SPF Record Checker
Enter a domain to look up and validate its SPF TXT record.
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How to use SPF Record Checker
The SPF Check tool looks up a domain’s Sender Policy Framework record and parses it so you can see exactly which servers are authorised to send email on its behalf. SPF is a TXT record that receiving mail servers consult to decide whether a message’s sending server is legitimate; a missing, malformed or overly permissive SPF record is a leading cause of mail landing in spam or being spoofed. Use this tool to confirm your provider’s includes are present, to count DNS lookups against SPF’s strict limit, and to spot syntax errors before they hurt deliverability.
- Enter the domain whose SPF record you want to validate.
- Click Check to fetch and parse the published SPF TXT record.
- Review each mechanism (include, a, mx, ip4, ip6) and the final qualifier.
- Confirm the lookup count stays within the 10-lookup SPF limit.
- Fix any errors at your DNS host and re-check to verify.
Anatomy of an SPF record
An SPF record begins with v=spf1 and lists mechanisms that authorise senders, ending with an all mechanism that sets the default. Each mechanism can authorise a specific IP range (ip4, ip6), the domain’s own A or MX hosts, or another domain’s policy via include. The qualifier before all decides what happens to mail from unlisted servers: ~all (softfail) marks it suspicious, while -all (hardfail) rejects it outright. Choosing -all is stronger but requires that every legitimate sender is listed first.
| Syntax | Meaning | Effect on unlisted senders |
|---|---|---|
| +all | Pass | Allows everyone — never use |
| ~all | Softfail | Accept but mark suspicious |
| -all | Hardfail | Reject the message |
| ?all | Neutral | No policy stated |
The ten-lookup limit
SPF evaluation is capped at ten DNS lookups; if your record’s includes and mechanisms exceed that, receivers return a permerror and may treat all your mail as unauthenticated. Each include, a, mx, ptr and redirect counts toward the limit, and nested includes count too. Large organisations using several email vendors hit this ceiling easily. The fix is to flatten or consolidate includes, remove unused vendors, or use a provider that publishes a compact record. This tool surfaces the lookup count so you can catch the problem early.
Glossary
- SPF
- Sender Policy Framework — a TXT record listing servers authorised to send a domain’s mail.
- Mechanism
- A term in an SPF record (include, ip4, a, mx) that authorises certain senders.
- Softfail
- The ~all result that accepts unlisted mail but flags it as suspicious.
- Hardfail
- The -all result that instructs receivers to reject unlisted mail.
- Permerror
- A permanent SPF error, commonly caused by exceeding the ten-lookup limit.
Related reading
Frequently Asked Questions
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Why use SPF Record Checker?
- Real-time DNS lookups using live resolver queries
- Supports IPv4 and IPv6 addresses
- No software to install — runs entirely in the browser
- Results include TTL values and record priority
Common use cases
- Verify DNS propagation after updating nameservers
- Check MX records when troubleshooting email delivery
- Look up SPF/DKIM/DMARC records for email security audits
- Test whether a SSL certificate is valid and up to date
- Find the IP address behind a domain name
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