--- title: "How to Merge Multiple SPF Records For a Domain? | AutoSPF" description: "Can you have multiple SPF records for a domain? No, you can’t; otherwise, recipient servers will decline all the existing SPF records for that domain." image: "https://autospf.com/og/blog/merging-spf-records-a-step-by-step-guide.png" canonical: "https://autospf.com/blog/merging-spf-records-a-step-by-step-guide/" --- Quick Answer Can you have multiple SPF records for a domain? No, you can’t; otherwise, recipient servers will decline all the existing SPF records for that domain. This will disrupt the email authentication process, causing even genuine emails to land in the spam folder. Share [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fautospf.com%2Fblog%2Fmerging-spf-records-a-step-by-step-guide%2F "Share on LinkedIn") [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=How%20to%20Merge%20Multiple%20SPF%20Records%20For%20a%20Domain%3F&url=https%3A%2F%2Fautospf.com%2Fblog%2Fmerging-spf-records-a-step-by-step-guide%2F "Share on X/Twitter") [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fautospf.com%2Fblog%2Fmerging-spf-records-a-step-by-step-guide%2F "Share on Facebook") [ ](https://reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fautospf.com%2Fblog%2Fmerging-spf-records-a-step-by-step-guide%2F&title=How%20to%20Merge%20Multiple%20SPF%20Records%20For%20a%20Domain%3F "Share on Reddit") [ ](mailto:?subject=How%20to%20Merge%20Multiple%20SPF%20Records%20For%20a%20Domain%3F&body=Check out this article: https%3A%2F%2Fautospf.com%2Fblog%2Fmerging-spf-records-a-step-by-step-guide%2F "Share via Email") ![Merge Multiple SPF Records](https://media.mailhop.org/autospf/images/2023/06/spf-record-checker-7140.jpg) Can you have multiple SPF records for a domain? No, you can’t; otherwise, recipient servers will decline all the existing SPF records for that domain. This will disrupt the [email authentication process](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email%5Fauthentication), causing even genuine emails to land in the spam folder. However, if you need to include multiple SPF records for your domain, you need to merge them into one. Let’s see how it’s done. > “Having two SPF records on the same domain is the number-two support ticket we get after the 10-lookup limit,” says Brad Slavin, General Manager of DuoCircle. “It’s an instant PermError per RFC 7208 - both records are invalidated, not just one. And it usually happens when someone adds a vendor’s SPF record without realizing they already have one.” _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._ ![email authentication process](https://media.mailhop.org/autospf/images/2023/06/spf-record-syntax-8653.jpg) ## How to Merge Multiple SPF Records into One? You must include all the mechanisms and values in a single record if you’ve multiple SPF records for your domain. We’re considering the following SPF record examples to explain what you can do if multiple SPF records are found for your domain. Let’s assume this is your SPF record- ``` v=spf1 a mx include:_spf.sampleemail.com ~all ``` And you want to add another SPF record- ``` v=spf1 include:emailexample.com ~all ``` Start merging these SPF values by including all the parts into one record and not repeating any mechanisms. This is how you can do it- - Include only one ‘_a_’ mechanism at the beginning of your SPF record to eliminate multiple SPF records. - If one or both the records have an ‘_mx_’ mechanism, include it only once. - The ‘_include_’ mechanism indicates the mail servers from both records. - An SPF record should always end with “_?all”, “-all”, or “\~all_”. Make sure you don’t use multiple SPF Qualifiers; otherwise, your SPF record will be invalid or erroneous. In the above example, the merged SPF record will be- ``` v=spf1 a mx include:_spf.sampleemail.com include:emailexample.com ~all ``` ### Special Note A few receiving servers are unable to pass SPF records if the ‘_include’_ mechanism has a ‘+’ Qualifier before it. This is because the default parameter is a pass, and the ‘+’ qualifier also indicates the same, causing redundancy, further leading to an error. ## The Problem of Merging Multiple SPF Records Merging multiple SPF records found for your domain leads to the ‘too many DNS lookups’ or Permerror error, which causes domain authentication failure. ![email deliverability rate](https://media.mailhop.org/autospf/images/2023/06/spf-record-example-4963.jpg) ### What is the DNS Lookup Limit? To avoid the overconsumption of the DNS validator’s resources, a limit of a maximum of 10 SPF DNS lookups is imposed. Once you reach the limit, messages fail inspection, and your domain’s [email deliverability rate](https://fulcrumtech.net/resources/whats-the-difference-between-email-deliverability-and-delivery-rate/) drops. The following SPF mechanisms are counted against this lookup limit- - include - a - mx - ptr - exists - redirect ### How to Overcome the Issue of DNS Lookup Limit or Permerror Error? You can stay within the 10 DNS lookup limit by excluding all the unwanted and repeated mechanisms. If you’re still unable to stay within the limit, [AutoSPF’s automatic SPF flattening service](/) can help you. You can add new domains and networks while also authenticating new senders at the click of a button. We work by replacing domains with their corresponding IP addresses, eliminating the need for DNS lookups. Moreover, we constantly monitor your record to ensure it has no syntactical or configurational errors. So, please feel free to reach out to us for any help! ![Vishal Lamba](https://media.mailhop.org/autospf/images/authors/vishal-lamba.jpg) [ Vishal Lamba ](/authors/vishal-lamba/) Content Specialist Content Specialist at AutoSPF. Writes vendor-specific SPF configuration guides and troubleshooting walkthroughs. [LinkedIn Profile →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishal-lamba/) ## Ready to get started? Try AutoSPF free — no credit card required. [ Book a Demo ](/book-a-demo/) ## Related Articles [ Intermediate 6m 10 Reasons Why DIY-ing SPF isn’t a Good Choice for Companies Apr 4, 2024 ](/blog/10-reasons-diy-ing-spf-isnt-good-choice-for-companies/)[ Intermediate 5m The 12.4 billion shield for your email communications: Why DMARC software is the unsung hero in the war against phishing actors! Nov 19, 2025 ](/blog/12-4-billion-dmarc-software-shield-protecting-email-from-phishing-actors/)[ 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/) ```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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