{"id":8034,"date":"2026-07-10T21:54:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T21:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/?p=8034"},"modified":"2026-07-10T21:56:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T21:56:27","slug":"spf-record-generator-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.warmy.io\/blog\/email-best-practices\/spf-record-generator-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create & Check an SPF Record in 2026 (+Free Generator)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TL;DR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An SPF record<\/a> is a single TXT record in your domain’s DNS that lists which servers are allowed to send email using your domain. To create one, publish a TXT record at your root domain that starts with v=spf1, add an include or IP for each sending service, and end with -all. To check it, run your domain through an SPF checker and confirm you have exactly one record, clean syntax, and fewer than 10 DNS lookups. You can generate an SPF record with Warmy’s free SPF generator.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What an SPF record is<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an email authentication standard defined in RFC 7208<\/a>. An SPF record is a DNS TXT record that names the mail servers and services allowed to send email on behalf of your domain. When a message arrives, the receiving server looks up your SPF record and checks whether the sending server’s IP address is on your authorized list. If it is, the message passes SPF. If it is not, the result depends on how strict your record is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SPF matters because mailbox providers use it to decide whether a message is legitimate. Since February 2024, Google and Yahoo have required bulk senders <\/a>to authenticate with SPF or DKIM, along with DMARC and one-click unsubscribe. Without valid authentication, messages get throttled, filtered to spam<\/a>, or rejected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One detail trips up many senders: SPF checks the Return-Path address, also called the envelope sender, not the visible From address. That is why SPF can pass while DMARC still fails, and why SPF works best alongside DKIM and DMARC rather than on its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to create an SPF record<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Creating an SPF record comes down to publishing one TXT record with the right contents. Here is the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Audit your sending sources.<\/strong> List every service that sends email using your domain, including your mailbox provider, marketing platform, transactional email service, CRM, and support desk. Each one needs to be authorized.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Open your DNS host.<\/strong> Log in wherever your DNS is managed, which is your registrar or DNS provider such as Cloudflare or GoDaddy. This is often not the same company that provides your email<\/a>, and it is not inside your email admin console.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Create a TXT record at the root domain.<\/strong> Set the host or name field to @ (or your domain) and the type to TXT.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Write the record.<\/strong> Start with the version tag, add a mechanism for each sender, and finish with an all mechanism.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    The building blocks are mechanisms and qualifiers. The common mechanisms are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n