SPF record for Hostinger Email

The exact SPF record

Copy the example that matches your setup. Each one is a single TXT record; the host is shown as your DNS provider usually expects it (@ means the domain itself).

Hostinger Email only (as Hostinger documents it)

Type: TXT · Host: @ · 3 of 10 DNS lookups Copy

v=spf1 include:_spf.mail.hostinger.com ~all

Hostinger Email and Mailjet for newsletters

Type: TXT · Host: @ · 4 of 10 DNS lookups Copy

v=spf1 include:_spf.mail.hostinger.com include:spf.mailjet.com ~all

Hostinger Email and Zendesk

Type: TXT · Host: @ · 4 of 10 DNS lookups Copy

v=spf1 include:_spf.mail.hostinger.com include:mail.zendesk.com ~all

How SPF applies to Hostinger mail

Receivers check SPF against the domain in the envelope sender (the MAIL FROM or bounce address). Hostinger sends with your own domain there, so its include belongs in the SPF record on the domain you send from.

• Hostinger warns that receiving servers may reject your mail if the domain has more than one SPF record, and says to combine all SPF rules into a single entry.
• The include is not your MX host. Hostinger's MX records are mx1.hostinger.com (priority 5) and mx2.hostinger.com (priority 10); they receive mail and don't belong in SPF.
• A domain hosted at Hostinger that sends website mail through another service needs that service's include as well. Hostinger's default records cover Hostinger Email only.

How to add it

1. In hPanel, go to Emails, click Mailboxes next to your domain and open Domain settings to see the records Hostinger expects.
2. If the domain uses Hostinger's nameservers, click Connect automatically and skip the manual steps.
3. Otherwise, sign in to the company that hosts your DNS and look for a TXT record on the root (host @, or an empty host field) that starts with v=spf1.
4. If there is one, add include:_spf.mail.hostinger.com to it. If there isn't, create a TXT record with v=spf1 include:_spf.mail.hostinger.com ~all.
5. Return to Domain settings in hPanel to check the status. Hostinger says activation can take up to 24 hours; then check the live record with the SPF Checker below.

DKIM and DMARC alignment

Hostinger Email signs outgoing mail with DKIM through three CNAME records, hostingermail-a._domainkey, hostingermail-b._domainkey and hostingermail-c._domainkey, each pointing to a matching name under dkim.mail.hostinger.com. Hostinger's manual setup also lists a starter DMARC record, v=DMARC1; p=none; with a report address, which it calls highly recommended. See our DMARC record examples for the next steps after p=none.

DMARC passes when SPF or DKIM passes and the domain it checked matches your From domain. Our guide to SPF, DKIM and DMARC explains how the three fit together.

Common mistakes

• Two SPF records. A domain may publish only one record that starts with v=spf1. With two, receivers return a permanent error and SPF fails for all your mail (RFC 7208 section 3.2). Merge every sender into one record.
• More than 10 DNS lookups. Each include, a, mx, exists and redirect costs a lookup, nested ones included; over 10 is a PermError (section 4.6.4). Hostinger's include costs 3 on its own. See how to fix too many SPF lookups.
• Choosing ~all or -all without a plan. Hostinger's documentation uses ~all. -all asks receivers to reject unlisted servers; ~all asks them to accept but mark the mail. Once DMARC is enforced, receivers act on DMARC instead. Read SPF soft fail vs hard fail before you choose.
• Typing the full name into the host field. Hostinger notes that some DNS providers add your domain automatically, so the host should be @ (or empty) for SPF, not example.com.
• Keeping an old record from a previous mail host next to the new one. Two v=spf1 records make SPF fail; merge them into one.