How to Add an SPF Record in Namecheap

Adding an SPF record to your domain in Namecheap takes about five minutes. But there are a few Namecheap-specific details that trip people up -- like which DNS mode you need to be using, and what to do if you're also running Namecheap's Private Email service.

This guide walks through the entire process, from logging in to verifying that your record is live.

Before You Start

You need two things before adding an SPF record in Namecheap:

• Your Namecheap account credentials -- You need access to the domain's DNS management panel.
• Your SPF record value -- The actual TXT record content. If you're not sure what yours should look like, see our guide to creating SPF records.

You also need to make sure your domain is using the right DNS mode. Namecheap offers several options, and not all of them let you add custom TXT records.

Check Your DNS Mode

Namecheap provides three DNS modes:

If your domain is set to Custom DNS, you're pointing to external nameservers (like Cloudflare). In that case, you need to add the SPF record at your external DNS provider, not in Namecheap.

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

If You Use Namecheap Private Email

Namecheap offers its own email hosting service called Private Email (powered by Open-Xchange). If you use it, your SPF record must include Namecheap's email servers.

The include value for Namecheap Private Email is:

include:spf.privateemail.com

Private Email Only

If Namecheap Private Email is your only email sender:

v=spf1 include:spf.privateemail.com -all

Private Email + Google Workspace

If you've migrated to Google Workspace but still have Private Email active, or if you use both:

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

Example SPF Records for Namecheap

Here are ready-to-use SPF records for common Namecheap configurations:

Common Namecheap SPF Mistakes

Setting up SPF in Namecheap is straightforward, but these mistakes come up regularly:

Using Custom DNS Without Realizing It

If you pointed your nameservers to Cloudflare, AWS Route53, or another DNS provider, Namecheap's Advanced DNS tab is irrelevant. Records added there won't be served. Check your Nameservers setting under the Domain tab first.

Forgetting the Private Email Include

If you activated Namecheap Private Email at any point, it may still be sending email (forwarding rules, auto-responders, etc.). Leaving include:spf.privateemail.com out of your SPF record means those emails will fail SPF.

Creating a Second SPF Record

When adding a new service, some people add a new TXT record with a fresh v=spf1 line. This creates two SPF records, which causes a permerror -- both records fail. Always edit your existing SPF record to add new includes.

Setting Host to the Domain Name Instead of @

In Namecheap's Advanced DNS, the Host field for a root domain record should be @, not yourdomain.com. Setting it to the full domain name can create a record for yourdomain.com.yourdomain.com.

Forgetting to Remove Old Records

If you migrated away from Namecheap Private Email to another provider, remove the include:spf.privateemail.com from your SPF record. Old includes that reference services you no longer use can waste DNS lookups and potentially cause issues.

Editing an Existing SPF Record

If you already have an SPF record and need to add a new service:

SPF for Subdomains in Namecheap

If you send email from a subdomain (like mail.yourdomain.com or marketing.yourdomain.com), the SPF record setup is the same, but you use the subdomain as the Host value instead of @.

For example, to add an SPF record for marketing.yourdomain.com:

• Host: marketing
• Value: v=spf1 include:sendgrid.net -all

Each subdomain gets its own SPF record with its own 10-lookup budget, which is useful if your root domain's SPF record is getting close to the limit.

Complete Your Email Authentication

SPF is one piece of the email authentication puzzle. For full protection, you also need:

• DKIM -- Adds a cryptographic signature to your emails proving they haven't been tampered with. Use DKIM Creator to generate your keys.
• DMARC -- Ties SPF and DKIM together and tells receiving servers what to do when authentication fails. Use DMARC Creator to build your policy.

All three protocols are added as TXT records in the same Namecheap Advanced DNS panel. The process is identical: click Add New Record, choose TXT, set the appropriate host and value.

Monitor Your New SPF Record

You've created your SPF record — now make sure it keeps working. The Email Deliverability Suite watches your SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX records daily and alerts you when something breaks.