What is a TXT Record? Uses, Verification & Configuration

The Multipurpose DNS Text Record

A TXT (Text) record was originally designed in RFC 1035 to allow human-readable notes inside a DNS zone. Today, TXT records have evolved into the primary carrier for automated domain verification tokens, cryptographic signatures, and email authentication policies.

Primary Use Cases for TXT Records

• Sender Policy Framework (SPF): Declaring authorized sending IP addresses for email (`v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all`).
• DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM): Publishing public cryptographic keys to verify message authenticity.
• DMARC Policies: Establishing enforcement rules for unauthenticated emails (`v=DMARC1; p=reject`).
• Third-Party Ownership Verification: Proving domain control to Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, AWS, GitHub, and SSL Certificate Authorities.

TXT Syntax & 255-Character Concatenation

DNS protocol specifications limit individual strings to 255 bytes. To publish longer records (such as 2048-bit DKIM keys), multiple strings are quoted inside a single record:

example.com.  3600  IN  TXT  "v=spf1 ip4:198.51.100.0/24 " "include:mailgun.org " "~all"

Example: A Domain's TXT Records (Illustrative)

example.com.  3600  IN  TXT  "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all"
example.com.  3600  IN  TXT  "google-site-verification=abc123XYZ"

Two unrelated TXT records can coexist on the same name without conflict — the first authorizes Google Workspace to send mail on the domain's behalf, the second proves domain ownership to Google Search Console. Resolvers return every TXT record on a name in one response; it's up to each consumer to recognize the prefix (`v=spf1`, `google-site-verification=`) it cares about.

Check Your Domain TXT Records

Inspect all active TXT records, SPF records, and security headers on your domain with our DNS Lookup Tool.