Can a domain have multiple TXT records?

Yes. A domain can host numerous TXT records for different purposes (e.g. one for SPF, several for site verification tokens).

Why is having two SPF TXT records invalid?

RFC 7208 mandates that a domain must never have more than one SPF record. If multiple are detected, receiving mail servers may treat the result as PermError and reject incoming emails.

How can I inspect all TXT records for a domain?

Query TXT records using our online DNS Lookup tool or run 'dig TXT example.com' locally.

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DNS Resource Record Type

TXT Record: Text Record

Carries human and machine-readable text data, domain ownership verifications, and email authentication policies.

Record Type

TXT

Query Protocol

DNS Port 53

Standard / RFC

RFC 1035, Section 3.3.14

Recommended TTL

3600 seconds

Query Live TXT Records

Query any domain name to inspect authoritative TXT records, response latency, and TTL values.

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BIND Zone File Syntax

Standard BIND representation of this record in authoritative master zone files:

example.com. 3600 IN TXT "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all"

Recommended TTL: 3600 seconds (1 hour) for email policies.

Common Configuration Pitfalls

Publishing multiple SPF TXT records on a single domain, which causes SPF validation failure per RFC 7208.
Exceeding the 255-character string limit without splitting long public keys into multiple quoted segments.
Missing required semicolon delimiters in DKIM or DMARC TXT strings.

How the TXT Record Operates in DNS Resolution

The TXT (Text) record holds arbitrary formatted text strings. While originally intended for human comments, TXT records are universally used today for machine-readable security policies, including SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), DMARC, and domain ownership tokens (Google Search Console, Microsoft 365).

Explore Other DNS Record Types

Frequently Asked Questions

Technical answers and configuration advice for DNS TXT records.

TXT records store arbitrary text notes, verify domain ownership for web services, and configure essential email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.