What is an SPF record?

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a DNS TXT record that lists which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of a domain. Receiving mail servers check this record to verify incoming emails are legitimate.

What does '-all' mean in an SPF record?

The -all (hard fail) policy tells receiving servers to reject emails that come from servers not listed in the SPF record. ~all (soft fail) marks them as spam instead. +all means anyone can send — which is a misconfiguration.

What is the 10 DNS lookup limit?

SPF allows a maximum of 10 DNS lookups during evaluation (includes, redirects, a, mx, exists, ptr mechanisms each count as one). Exceeding this causes an SPF PermError, which may cause email delivery failures.

Why is my SPF check failing even with a valid record?

Common causes include: exceeding the 10 lookup limit, multiple SPF records (only one is allowed), using +all, or missing the domain you are sending from in any include or IP range.

What does the SPF lookup limit of 10 mean?

The SPF specification limits DNS lookups to 10 during evaluation. If your SPF record requires more than 10 lookups (through nested includes), receiving mail servers may fail the check, causing legitimate email to be rejected.

What is the difference between ~all and -all?

'~all' (softfail) means email from unauthorized servers is accepted but marked as suspicious — less strict. '-all' (fail) means email from unauthorized servers should be rejected — more strict and recommended for domains not expecting to send from third-party servers.

SPF Record Checker — Validate SPF Records Free Online

Check and validate SPF records for any domain. Analyze includes, IP ranges, policy, and detect misconfigurations. Free, instant.

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SPF records tell receiving mail servers which servers are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. Missing or misconfigured SPF records can cause email to be rejected or marked as spam.

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What is SPF Record Checker — Validate Your SPF DNS Record Free?

An SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record checker retrieves and validates the SPF TXT record for a domain. It expands all include mechanisms to show the complete list of authorized mail servers and IP ranges, checks for common misconfigurations (exceeding 10 DNS lookups, multiple SPF records, missing ~all or -all qualifier), and provides an overall pass/fail validation.

How to Use SPF Record Checker — Validate Your SPF DNS Record Free

1Enter the domain name you want to check.
2Click Check SPF to retrieve and parse the SPF record.
3Review the record content and expanded mechanisms.
4Check for warnings: lookup limit exceeded, missing qualifier.
5Fix any flagged issues to ensure proper email authentication.

Key Features

Retrieves and displays the full SPF record
Expands include mechanisms to show all authorized IPs
DNS lookup count (must be ≤10)
Qualifier detection (pass, softfail, fail, neutral)
Misconfiguration warnings

Benefits

Verify SPF is correctly configured to prevent email spoofing
Diagnose email delivery failures caused by SPF rejection
Ensure SPF stays within the 10 DNS lookup limit
Audit SPF records after adding a new email service

Why Use Irreva for SPF Record Checker — Validate Your SPF DNS Record Free?

Verify SPF is correctly configured to prevent email spoofing

Diagnose email delivery failures caused by SPF rejection

Ensure SPF stays within the 10 DNS lookup limit

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