SPF record for IONOS Mail

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).

IONOS Mail, US account (ionos.com)

Type: TXT · Host: @ · 1 of 10 DNS lookups Copy

v=spf1 include:_spf-us.ionos.com ~all

IONOS Mail, UK or EU account (ionos.co.uk)

Type: TXT · Host: @ · 1 of 10 DNS lookups Copy

v=spf1 include:_spf-eu.ionos.com ~all

IONOS Mail (US) and Brevo for newsletters

Type: TXT · Host: @ · 2 of 10 DNS lookups Copy

v=spf1 include:_spf-us.ionos.com include:spf.brevo.com ~all

How SPF applies to IONOS mail

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

• IONOS says that if an SPF TXT record for another email service already exists, IONOS adds its own mail server information to that record automatically. Check the result rather than adding a second record.
• On 3 November 2026, _spf-us.ionos.com and _spf-eu.ionos.com each listed only IP ranges, so neither nests further lookups.
• The included records end in ?all, but that doesn't weaken yours: SPF uses the all of your own record for servers that match none of your includes.

How to add it

1. If IONOS hosts your DNS, you usually need nothing: IONOS says its SPF is enabled by default for IONOS-hosted domains.
2. If the record is missing (IONOS mentions trouble sending to Gmail as a sign), open the domain's DNS settings in IONOS, click Add Record, select IONOS SPF (TXT) and save.
3. If another company hosts your DNS, create a TXT record on @ there with the value from your IONOS help center, or add the include to the v=spf1 record you already have.
4. IONOS says changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate. Then check the live record with the SPF Checker below.

DKIM and DMARC alignment

DKIM is on by default for IONOS-hosted DNS. With outside DNS, IONOS asks for three CNAME records: s1-ionos._domainkey to s1.dkim.ionos.com, s2-ionos._domainkey to s2.dkim.ionos.com and s42582890._domainkey to s42582890.dkim.ionos.com. With SPF and DKIM in place, add a DMARC record; IONOS's articles don't give a DMARC value.

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). IONOS's include costs 1 on its own. See how to fix too many SPF lookups.
• Choosing ~all or -all without a plan. IONOS'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.
• Copying the EU include from a UK guide into a US account, or the other way round. Use the value your own IONOS help center gives.
• Editing or deleting the IONOS SPF record without checking what it covers. IONOS warns this can affect sending.