF flattening tool.
Using -all vs ~all — ~all (soft fail) is recommended while setting up. Once you are confident all legitimate senders are listed, you can switch to -all (hard fail). Mailnaptic accepts either.

Verifying

Return to Domains → Sending domains in Mailnaptic and click Check DNS. The SPF chip turns to Verified once the record propagates and validates. Mailnaptic checks that your record starts with v=spf1, contains the Mailnaptic a: or ip4: entry, and ends with ~all or -all.

Tip: Use a tool like dig TXT example.com or an online SPF checker to verify your record is published correctly before clicking Check DNS in Mailnaptic.

Setting Up SPF Records