Check Google Workspace SPF in NicNames DNS

Check the SPF TXT record for your Google Workspace domain in NicNames DNS. Learn where to look, why a single record must cover every sending service, and how to verify the public result.

An SPF record helps receiving mail servers check whether a service is authorized to send mail for your domain. It is a TXT record in DNS. Your MX records handle incoming mail, so a correct Google Workspace MX setup does not by itself confirm outgoing-mail authentication.

1. Find the DNS provider for your domain

In NicNames, open Domains → ClassicDNS, choose your domain’s Settings, and check Name-Servers. If the domain uses Free Name-Servers, open DNS Records → Manage. If it uses another provider’s name servers, review the TXT records at that provider instead. Editing a zone that is not authoritative will not change the public SPF result.

2. Check the existing SPF TXT record

In the NicNames DNS editor, the record list shows Name, TTL, Type, and Data. Find the TXT record for the domain you use to send mail and look for a value beginning with v=spf1. Do not confuse it with other TXT records, such as ownership-verification or DKIM records.

First make a list of every service that sends as your domain: Google Workspace, a website contact form, a newsletter platform, or another mail service. If Google Workspace is the only sender, Google’s published SPF value is v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all. If other services also send, that Google-only value is incomplete; follow each provider’s current instructions and combine authorized senders into one SPF record. Publishing a second SPF record for the same domain can cause authentication errors. Our domain-based newsletter guide offers more context for that use case.

3. Compare the public answer

Use a public DNS TXT lookup for the exact sending domain and confirm that its SPF response matches the intended record. A record visible in an editor does not prove it is the one public resolvers see. After a correction, allow for DNS propagation; Google says SPF authentication can take up to 48 hours to start working. Then send a test message and inspect its authentication results. SPF alone does not guarantee inbox placement, and Google also recommends DKIM and DMARC.

If the public answer differs, check the domain’s active name servers and follow our DNS-change troubleshooting steps. If you are unsure which Name value represents the sending domain in NicNames, or how to combine several senders, contact NicNames Support before changing the record.