# DKIM record for Namecheap Private Email

URL: https://iblockspam.com/dkim/namecheap-private-email
Last updated: 2026-11-03

Record type: TXT
Selectors: privateemail, default (bought before 2 June 2026)
Key managed by: Provider (you publish its key)

Namecheap Private Email signs mail with a key Namecheap generates for your subscription. You publish its public half as a TXT record named `privateemail._domainkey`, or `default._domainkey` if the subscription was bought before 2 June 2026. The value starts with `v=DKIM1;k=rsa;p=`. On Namecheap BasicDNS the record is set up automatically.

## DNS records

- DKIM key (subscriptions from 2 June 2026) (TXT, host privateemail._domainkey): `v=DKIM1;k=rsa;p=<public key shown under DKIM in your Namecheap account>`
- DKIM key (subscriptions bought before 2 June 2026) (TXT, host default._domainkey): `v=DKIM1;k=rsa;p=<public key shown under DKIM in your Namecheap account>` Use one of the two hosts, the one that matches your subscription, not both.

## Set it up and turn on signing

- Sign in to Namecheap, open the **Private Email** menu and click **Manage** next to your domain or subscription.
- Under **DKIM**, click **Generate** to create the key, or **Show DKIM** to copy one that already exists.
- Copy the DNS record field: the value that begins `v=DKIM1;k=rsa;p=MIIBIjANB...`.
- Add it as a TXT record where your DNS is hosted: automatic on BasicDNS, in cPanel for Web Hosting DNS, in your Namecheap account for Premium DNS, or at your outside DNS provider.
- If your DNS host splits long values across two fields, put as much of the key as possible in the first, rather than separating `v=DKIM1; k=rsa;` from the rest.
- Allow up to an hour, then look up `privateemail._domainkey.yourdomain.com` to confirm it is live.

## DMARC alignment

Private Email signs with your own domain, and the key sits under your domain's `_domainkey` name, so a passing signature lines up with your From address for DMARC. Namecheap says the DKIM record is mandatory for outgoing mail to work correctly and recommends publishing it together with SPF and a DMARC record on `_dmarc`, starting from `v=DMARC1; p=none;` with a report address.

## Key length and rotation

This is a TXT key in your own zone, so Namecheap can't swap it for you: a new key means generating it in the Private Email page and replacing the record. The key shown is RSA (`k=rsa`); Namecheap's article doesn't state its length or a rotation schedule. Moving the domain to new nameservers means copying the record across too.

## Common mistakes

- **The wrong selector for your plan.** Subscriptions bought before 2 June 2026 sign with `default`; newer ones with `privateemail`. A key under the other name is never checked.
- **Quotes or brackets pasted into the value.** Namecheap says to enter the key without them.
- **A value split in the wrong place.** Splitting off only the `v=DKIM1; k=rsa;` tag leaves a record some hosts store incorrectly.
- **Records added at Namecheap while the domain uses outside nameservers.** Add the TXT where the nameservers point.

**Q: What is the DKIM selector for Namecheap Private Email?**
`privateemail` for subscriptions bought on or after 2 June 2026, so the record name is `privateemail._domainkey`. Subscriptions bought before that date use `default._domainkey`. The DKIM Checker below is prefilled with the newer selector.

**Q: Where do I find my Private Email DKIM key?**
In your Namecheap account: open Private Email, click Manage next to the subscription, then Generate or Show DKIM under the DKIM section. The key is unique to your subscription, so a value from a guide or another domain won't work.

**Q: Is Private Email DKIM set up automatically?**
On Namecheap BasicDNS, yes: Namecheap says the TXT record should be configured automatically. On Web Hosting DNS, Premium DNS or third-party nameservers, you add it yourself.

Sources:
- Namecheap Knowledgebase: How to set up a DKIM record for Private Email: https://www.namecheap.com/support/knowledgebase/article.aspx/10383/2176/how-to-set-up-a-dkim-record-for-private-email/
- Namecheap Knowledgebase: Namecheap Private Email records for domains with third-party DNS: https://www.namecheap.com/support/knowledgebase/article.aspx/1340/2176/namecheap-private-email-records-for-domains-with-thirdparty-dns/

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