What's the difference between SPF, DKIM, and DMARC?

SPF authorizes sending servers, DKIM signs the message so it cannot be tampered with, and DMARC ties them together and tells mailbox providers how to handle failures (and where to send reports).

Why are my emails going to spam?

The most common cause is missing or misconfigured authentication. If SPF, DKIM, and DMARC aren't all passing for your sending domain, providers like Gmail and Outlook are far more likely to filter you.

How long do DNS changes take?

Usually minutes to a few hours, depending on your record's TTL. Re-run the checker after you publish to confirm the records are live.

Email deliverability checker.

Generate and check your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC DNS records — so your email lands in the inbox instead of spam.

Runs in your browser
Nothing is uploaded
Free — no sign-up

Check a domain

Domain

The domain you send email from.

DKIM selector

Common: google, selector1, k1, default, mail.

Generate an SPF record

Email provider

Policy

Add a TXT record — host @ (root):

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

Generate a DMARC record

Policy

Start at none, then tighten.

Reports to

Optional email.

Add a TXT record — host _dmarc:

v=DMARC1; p=none; adkim=s; aspf=s; pct=100

Results

Nothing checked yet

Enter a domain and check to see its live SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.

DKIM lives at a selector your provider chooses (e.g. google._domainkey). If DKIM shows as missing, try a different selector — your provider lists it in their setup docs.

Good to know.

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are the three DNS records that decide whether your email reaches the inbox or the spam folder. This free tool generates the records you need to publish and checks any domain’s existing records live, right in your browser.

The three records that decide the inbox

SPF says which servers may send for your domain, DKIM cryptographically signs your mail, and DMARC tells receivers what to do on failure. Get all three right and your email stops landing in spam.

Generate, then verify — live

Build the exact DNS records to publish, then check any domain's existing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC straight from your browser using public DNS — no account, no waiting on a tool to email you a report.

How to set up email authentication

Check your current records. Enter your domain to see its live SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
Generate an SPF record. Pick your email provider and policy to build the TXT record.
Generate a DMARC record. Choose a policy and a reporting address.
Publish and re-check. Add the records as TXT entries in your DNS, then check again.

Frequently asked

Stop fighting your DNS by hand.

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are fiddly — and getting them wrong quietly kills your deliverability. sparx Email sends from your own domain with all three auto-provisioned and monitored, and alerts you the moment reputation drops.

Explore Email

What you get with sparx Email.

Transactional and marketing email, sent from your own domain and your reputation. Every message is triggered by a real platform event, rendered on-brand, and authenticated with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC the moment your domain verifies. No per-email markup.

Transactional out of the box.

Order confirmations, shipping updates, password resets, quote replies — triggered by platform events and wired into every module. Templates editable, brandable.

Marketing broadcasts.

Compose, preview against a real customer, send or schedule. Target live CRM segments — no list export, ever — and watch opens and clicks roll in.

Your domain, your reputation.

Sends from [email protected] once your domain verifies, not a shared blast domain. Until then, mail goes out on the shared sparx domain so you are never blocked.

Email is one module on the sparx platform — activate it alongside storefront, CRM, CMS, email, and B2B on one data layer and one bill. Only pay for what you run.

Explore the platform See pricing

More free tools.

Every sparx tool runs entirely in your browser — free, no account, nothing uploaded.