How to Add an SPF Record in Hover

Hover is a domain registrar known for its clean, no-nonsense interface and straightforward pricing. If you've registered your domain through Hover, managing DNS records -- including SPF -- is refreshingly simple. Hover strips away the complexity that many registrars pile on, making it one of the easier places to set up email authentication.

This guide walks you through adding, editing, and verifying an SPF record in Hover's DNS management panel.

Why SPF Matters for Hover Domains

If your domain is registered with Hover and you're sending email from it -- through Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or any other service -- an SPF record is essential. It's a DNS TXT record that tells receiving mail servers which services are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain, as defined in RFC 7208. Without one, your emails are far more likely to land in spam folders or get rejected.

SPF is the first and simplest layer of email authentication, and it only takes a few minutes to set up in Hover.

Step-by-Step: Adding an SPF Record in Hover

A Note on the Hostname Field

In Hover's DNS interface, use @ in the Hostname field for your root domain's SPF record. Hover will display this as your domain name in the records list. Don't enter your full domain name manually -- just use @. Entering a subdomain name (like mail) would create an SPF record only for that subdomain, which isn't what you want for your main domain.

SPF Record Examples for Hover

Here are ready-to-use SPF records for common email setups. Paste these directly into the Value field.

Google Workspace Only

Use the _spf.google.com include for Google Workspace:

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com -all

Microsoft 365 Only

Use the spf.protection.outlook.com include for Microsoft 365:

v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all

Google Workspace + SendGrid

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:sendgrid.net -all

Microsoft 365 + Mailchimp

v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:servers.mcsv.net -all

Hover Email Forwarding + Google Workspace

If you use Hover's email forwarding alongside Google Workspace, your SPF record only needs to include Google -- Hover's forwarding doesn't send email as your domain, it forwards incoming mail to another address.

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com -all

Common Hover SPF Mistakes

Creating a Second SPF Record

The most common mistake with any DNS provider. If you already have an SPF record (maybe from a previous email setup) and you add a new one instead of editing the first, you'll have two TXT records starting with v=spf1. This causes a permerror that breaks SPF entirely. Always check the DNS tab for existing SPF records before adding a new one.

Using the Wrong Hostname

The Hostname field should be @ for your root domain. If you enter something else -- like mail or spf -- the record will be created on a subdomain, not your main domain. Your main SPF record must be on the root domain.

Confusing Hover Email Forwarding With Sending

Hover offers email forwarding, which forwards incoming emails to another address. This is different from sending email as your domain. Email forwarding doesn't require SPF authorization because Hover isn't sending email on behalf of your domain -- it's just redirecting incoming mail. Your SPF record should list the services that actually send outgoing email from your domain.

Not Updating SPF After Changing Email Providers

If you switch from one email provider to another, remember to update your SPF record. Remove the old include and add the new one. Stale includes waste DNS lookups and can cause confusion when troubleshooting delivery issues.

Editing an Existing SPF Record in Hover

Verifying Your SPF Record

After adding or editing your SPF record in Hover, verify that it's live and correct.

• SPF Record Check -- Go to spfrecordcheck.com and enter your domain. It validates syntax, counts DNS lookups, and flags any errors.
• Send a test email -- Send a message from each email service in your SPF record and check the headers on the receiving side for spf=pass in the Authentication-Results header.
• Command line -- Run dig TXT yourdomain.com +short or nslookup -type=TXT yourdomain.com to see your published TXT records.

Complete Your Email Authentication

SPF is the foundation, but full email authentication requires all three protocols:

• DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to outgoing emails, verifying they haven't been altered in transit. Use DKIM Creator to generate your DKIM keys and add the TXT records in Hover's DNS tab.
• DMARC ties SPF and DKIM together and tells receiving servers what to do when authentication fails. Use DMARC Creator to build your DMARC policy.

Both DKIM and DMARC records are added as TXT records in Hover, following the same process as SPF. Hover's clean interface makes it easy to manage all three.