How to check an SPF record
Look up and read a domain’s SPF record to debug email deliverability. Step-by-step, plus what the mechanisms mean.
A domain’s SPF record is a TXT record listing who may send email for it. Checking it is the first step when mail is landing in spam or being rejected — here is how to find and read it.
Find the SPF TXT record
Run a DNS lookup and read the domain’s TXT records; the SPF one starts with "v=spf1". It lists mechanisms — ip4:, ip6:, include: (delegating to another domain’s SPF, like your mail provider), and a final all policy. Every legitimate sending source must be covered.
Reading the policy
The record ends with ~all (soft fail — accept but mark) or -all (hard fail — reject). Too many include: lookups (over ten) break SPF; too few sources cause legitimate mail to fail. If a sender is missing, add it to the record.
Step by step
Run a DNS lookup for the domain and open its TXT records.
Find the record starting with "v=spf1".
Check that every service that sends your mail is covered (ip4:/include:).
Confirm the closing policy (~all or -all) matches how strict you want to be.
Try it now — free, no signup
Use the DNS lookup in your browser. Then, when you need it at scale with an API key and higher limits, grab the full Eveses API.