What is a TXT record?
By Ash, Founder, HosteazePublished 3 min read
The short answer
A TXT (text) record is a DNS entry that stores a line of text against your domain. Other services read it to check facts about you, most often to prove you own the domain or to publish email security settings such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC. You can have many TXT records on one domain.
Most DNS records tell computers where to go. A TXT record is different: it's a sticky note on your domain. It doesn't send visitors or email anywhere. It just holds a line of text that another service can look up to check something about you.
The original DNS standard, RFC 1035, left the meaning open: "the semantics of the text depends on the domain where it is found." That vagueness turned out to be useful. Today TXT records carry domain verification codes and most of the email security settings that decide whether your messages are trusted.
What are TXT records used for?
| Use | What the record starts with | Who reads it |
|---|---|---|
| Proving you own a domain | A code such as google-site-verification= | The service you're signing up to, e.g. Google Workspace or Search Console |
| Listing who can send your email | v=spf1 | Receiving mail servers checking SPF |
| Publishing your email signing key | v=DKIM1 | Receiving servers checking DKIM |
| Telling receivers what to do with fakes | v=DMARC1 | Receiving servers applying your DMARC policy |
| Showing your logo in inboxes | v=BIMI1 | Gmail, Apple Mail, Yahoo and others that support BIMI |
Busy domains collect a lot of these. When we looked up bbc.co.uk in October 2026, it had more than a dozen TXT records, mostly verification codes for different software suppliers.
What does a TXT record look like?
Every record has a host (the name), a type, a TTL and a value. A verification record usually sits on the bare domain:
yourbusiness.co.uk. 3600 TXT "google-site-verification=abcdef123_456wx789yz"Some records sit on a special name instead. DMARC always lives at _dmarc.yourbusiness.co.uk, and DKIM keys live at names like google._domainkey.yourbusiness.co.uk. Putting a record on the wrong host is the most common reason a check fails.
Each piece of text inside a TXT record can be at most 255 characters. Long values, such as 2048-bit DKIM keys, are split into several quoted strings in the same record, and receivers join them back together. Most DNS panels do the splitting for you.
How do I add a TXT record?
- Copy the exact value from the service asking for it, including any prefix such as
google-site-verification=. - Open the DNS settings wherever your domain's DNS is managed (often your registrar or web host).
- Choose Add record and set the type to TXT.
- Enter the host. Use
@or leave it blank for the bare domain, or a name such as_dmarcif you were told to. - Paste the value without adding extra quotation marks, unless your panel's instructions say to.
- Save, then wait. Google says new TXT records can take up to 72 hours to be recognised, though it's usually much quicker.
To check it's live, look it up with a free DNS tool such as Google Admin Toolbox Dig. If it isn't showing yet, how long DNS propagation takes explains the wait.
What mistakes should I avoid?
The big one is creating a second SPF record. RFC 7208 says a domain must not have multiple SPF records, and two records starting v=spf1 make SPF fail for every email you send. Add the new sender to your existing record instead.
The other classic is pasting the value with the domain name tacked on, or adding a TXT record when the service asked for a CNAME. Copy exactly what you're given, into exactly the field it names. For the full email setup in the right order, see how to set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
Frequently asked questions
Can a domain have more than one TXT record?
Yes. Most business domains have several, one for each service that needs to check something. The exception is SPF, where you must have only one record starting v=spf1, so extra senders are added to that single record.
Do TXT records affect my website or email delivery?
They don't change where your website or email goes. That's the job of A, CNAME and MX records. But the SPF, DKIM and DMARC TXT records strongly affect whether your emails reach the inbox or the spam folder.
Can I delete an old verification TXT record?
It depends on the service, so check its help pages first. Google Workspace says its record can be removed once your domain is verified, but Google Search Console keeps checking for its token and will drop your access if it disappears.
