A TXT record holds free-form text attached to a hostname. It was designed for human-readable notes, but today it mostly carries machine-readable data such as email authentication policies and ownership tokens.
Why it matters
Several services rely on TXT records: SPF at the domain name, DKIM public keys under selector._domainkey, DMARC at _dmarc, and verification tokens from Google, Microsoft and certificate authorities. A typo or duplicate can quietly break email delivery or block a verification.
Example
example.com. 3600 IN TXT "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all"
_dmarc.example.com. 3600 IN TXT "v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@example.com"
example.com. 3600 IN TXT "google-site-verification=abc123"One name can hold several TXT records, as at the apex above. Check with dig +short example.com TXT.
Common mistakes
- Creating two SPF records at one name. Only one
v=spf1record is allowed; merge them. - Hitting the 255-character limit per string. Long values such as DKIM keys must be split into multiple quoted strings in one record, which resolvers join.
- Pasting smart quotes or stray spaces from a document, which changes the value.
- Entering the full hostname in a panel that appends the domain automatically, producing
example.com.example.com.
Related
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