How to Add a TXT Record in cPanel
To add a TXT record in cPanel, open Domains › Zone Editor, click Manage on your domain, choose Add Record › TXT, enter the name (the domain, _dmarc or a selector._domainkey prefix), paste the provider's exact value and save. TXT records carry SPF, DKIM, DMARC and verification strings; a domain may have only one SPF record.
For business owners and web admins setting up email authentication or verifying a domain with Google, Microsoft or Meta.
knowledge
- Read time
- 4 min
- Sections
- 8
- Updated
- 14 Nov 2026
- Written by
- WebJi® team
Last editorial update: 14 November 2026.
What is a TXT record used for?
A TXT record is a DNS record that publishes text for other services to read, mainly SPF, DKIM and DMARC email authentication and domain-verification strings from Google, Microsoft or Meta. Each use lives at a specific name in your zone, so the name matters as much as the value.
| Purpose | Name (host) | Value starts with | How many |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPF | Root of the domain (@) | v=spf1 | Exactly one per hostname |
| DKIM | selector._domainkey | v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=… | One per sending service or selector |
| DMARC | _dmarc | v=DMARC1 | One |
| Domain verification | Usually the root (@) | e.g. google-site-verification= | One per provider |
How do you add a TXT record in cPanel's Zone Editor?
Open Domains › Zone Editor, click Manage on your domain, choose Add Record › TXT, enter the name, a TTL of 3600 and the exact value from your provider, then Save Record. The record is live on cPanel's DNS immediately if the domain uses your hosting's nameservers.
- Confirm the nameservers point to your hosting with
dig NS example.in +short; if they show Cloudflare or the registrar, add the record there instead. - In cPanel, open Domains › Zone Editor and click Manage beside the domain.
- Click Add Record (or the arrow beside it) and choose TXT.
- Enter the Name: the domain itself for root records, or the prefix such as
_dmarcorgoogle._domainkey; check the preview shows it once, for example_dmarc.example.in., not_dmarc.example.in.example.in. - Paste the value exactly as given and click Save Record.
The Record field accepts invalid text without complaint, so copy rather than retype. If TXT is missing from the menu, the hosting package limits the editor and the host must enable it; WebJi® customers can email support@webji.services.
How do you add an SPF record correctly?
Publish one TXT record at the root that starts with v=spf1, lists every service allowed to send mail for the domain, and ends with ~all or -all. When you add a sender, merge it into the same record with another include:; a second v=spf1 record makes SPF fail.
v=spf1 +a +mx include:_spf.google.com ~allThis example allows the domain's own web server and MX hosts plus Google Workspace. Use the include your provider documents, and keep the total under SPF's limit of 10 DNS lookups, since each include, a and mx counts. Too many includes return a "permerror" and receivers treat the mail as unauthenticated.
How do you add a DKIM record in cPanel?
For mail sent from the cPanel server, open Email › Email Deliverability and let cPanel install its DKIM key; for Google, Zoho or Microsoft 365, create a TXT record at the selector name they give, such as google._domainkey, with their value.
DKIM keys are long, and DNS stores TXT data in strings of up to 255 characters, so providers often show the key split into several quoted chunks. Paste the full value as one string in cPanel; the Zone Editor handles the splitting. Check the result with:
dig TXT google._domainkey.example.in +shortHow do you add a DMARC record?
Add a TXT record named _dmarc with a policy such as v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@example.in, then tighten the policy once reports show your real mail passes SPF or DKIM.
| Policy | What receivers do | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
p=none | Deliver normally and send you reports | First weeks, while you find every sender |
p=quarantine | Send failing mail to spam | Once legitimate mail passes |
p=reject | Refuse failing mail | When you are confident nothing legitimate fails |
Gmail and Yahoo have required SPF, DKIM and a DMARC record from bulk senders since 2024, so a contact-form or newsletter domain without them risks the spam folder. Deeper help is on email deliverability.
How do you add a domain verification TXT record?
Copy the token from the provider's console, for example Google Workspace's google-site-verification=…, add it as a TXT record at the root, wait a few minutes, then click Verify in that console. Verification records can sit beside SPF at the root; only SPF has the one-record rule.
Google Search Console, Microsoft 365 and Meta Business use the same pattern with their own prefixes. Leave verification records in place afterwards, because some providers recheck them.
How do you check a TXT record and fix common mistakes?
Query the record with dig TXT example.in +short (or the selector or _dmarc name), and if an old answer appears, wait out the TTL before editing again. Adding a duplicate while waiting usually creates a new problem.
- Doubled quotes: if dig shows
"\"v=spf1…\"", re-enter the value without the surrounding quotes. - Doubled domain: the name shows
example.in.example.in.; re-enter only the prefix. - Two SPF records: merge them into one.
- Wrong zone: the record was added in cPanel while DNS is managed at Cloudflare or the registrar.
Mail routing records are covered in adding an MX record in cPanel, and the DNS propagation checker shows what resolvers around the world return.
Frequently asked questions
Can a domain have more than one TXT record?
Yes. A root can hold several TXT records, such as SPF plus Google and Microsoft verification strings. The restriction applies only to SPF: there must be a single v=spf1 record per hostname.
How long does a TXT record take to work?
It is live on the authoritative servers at once, and resolvers that cached an older answer update when its TTL expires, usually within an hour at TTL 3600. A brand-new name that was never queried is often visible within minutes.
Where are DNS records on WebJi® Windows hosting?
Windows plans use Plesk rather than cPanel. Open the domain in Plesk and go to DNS Settings, where TXT records are added the same way: name, value and TTL.
Should SPF end with ~all or -all?
Start with ~all (softfail) while you confirm every sending service is listed, then consider -all (fail) once DMARC reports show no legitimate mail failing. With DMARC in place, most receivers act on the DMARC policy rather than the SPF qualifier alone.
Last editorial update: 15 November 2026.
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