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Troubleshooting SPF Record Errors
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) records are a type of DNS record that is used to assist in the prevention of unauthorised and potentially spoofed email sending.
This type of DNS record in particular (which runs under the TXT Record type) defines which mail server or servers should be permitted to send an email on behalf of a domain name either using specific host(s) or IP addresses.
Below is a few common errors that we see and how to fix them:
Missing Senders or Services
If you are trying to send emails and encountering the following error or bounceback:
550 SPF: x.x.x.x is not allowed to send mail from domain.com
This usually indicates that the email server that you’re trying to send through is not included in your SPF record, or is not authorised to send under your domain.
Fix
Make sure to include all your email providers in your SPF record. If you’re using one of our email hosting services that we offer, you can check to make sure that the relevant SPF record is added: Select Hosting: (cPanel)
| Hostname | Record Type | Value | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
| @ or yourdomain.com | TXT | v=spf1 +a +mx +include:spf.hostingplatform.net.au ~all |
3600 |
Business Email Hosting
| Hostname | Record Type | Value | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
| @ or yourdomain.com | TXT | v=spf1 +a +mx +include:spf.email-hosting.net.au ~all |
3600 |
Google Workspace
| Hostname | Record Type | Value | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
| @ or yourdomain.com | TXT | v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all |
3600 |
Microsoft 365
| Hostname | Record Type | Value | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
| @ or yourdomain.com | TXT | v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all |
3600 |
Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain name.
Too many lookups
With an SPF record, you are only able to have a maximum of 10 lookups included in your SPF record. If you have more than this, your SPF record will be considered invalid.
Fix
To resolve this, you can remove any unused includes and only include the mail providers that you actively use. To check how many lookups you have, you can use an online SPF record checker such as EasyDMARC.
If you can’t remove any includes, you can look to perform SPF flattening. This process takes an existing SPF record that has multiple nested records and flatten the record to the point the record only contains a flat list of IP addresses or IP address ranges.
You can read more about this process here.
Multiple SPF records
A domain can only have one SPF record, if more than one record exists, mail servers aren’t able to determine which SPF record to use.
Reading an SPF record isn’t always as simple as counting the amount of hostnames in your SPF. As the DNS-querying mechanisms to resolve the record fall beneath those hostnames.
You can also use third party tools such as Kitterman or EasyDMARC to check if your SPF record is valid.
Fix
To resolve, look to combine your SPF record into one record, you can use this guide here to do this:
Syntax errors
SPF records are rather sensitive to formatting. If you have missing characters, and incorrectly formatted options (like using –all instead of -all), or misspellings can cause the SPF record to be invalid.
Fix
Check that your SPF record follows the correct syntax, you can use tools like MXToolboxes SPF record checker to see if your record follows the correct syntax.
Have any questions?
Our Technical Support team can assist you with your SPF record. Pop an eTicket through to our Technical Support team who can further assist with your queries.
