--- title: "A Comprehensive Guide to Manually Generating SPF Records for Custom Domains | AutoSPF" description: "A Comprehensive Guide to Manually Generating SPF Records for Custom Domains explains SPF record management, sender authentication, troubleshooting steps,." image: "https://autospf.com/og/blog/guide-to-manually-generating-spf-records-for-custom-domains.png" canonical: "https://autospf.com/blog/guide-to-manually-generating-spf-records-for-custom-domains/" --- Quick Answer SPF records, as you may be aware, are like the bouncers of your email servers. They’re the DNS records that explicitly specify which email servers are officially allowed to send emails on behalf of your brand. By defining this list, domain owners keep out the riff-raff, preventing unauthorized people from sending emails that could tarnish your brand’s reputation. Share [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fautospf.com%2Fblog%2Fguide-to-manually-generating-spf-records-for-custom-domains%2F "Share on LinkedIn") [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=A%20Comprehensive%20Guide%20to%20Manually%20Generating%20SPF%20Records%20for%20Custom%20Domains&url=https%3A%2F%2Fautospf.com%2Fblog%2Fguide-to-manually-generating-spf-records-for-custom-domains%2F "Share on X/Twitter") [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fautospf.com%2Fblog%2Fguide-to-manually-generating-spf-records-for-custom-domains%2F "Share on Facebook") [ ](https://reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fautospf.com%2Fblog%2Fguide-to-manually-generating-spf-records-for-custom-domains%2F&title=A%20Comprehensive%20Guide%20to%20Manually%20Generating%20SPF%20Records%20for%20Custom%20Domains "Share on Reddit") [ ](mailto:?subject=A%20Comprehensive%20Guide%20to%20Manually%20Generating%20SPF%20Records%20for%20Custom%20Domains&body=Check out this article: https%3A%2F%2Fautospf.com%2Fblog%2Fguide-to-manually-generating-spf-records-for-custom-domains%2F "Share via Email") ![email servers](https://media.mailhop.org/autospf/images/2024/05/spf-checker-1235.jpg) SPF records, as you may be aware, are like the bouncers of your email servers. T\_hey’re the DNS records that explicitly specify which email servers are officially allowed to send emails on behalf of your brand.\_ By defining this list, domain owners keep out the riff-raff, preventing unauthorized people from sending emails that could tarnish your [brand’s reputation](https://www.business-reporter.co.uk/risk-management/brand-protection-a-critical-part-of-information-security). _Per [RFC 7208](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc7208), SPF evaluation is capped at 10 DNS mechanism lookups and 2 void lookups per check - exceeding either limit produces a `PermError` that fails authentication for every message from the domain._ You can create an [SPF record](/explaining-sender-policy-framework-spf-macros/spf-record-syntax/) using online tools or do it manually. This blog guides you on the latter way. ## Steps to Manually Create an SPF Record Here’s what you need to do- ### Step 1: Assess Your Current Email Infrastructure Before you start with the process of [creating an SPF record](/10-reasons-for-regular-spf-record-checks-in-cybersecurity/create-spf-record/), understand your organization’s email infrastructure. Know which all email servers and third-party services are used for sending emails on behalf of your domain. These may include your own mail servers, [marketing automation platforms](https://useinsider.com/marketing-automation-platforms/), [CRM systems](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/customer%5Frelation%5Fmanagement.asp), and other services that send emails using your domain. ### Step 2: Determine Your SPF Policy Decide which [SPF policy](/fix-spf-permerror-and-temperror-a-diy-guide/spf-neutral/) will be best suited for your expectations from SPF security. You can pick from one of the following [SPF mechanisms](/spf-validator/spf-syntax/)\- - ‘include’ Mechanism: Specifies additional domains authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain. - ‘a’ Mechanism: Authorizes specific [IPv4 addresses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv4). - ‘mx’ Mechanism: Authorizes the [MX (Mail Exchange) records](https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/dns/dns-records/dns-mx-record/) of your domain. ### Step 3: Define Your SPF Record Syntax Once you’ve determined your SPF policy, it’s time to construct your SPF record using the appropriate syntax. SPF records are TXT records published in the DNS zone file of your domain. Here’s an example of [SPF record syntax](/spf-record-checker/spf-record-syntax/): ``` v=spf1 : : ``` _Replace and with the appropriate SPF mechanisms and values based on your chosen policy_. ### Step 4: Create and Publish Your SPF Record Access your domain’s DNS management interface provided by your domain registrar or hosting provider. Locate the [DNS settings](https://phoenixnap.com/kb/dns-configuration) section and add a new TXT record with the following information: - Hostname/Name: Your domain name (e.g., example.com). - TTL (Time To Live): _The time it takes for changes to DNS records to propagate, typically measured in seconds._ - Value/Text: Your SPF record syntax created in the previous step. Save the changes, and your SPF record will be published in the DNS. ![AutoSPF Infographic](https://media.mailhop.org/autospf/images/2024/05/spf-record-statistics-may-414x1024.jpg) ## Monitoring Once you have created an SPF record, your job is not done. You need to monitor [email deliverability](/blog/how-does-spf-help-marketers-in-improving-email-deliverability/) and investigate any issues with email rejection or delivery failure. _We suggest that you regularly run your record through an online [SPF lookup](/spf-validator/) tool that highlights existing configurational and syntactical errors._ ## Pair Up With DKIM and DMARC For Optimum Fortification Against Phishing and Spoofing! ![Phishing and Spoofing](https://media.mailhop.org/autospf/images/2024/05/spf-checker-1236.jpg) _SPF works best when complemented with DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) and Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC)._ DKIM adds a [digital signature](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital%5Fsignature) to emails, while DMARC provides policy enforcement and reporting capabilities. DMARC also instructs recipients’ servers on how to deal with illegitimate and [unsolicited emails](https://thehackernews.com/2024/05/ongoing-campaign-bombarded-enterprises.html) sent from your domain. You can choose to instruct them to take no action, mark them as spam, or reject them. For any SPF-related issues, contact [AutoSPF.com](/). ## Topics [ email security ](/tags/email-security/)[ SPF ](/tags/spf/)[ SPF record ](/tags/spf-record/) ![Brad Slavin](https://media.mailhop.org/autospf/images/authors/brad-slavin.jpg) [ Brad Slavin ](/authors/brad-slavin/) General Manager Founder and General Manager of DuoCircle. Product strategy and commercial lead for AutoSPF's 2,000+ customer base. [LinkedIn Profile →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradslavin) ## Ready to get started? Try AutoSPF free — no credit card required. [ Book a Demo ](/book-a-demo/) ## Related Articles [ Intermediate 3m 3 points to consider before setting your SPF record to -all (HardFail) May 22, 2025 ](/blog/3-points-to-consider-before-setting-your-spf-record-hardfail/)[ Intermediate 3m 5 key contributors to the development of the Sender Policy Framework Nov 12, 2024 ](/blog/5-key-contributors-to-sender-policy-framework-development/)[ Intermediate 5m Are Your SPF and DKIM Identifiers Aligned? Jul 18, 2024 ](/blog/are-your-spf-and-dkim-identifiers-aligned/)[ Intermediate 6m Automated Solutions for Preventing Email Spoofing May 7, 2026 ](/blog/automated-solutions-for-preventing-email-spoofing/) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138897474","name":"AutoSPF","url":"https://autospf.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://autospf.com/images/autospf-logo.png"},"description":"Automatic SPF flattening and email authentication management. 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