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What To Do if Your SPF Record Is Invalid or Missing
If your domain does not have a valid SPF record, your emails are more likely to be marked as spam or rejected.
What is an SPF record?
An SPF record is a simple DNS setting that tells other mail servers which mail servers are allowed to send email for your domain.
Step 1: Choose the correct record
The exact SPF record depends on where your email is hosted. Below is the different SPF records for each email hosting service we offer.
Select Hosting (cPanel):
| Hostname | Record Type | Value | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
| @ or yourdomain.com | TXT | v=spf1 +a +mx +include:spf.hostingplatform.net.au ~all |
3600 or leave default |
Business Email Hosting:
| Hostname | Record Type | Value | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
| @ or yourdomain.com | TXT | v=spf1 +a +mx +include:spf.email-hosting.net.au ~all |
3600 or leave default |
Google Workspace:
| Hostname | Record Type | Value | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
| @ or yourdomain.com | TXT | v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all |
3600 or leave default |
Microsoft 365:
| Hostname | Record Type | Value | TTL |
|---|---|---|---|
| @ or yourdomain.com | TXT | v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all |
3600 or leave default |
Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain name
Even if you use Google/Microsoft or another provider for email, you should still include the cPanel record if your website (WordPress, contact forms, WooCommerce, etc.) sends emails.
Step 2: Add or update your record
- Go to your Domain’s DNS management area (VIPcontrol, cPanel, or your domain/DNS provider).
- Add a TXT record with:
- Name/Host:
@(or leave blank if your provider uses that format)
- Value: one of the codes above (or combined if needed)
- TTL:
3600or Default
- Name/Host:
You should only have one SPF record per domain. If one already exists, edit it instead of adding another.
Example
Before (missing Business Email Hosting):
v=spf1 +a +mx ~all
After (corrected):
v=spf1 +a +mx +include:spf.email-hosting.net.au ~all
Or (example, cPanel Web Hosting + Business Email Hosting)
v=spf1 +a +mx +include:spf.hostingplatform.net.au +include:spf.email-hosting.net.au ~all
Once updated, it may take 2-8 hours to update due to DNS Propagation. After that, your emails will be better trusted by mail servers and less likely to end up in spam.
