How to check SPF and DKIM in cPanel Email Deliverability

Category: cPanel

cPanel Email Deliverability helps you check whether SPF and DKIM are configured correctly for your domain. Use it when your messages land in spam, bounce, or you just moved email to a shared hosting account.

SPF tells other providers which servers are allowed to send mail for your domain. DKIM signs messages so receiving providers can validate that they were not changed during delivery.

Before you start

  • Have access to cPanel for the account where the domain is hosted.
  • Confirm whether the domain DNS is managed in cPanel or at another provider.
  • Identify whether you send email only from cPanel or also from Gmail, Microsoft 365, Mailchimp, or another external service.
  • Avoid deleting existing SPF or DKIM records without confirming which service uses them.

Check SPF and DKIM

  1. Log in to cPanel.
  2. Open the Email section.
  3. Click Email Deliverability.
  4. Find the domain you want to check.
  5. Review the SPF and DKIM status in the domain row.
  6. If cPanel shows warnings, open Manage or the available option to view the suggested records.

Repair records when cPanel manages DNS

  1. Confirm that the domain uses your hosting nameservers or that the active DNS zone is in cPanel.
  2. In Email Deliverability, use Repair if cPanel shows that option for the domain.
  3. Review the records cPanel will create or update before you confirm.
  4. Apply the repair and wait for cPanel to save the changes in the DNS zone.
  5. Return to the domain list and check whether SPF and DKIM change to a valid status.

When DNS is outside cPanel

  1. Copy the SPF or DKIM records recommended by Email Deliverability.
  2. Log in to the DNS panel of the provider where the domain actually points.
  3. Create or update the TXT records with the exact values shown by cPanel.
  4. If the domain uses external email, contact support or the provider before replacing an SPF record that already includes other services.

Verify that delivery improved

  • SPF and DKIM appear as valid in Email Deliverability.
  • The active DNS zone contains the suggested TXT records, without duplicate SPF records.
  • A test email reaches Gmail, Outlook, or another external destination without an immediate bounce.
  • The test message headers show SPF or DKIM as pass when the receiving provider evaluates them.

Common errors

  • There are two SPF records: keep a single SPF TXT record that includes every service authorized to send mail.
  • You edited DNS in cPanel but the domain uses another provider: repeat the change in the active DNS zone.
  • DKIM is still pending after repair: wait for DNS propagation and check again later.
  • You use external email and sending fails after the change: restore the previous value and ask the provider for the correct SPF to combine it.

Still need help?

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