Updated Oct 16, 2023

If you already have an SPF record on file with your domain host and want to add another, you wouldn’t want to create another SPF record — instead, you’ll merge the SPF records into one.

Merging SPF records is required because domain hosts can't have more than one SPF record. Having multiple records risks emails not being sent!

It’s helpful to know how a regular SPF record appears so you can identify it. Below is an example of how an SPF record may look in your settings page:

The first part of an SPF record always starts with v=spf1. This is how email servers identify that the record is actually an SPF record. The last part of an SPF record always ends with ~all or -all.

You can only have one SPF record with one v=spf1 and one ~all — the part in the middle is what gets merged! In the example above, the middle part is include:_spf.google.com.

To merge SPF records, you’ll want to log into your domain host and find the DNS settings page. On that page will be a section with TXT records. SPF records are usually listed under the Value or Data field.

⛔ Heads up! You can merge up to 10 entries into a single SPF record.

As an example, let’s say you have the following SPF record already in your settings:

But now, you want to include an additional SPF record:

To merge the two SPF records, you’ll want one SPF record with both values in the middle:

Save your changes, and your SPF records are merged into one! Please keep in mind that there is a waiting period called propagation, where it can take up to 48 hours for the new record to be updated across the internet.

Below are some additional examples of merged SPF records: