After you connect an email address to Dubsado, Dubsado automatically checks your SPF record. If something is wrong with that record, you'll see an error message in your email deliverability settings. This article walks through what each one means and how to fix it.

Navigate to Settings ➔ Emails, or Messages ➔ Settings ➔ Emails, then scroll to the Email Deliverability section. The SPF subsection shows your current status once you've connected an email account.

For SMTP connections, Dubsado shows the exact DNS record fields you need (Type, Host / Name, and Value) with copy buttons directly in the SPF section, so you can see what to add or update without leaving Dubsado.

For every error below, the fix starts in the same place: open your domain host's DNS (domain name server) settings page and look at the SPF record listed there. Once you update it, come back to Dubsado and click Verify to re-check your status. DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate, so give it time before checking again if verification doesn't succeed right away.

If you've worked through the troubleshooting below and an error still won't resolve, reach out to your email or domain host for further assistance.

This error means you have an SPF record listed with your domain host, but Dubsado couldn't verify that it's valid. Here are the most common reasons why.

Your SPF value is provided by your email host, so make sure you're using their most current value. To find it, reach out to your email host directly or search their help center for "SPF record."

For your convenience, here are common email host SPF values. Enter these as a TXT record, with Host (sometimes called Name) set to an @ symbol:

When you add your SPF record with your domain host, make sure you're entering it as a TXT type, not an SPF type. Some domain hosts, like Wix, show separate sections for TXT and SPF records, so you'll want to create your SPF record in the TXT section.

At one point, SPF records were their own record type, separate from TXT. Most people are more familiar with TXT records, so SPF-specific records never fully replaced them, but many domain hosts still show SPF as its own option alongside TXT. Enter your record as TXT.

If you recently added or fixed your SPF record with your domain host, there's a waiting period called propagation, where it can take up to 48 hours for the new record to update across the internet.

A domain can only have one SPF record. You can identify an SPF record by looking for v=spf1 as a value in your DNS settings. If you see v=spf1 listed more than once, all of those values cancel each other out, and none will be seen as valid.

To fix this, merge your records so you only have one SPF record in your domain settings. For a walkthrough, see merging multiple SPF records.

This error means Dubsado couldn't find a domain associated with your SPF record. The most likely cause is that your domain host doesn't have an SPF record at all. To fix this, you'll need to add an SPF record with your domain host.

This error most often shows up because of a typo, or because merged SPF records weren't combined correctly.

A valid SPF record always starts with v=spf1 and ends with ~all or -all, and you can only have one of each in a single record. For example:

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all

Check your record against this pattern to spot what might be off.

This is a catch-all error, meaning Dubsado couldn't verify your SPF record for a reason other than the ones above. Work through the causes below. If the error still won't clear, contact your email or domain host to determine the cause.

If you recently added or fixed your SPF record, there's a waiting period called propagation, where it can take up to 48 hours for the new record to update across the internet.

If you've merged a large number of SPF records, you might have reached the maximum number of allowed DNS lookups. Per RFC 7208, an SPF record can have a maximum of 10 DNS lookups.

Each instance of the following terms counts as one lookup:

These terms are not counted against the 10 DNS lookup limit:

If you have more than 10 DNS lookups, use an SPF flattening tool to reduce them. See merged SPF records for more on combining records correctly.

Your SPF record must be under 255 characters, per RFC 7208. You're unlikely to run into this unless you have many merged SPF records.

To fix a record that's over 255 characters, break it up into multiple strings of 255 characters or less, using quotation marks around each string. For example:

If you're connected through SMTP, you might see a message that your SPF record is valid but doesn't include Dubsado. This means your record is otherwise fine, but it needs to authorize Dubsado's mail servers so emails sent through Dubsado are recognized as legitimate.

To fix this, update your existing record using the suggested Value Dubsado shows in the SPF section, then click Verify. This warning only applies to SMTP connections. If you're connected through Google or Microsoft, you won't see it.

Go to Settings ➔ Emails and scroll to the Email Deliverability section. The SPF subsection shows your current status. You can also get there through Messages ➔ Settings ➔ Emails.

DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate. Click Verify to re-check your status. If you see a message that no changes were detected, your record hasn't propagated yet, so wait and try verifying again later.

Yes. If you move to a new domain host, you'll need to set up and verify your SPF record with that host.

Always TXT. Some domain hosts show a separate SPF type, but don't use it. Create your SPF record in the TXT section instead.