What is a TXT record?

A TXT record is a DNS entry that stores arbitrary text on a domain, most often used to publish machine-readable policies like SPF, DKIM and DMARC or to prove domain ownership. A single domain can hold many different TXT records at once.

How do I use this tool?

Enter a domain name (for example example.com) and run the lookup; the tool queries the domain's TXT records server-side and lists each returned string. Nothing you enter is stored, and the results reflect what public DNS resolvers currently return.

Why do TXT records matter?

They carry the verification tokens and email-authentication policies that services rely on, so a missing or wrong TXT record can break email deliverability or fail a domain-ownership check. Reviewing them helps you confirm SPF, DKIM and DMARC are published correctly.

How do I read the results?

Each line is one TXT record; look at its prefix to tell them apart, such as "v=spf1" for SPF, "v=DMARC1" for DMARC, or a vendor string like "google-site-verification". If an expected record is absent, it was never published or has not propagated yet.

Why might a TXT record not show up right after I add it?

DNS changes are cached by resolvers for the length of the record's TTL, so a newly added or edited TXT record can take minutes to hours to appear everywhere. Also note that a single TXT string is limited to 255 characters, and long values are split into multiple quoted chunks that clients rejoin.

TXT Record Look Up

Related tools

Domain name

What do you want to look up?

Blacklist Look Up

Looks up whether this domain's IP address (or the IP address you entered) appears on common email blacklists (DNSBL) — being listed can cause outgoing mail to be rejected or sent to spam.

Also look up blacklist status when I run this search

What this is

TXT records hold free-form text and are the workhorse for domain verification (Google, Microsoft, SaaS tools) and email policies (SPF lives in a TXT record). A domain typically accumulates several TXT records over time.

How to read your result

You will usually see a mix: an SPF record (starts with v=spf1), verification tokens (google-site-verification=…), and service-specific entries. Review whether every entry is still needed — stale tokens are clutter but harmless; duplicate SPF records are actively harmful.

Common problems and how to fix them

Two or more SPF records exist

How it shows up: Email authentication starts failing intermittently — receivers treat multiple v=spf1 records as a permanent error.

How to fix it: Merge them into ONE record combining all mechanisms, e.g. "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:mailer.example.net ~all". Never add a second v=spf1 record when a new tool asks for SPF — extend the existing one.

Verification token was added but the service still cannot verify

How it shows up: Search Console or a SaaS tool keeps saying verification failed even though you added the TXT record.

How to fix it: Check the record was added at the right name (bare domain vs subdomain), wait out the TTL, and confirm the value was pasted without surrounding quotes being doubled. Run a TXT look up to see exactly what is being served publicly.

A TXT value longer than 255 characters was entered as a single string

How it shows up: Some DNS providers reject the record; others truncate it, breaking whatever consumes the record.

How to fix it: Split values over 255 characters into multiple quoted strings within one record ("part1" "part2") — consumers concatenate them. Most provider UIs do this automatically, but verify with a look up.

Frequently asked questions

What is a TXT record?: A TXT record is a DNS entry that stores arbitrary text on a domain, most often used to publish machine-readable policies like SPF, DKIM and DMARC or to prove domain ownership. A single domain can hold many different TXT records at once.
How do I use this tool?: Enter a domain name (for example example.com) and run the lookup; the tool queries the domain's TXT records server-side and lists each returned string. Nothing you enter is stored, and the results reflect what public DNS resolvers currently return.
Why do TXT records matter?: They carry the verification tokens and email-authentication policies that services rely on, so a missing or wrong TXT record can break email deliverability or fail a domain-ownership check. Reviewing them helps you confirm SPF, DKIM and DMARC are published correctly.
How do I read the results?: Each line is one TXT record; look at its prefix to tell them apart, such as "v=spf1" for SPF, "v=DMARC1" for DMARC, or a vendor string like "google-site-verification". If an expected record is absent, it was never published or has not propagated yet.
Why might a TXT record not show up right after I add it?: DNS changes are cached by resolvers for the length of the record's TTL, so a newly added or edited TXT record can take minutes to hours to appear everywhere. Also note that a single TXT string is limited to 255 characters, and long values are split into multiple quoted chunks that clients rejoin.