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Relaymetry

How to add SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX records in GoDaddy

GoDaddy does not generate these records — your mailbox provider gives you the values, and GoDaddy’s DNS manager is where you enter them. Under Domains → DNS you add an SPF TXT record at Name @, your provider’s DKIM key at google._domainkey (TXT) or selector1._domainkey (CNAME), a DMARC policy at _dmarc, and the MX record your provider specifies. GoDaddy appends your domain to the Name field, so type only the part before it. The fields are below.

On GoDaddy you are editing DNS, not switching on authentication. GoDaddy does not produce SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records for you. Your mailbox provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or whoever actually sends your mail) hands you the values, and GoDaddy's DNS manager is simply where you enter them. What follows is where that screen lives and, the part that trips people up, exactly what belongs in GoDaddy's Name field, because GoDaddy fills in your domain there for you. To reach it, sign in and open your Domain Portfolio, select the domain, and choose DNS (Domains then DNS). Records sit under DNS Records, and Add New Record creates one. GoDaddy occasionally reshuffles this screen, so if a label has moved, check GoDaddy's current DNS help.

SPF

SPF is a single TXT record on your root domain. In Add New Record, set Type to TXT, put @ in Name (GoDaddy's shorthand for the root of your domain), and paste the value your provider gave you into Value:

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

That example authorizes Google to send for you; Microsoft 365 uses include:spf.protection.outlook.com, and other services list their own. Do not wrap the value in quotes, since GoDaddy stores TXT values without them. Your domain may carry only one SPF record. If GoDaddy already shows a v=spf1 line, edit that record and add the new include: before ~all instead of creating a second TXT, which would break SPF with a PermError. Confirm the result with the SPF checker.

DKIM

DKIM is where GoDaddy's two record types matter, because providers issue the key in one of two shapes:

  • A TXT key (Google Workspace and many others). Set Type to TXT, put the selector in Name — for Google that is google._domainkey — and paste the key, which starts v=DKIM1;, into Value. Only the selector goes in Name; GoDaddy adds your domain, so google._domainkey becomes google._domainkey.yourdomain.com on its own.
  • A CNAME (Microsoft 365 and some others publish DKIM as CNAMEs). Set Type to CNAME, put the label your provider lists in Name — for Microsoft that is selector1._domainkey, then selector2._domainkey — and put the target host they gave you in Value. Microsoft uses two selectors, so you add two CNAME records.

Whichever shape you were handed, publish it exactly as issued and leave the value untouched. Then verify it with the DKIM checker, using the selector your provider named.

DMARC

DMARC is one more TXT record, this time on the _dmarc name. Set Type to TXT, put _dmarc in Name, and start with a monitoring policy in Value:

v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:you@yourdomain.com

p=none watches without touching delivery and mails aggregate reports to the rua address. Leave it there until the reports show every legitimate sender passing, then step up to p=quarantine and later p=reject. Point rua at a mailbox you actually read, and moving straight to p=reject risks blocking a sender you did not know about. Read your published record any time with the DMARC checker.

MX

MX records decide where inbound mail is delivered, so this is the record most likely to be filled in already. GoDaddy pre-populates MX entries for its own email product, and those fight with your provider's. Before adding anything, look at the MX rows already under DNS Records and edit or delete the ones pointing at GoDaddy so nothing competes.

Then add your provider's MX. Set Type to MX, put @ in Name, put the mail host they gave you in Value, and enter the number they specified in Priority (lower numbers are tried first):

Type: MX   Name: @   Value: smtp.google.com   Priority: 1

Google Workspace now uses that single smtp.google.com host; Microsoft 365 uses something like yourdomain-com.mail.protection.outlook.com. Enter whatever your provider printed, and check the live result with the MX lookup.

Check your work

GoDaddy usually applies an edit within an hour, though full propagation can run up to 48 hours, so a record that reads back wrong right after you save is often just not live yet. Once it settles, run a lookup from the Relaymetry home page to read SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX together and see what passes.

The values themselves come from your mailbox provider, not from GoDaddy: if you are on Google Workspace, its record guide lists them, and for Microsoft 365 the DKIM CNAMEs and MX host are laid out there too. Registered somewhere else? The same records go into a different screen on Namecheap instead. For what SPF, DKIM, and DMARC actually do, rather than where to click, read email authentication explained, or start over from the setup hub.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I find DNS settings in GoDaddy?

Sign in and open your Domain Portfolio, then select the domain and choose DNS (Domains then DNS). GoDaddy lists everything under DNS Records, and Add New Record is where you create a TXT, CNAME, or MX entry. You are editing the domain’s DNS here, not a setting inside a GoDaddy email product.

What goes in the Name field, @ or my domain?

Use @ for the root of your domain, and the subdomain label on its own for everything else: google._domainkey, selector1._domainkey, _dmarc. Do not type your domain into Name. GoDaddy appends it for you, so google._domainkey becomes google._domainkey.yourdomain.com automatically. If you add the domain yourself it ends up doubled.

Is DKIM a TXT record or a CNAME in GoDaddy?

It depends on your mailbox provider, and GoDaddy handles both. Google Workspace gives you a TXT key that you paste at google._domainkey. Microsoft 365 publishes DKIM as CNAMEs, so you add selector1._domainkey and selector2._domainkey as CNAME records pointing at the hosts Microsoft supplies. Add whichever type your provider issued rather than converting one to the other.

Why is my mail still failing authentication after I added the records?

Two GoDaddy-specific causes are common. First, a leftover default MX: GoDaddy pre-fills MX records for its own email, and if those stay in place they compete with your provider’s and route mail to the wrong host, so delete or edit them. Second, timing: GoDaddy usually applies a change within an hour but global propagation can take up to 48 hours, so re-check before assuming a value is wrong.

Can I add two SPF records in GoDaddy?

No. A domain may publish only one SPF record, and a second v=spf1 TXT causes a PermError that makes SPF fail everywhere. If you send through more than one service, combine their include: mechanisms into the single record: edit the existing SPF TXT and add the new include before ~all instead of creating another.

Other providers

References

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