SPF and DKIM are email authentication standards that verify your emails are genuinely sent from your domain. Without them, your emails are more likely to land in spam folders.
Setting Up SPF
An SPF record lists the servers authorised to send email for your domain. In cPanel Zone Editor, add a TXT record:
Name: @\nValue: v=spf1 include:yourhostingserver.com ~allFor cPanel hosting, the correct SPF is generated automatically. Go to Email > Email Deliverability to check and fix SPF.
Setting Up DKIM
DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to outgoing emails. In cPanel, go to Email > Email Deliverability. If DKIM is not configured, click Repair next to your domain β cPanel generates and installs the DKIM record automatically.
Adding a DMARC Record (Recommended)
DMARC tells receivers what to do with emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks. Add a TXT record:
Name: _dmarc\nValue: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.comStart with p=none (monitor only) and move to p=quarantine or p=reject once you're confident all legitimate email passes authentication.
Verifying Your Email Authentication
Send a test email to mail-tester.com and check your score. A score of 9β10/10 means your authentication is correctly configured. Gmail and Outlook also show authentication details in email headers.