Why does the SPF record fail to verify?

A validation error happens if your SPF record does not allow Zendesk to send email on your behalf.

The most common causes are:

  • include:mail.zendesk.com is not added to your domain SPF record
  • The support address is not added to your Zendesk account as an external support address
  • The record was published but has not propagated yet due to a short time to live (TTL)
  • A domain referenced in the SPF record does not resolve. Make sure any domains used in SPF mechanisms such as include, a, mx, or redirect are valid and resolve in DNS. If a referenced domain does not resolve, SPF verification may fail.

Use a third-party tool such as MXtoolbox, Dmarcian, or similar tools to verify your SPF record. Common SPF errors include:

  • Too many DNS lookups
  • Multiple SPF records
  • Type 99 deprecated
  • IP address is not supported
  • Propagation issues
  • Flattened SPF record
  • Invalid syntax

Zendesk updates its public IP addresses, which can lead to SPF errors and delivery issues. Therefore, IP addresses in your SPF record are not recommended or supported.

For more information on how to set up records for your domain, see Allowing Zendesk to send email on behalf of your email domain.

Powered by Zendesk