Knowledgebase

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are email authentication standards. Together, they prove to receiving mail servers that your emails are legitimate and prevent others from forging your domain in emails.

What Each Record Does

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Lists the mail servers authorised to send email from your domain
• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Adds a cryptographic signature to your emails that receivers can verify
• DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication): Tells receivers what to do with emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks, and where to send reports

Setting Up SPF

1. Log in to cPanel and open Zone Editor.
2. Click Manage for your domain.
3. Check if an SPF record (TXT starting with v=spf1) already exists.
4. If no SPF record exists, click Add Record and set:
   • Type: TXT | Name: @ | Value: v=spf1 include:hordanso.net ~all
5. Click Add Record.

Note: If you are also sending from Google Workspace or another provider, combine them: v=spf1 include:hordanso.net include:_spf.google.com ~all

Setting Up DKIM via cPanel Email Deliverability

6. In cPanel, scroll to the Email section and click Email Deliverability.
7. Find your domain in the list.
8. If the status is 'Invalid' or 'Not Installed', click Manage.
9. Click Repair to automatically install and configure DKIM.
10. If your domain uses external DNS (Cloudflare, etc.), click the Copy button next to the DKIM record and manually add it to your DNS provider.

Setting Up DMARC

11. In cPanel Zone Editor, click Add Record.
12. Set: Type: TXT | Name: _dmarc | Value: v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:[email protected]
13. Replace [email protected] with an email where you want to receive DMARC reports.
14. Click Add Record.

Verifying Your Setup

Send a test email to [email protected] or use MXToolbox (mxtoolbox.com) to check your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. A green result means everything is working.