A TXT record is a DNS record that holds a piece of text. It does nothing on its own; other systems read it. Email depends on several of them.
TXT records email uses
- SPF, on the domain itself:
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all. - DKIM, on a selector name such as
google._domainkey, holding the public key. - DMARC, on
_dmarc:v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:.... - Verification codes from Google, Microsoft and other services, proving you control the domain.
Common mistakes
- Two SPF TXT records on one domain. Only one is allowed; merge them.
- Quotes or spaces added by the DNS panel that break the value.
- Long DKIM keys cut short. Keys over 255 characters are split into several strings, which most DNS panels handle for you.
See every record on a domain at once with the free DNS lookup.