TXT records are a type of Domain Name System (DNS) record in text format, which contain information about your domain. TXT records contain information that helps external network servers and services handle outgoing email from your domain. Google and Gmail use TXT records to verify domain ownership, ensure email security, and prevent spam and phishing.
Use TXT records to verify domain ownership
When you set up your Google Workspace or Google Cloud account, Google gives you a TXT record to add to your domain. When Google detects that you’ve added the TXT record, your domain ownership is confirmed. For more details, go to Verify your domain with a TXT record.
Note: If you purchased your domain when you signed up for Google Workspace, you don’t need to verify ownership.
Use TXT records to ensure email security
Use DNS TXT records with Google Workspace to prevent phishing, spamming, and other malicious activity:
- SPF TXT records protect your domain from being used to send spam.
- DKIM TXT records use encryption to secure the content of your email.
- DMARC TXT records help you manage messages checked by SPF and DKIM.
- MTA-STS TXT records increase security for SMTP connections when both sending and receiving servers use this standard.
- BIMI TXT records let you add a verified brand image, like a logo, to messages authenticated with DMARC.
Add a TXT record at your domain
- Sign in to your domain host, typically where you purchased your domain name. If you’re not sure who your domain host is, see identify your domain registrar.
- Go to the page where you update DNS TXT records for your domain. For help finding this page, check the documentation for your domain.
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Add or update the TXT record with this information (refer to the documentation for your domain):
Field name Value to enter Type The record type is TXT. Host The domain (or subdomain), can also be called Name, Hostname, or Alias. If the Host is the same domain (not subdomain) you are adding the TXT record to, specify the @ symbol. Value The string that makes up the TXT record:
- for SPF, see Prepare your SPF record
- for DKIM, see Generate a DKIM key pair
- for DMARC, see Prepare your DMARC record
- for BIMI, see Add a BIMI TXT record
TTL (only SPF & BIMI) The Time To Live value determines the number of seconds before subsequent changes to the record go into effect.
You can set this value to 1 hour or 3600 seconds.
If your domain doesn't let you modify the value for this field, use the current value.
Google recommends adding no more than 49 TXT records at your domain because this is the maximum number supported by most domains.
For more information on creating TXT records, contact your domain host’s support team.
