Free Tool

SPF Record Checker

Check your SPF record for syntax errors, DNS lookup limits, and misconfigurations. Get actionable recommendations to improve your email authentication.

What is SPF?

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is an email authentication protocol that allows domain owners to specify which mail servers are authorized to send email on their behalf. It works by publishing a DNS TXT record that lists authorized sending sources.

When a receiving mail server gets an email, it checks the SPF record of the sender's domain to verify that the sending server is authorized. If the check fails, the email may be marked as spam or rejected entirely.

Common SPF issues

Too many DNS lookups: SPF has a limit of 10 DNS lookups. Exceeding this causes a permanent error (permerror), and your SPF check will fail for all recipients.
Missing -all or ~all: Without an "all" mechanism, your SPF record does not define a policy for unauthorized senders.
Syntax errors: Extra spaces, missing colons, or typos in mechanisms will cause SPF to fail silently.