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Provider Setup · GoDaddy SPF

SPF record for GoDaddy: where it goes, and the one-record rule

GoDaddy's SPF record is a TXT record like any other. The rule that actually breaks it is the one about how many of them may exist.
3 min read · Updated August 2026

An SPF record at GoDaddy is a TXT record like any other: sign in, open DNS management, choose TXT as the record type, and use @ in the Name field since SPF publishes at the root domain, per GoDaddy's own TXT record instructions. The mechanics are identical to publishing a DKIM record there.

What actually breaks SPF is not the syntax. It is that only one SPF record may exist per domain, and every additional email service, an ESP, a helpdesk tool, a CRM, needs to be merged into that single record rather than published as a new one.

Where this goes wrong

Adding a new sending service and pasting its documentation's suggested SPF snippet as a brand new TXT record is the single most common way SPF breaks after it was working. A receiving server that finds two SPF records for the same domain typically treats the record as invalid, which silently weakens or breaks authentication for every sender the domain has, not just the new one.

How I check it I look up the domain's TXT records for how many strings start with v=spf1 before checking anything about content or syntax. More than one is the actual defect, regardless of what either record says individually.

Adding a service correctly

The fix is always to edit the one existing record, adding the new service's include: mechanism inside the same string, rather than creating a second TXT record. The DNS & auth checker confirms only one SPF record resolves for the domain, alongside DKIM and DMARC in the same pass.

Questions I get asked a lot

Where does the SPF record go in GoDaddy's DNS management?

As a TXT record at the root domain, using @ in the Name field per GoDaddy's own TXT record instructions, since SPF is published on the domain apex rather than a subdomain.

Can I have two SPF records if I use two email services?

No. Only one SPF record may exist per domain; adding a second one instead of merging both services' includes into the existing record is one of the most common ways SPF breaks after adding a new sender.

How do I add a new ESP to an existing GoDaddy SPF record?

Edit the single existing TXT record to add the new service's include mechanism inside the same v=spf1 string, rather than creating a second TXT record with a separate v=spf1 line.

Added a new sender and mail broke?
Run the free diagnostic and I will check for a duplicate SPF record before anything else.
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