Home Free toolsEmail deliverability checker

EmailFree · no sign-upReads live data

Why are your emails going to spam?

Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook now expect every sender to prove its emails are real, using three DNS records: SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Missing or broken ones are the most common reason business email lands in spam. Type your domain to read them live and get plain-English fixes.

SPF, DKIM, DMARC and MX checked live
What each record says
Fixes in plain English

1Fill in a few boxes
2See your result straight away
3Unlock the full report, free

Rather have a person look at it? We will go through your numbers with you on a free 30-minute call.

Book a free call

What do SPF, DKIM, DMARC and MX records do?

They are short lines of text in your domain's DNS settings, wherever your domain is managed. Inboxes read them on every email to decide whether it really came from you.

SPF and DKIM prove an email is genuine in two different ways, and DMARC ties them to the address people see in the From line. MX records are different: they say where email sent to you should go.

The four DNS records the checker reads
Record	Where it lives	What it does	A common mistake
MX	An MX record on your domain	Says which servers receive email for you.	Missing after a move, so replies and bounces are lost.
SPF	A TXT record on your domain	Lists the services allowed to send as you.	Two SPF records, or more than 10 lookups.
DKIM	A TXT record at selector._domainkey	Signs each email so it cannot be altered or faked.	Never switched on in the email provider.
DMARC	A TXT record at _dmarc	Says what to do when SPF or DKIM fail, and sends you reports.	Left at p=none for ever, or with no report address.

How these records work in 2026, as set out in the email standards and in Gmail's and Yahoo's sender rules.

How to set up DMARC for your domain

Make sure SPF and DKIM are in place first, because DMARC builds on them. Then add one TXT record at _dmarc.yourdomain.co.uk that starts v=DMARC1; p=none; and gives an address for reports with rua=mailto: followed by a mailbox you check.

Leave it at p=none for a few weeks and look through the reports, which list every service sending as your domain. When everything you use passes, move to p=quarantine, which sends failing mail to spam, and later to p=reject, which blocks it.

Moving straight to reject can stop your own invoices, booking emails or newsletter if one of those services was never set up. That is why the checker treats p=none as a start, not a finish.

Step 1: SPF in place, one record, ending ~all or -all.
Step 2: DKIM switched on in every service that sends for you.
Step 3: DMARC at p=none with a rua= report address.
Step 4: after clean reports, p=quarantine, then p=reject.

What are the Gmail and Yahoo rules for email senders?

Since February 2024, Gmail and Yahoo have asked every sender to authenticate its email with SPF or DKIM. Bulk senders, which Google defines as 5,000 or more emails a day to Gmail addresses, must have SPF, DKIM and DMARC, with the From domain aligned to one of them.

Bulk senders must also offer one-click unsubscribe and keep complaints low: Google asks for a spam rate under 0.3% and recommends staying below 0.1%. Microsoft brought in similar rules for high-volume senders to Outlook.com addresses in May 2025.

Why do my emails still go to spam with SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up?

The records prove who you are; they do not prove people want your email. Inboxes also look at your sending history, how many people open, reply or mark you as spam, and what the email contains.

Common causes are a new domain sending a lot at once, an old list full of addresses that bounce, a link to a site with a poor reputation, or an email that is one large image. Fix the records first, then look at who you send to and how much.

Send to people who asked to hear from you, and remove bounces.
Build volume slowly on a new domain or mailbox.
Write mostly in text with a few links, not one big image.
Make unsubscribing easy, so people do not press spam instead.

How the tool works

Type your email domain (the part after the @).
We read its SPF, DMARC, mail server and common DKIM records live.
Each check passes or fails, with what we found.
Fix the failing ones in your domain's DNS settings, in the order shown.

How Scale Oxford helps

How Scale Oxford fixes email deliverability

Getting the records right is the first thing we check before any email campaign, because a good email in the spam folder earns nothing. We then look after the list, the sending pace and the words, so more of your emails reach the inbox.

Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC for every service that sends email as you.
Go through the DMARC reports and tighten the policy to quarantine once every sender passes.
Clean the list and pace the sending, then track clicks, replies and complaints.

Book a free call See our email marketing service

Case study · KorresScale Oxford grew UK online revenue by 174% for Korres. Each channel had its own agency, so Google and Meta chased the same customers and email stopped after the welcome message. We took on the whole store under one plan.↑ 174%More online revenue↓ 38%Lower cost per new customer↑ 36%Share of revenue from email and SMSRead the case study →

Questions people ask

What are SPF, DKIM and DMARC?

SPF lists the servers allowed to send your email. DKIM signs each email so it cannot be faked. DMARC tells inboxes what to do when a message fails the first two, and sends you reports.

Do I need DMARC?

Yes. Since 2024 Gmail and Yahoo require DMARC from bulk senders, and a missing record makes any domain's email look less trustworthy. Start with p=none and tighten later.

Why can the checker not find my DKIM?

DKIM sits under a name the sending service chooses (a "selector"). We try the common ones for Google, Microsoft and the main email tools; if yours uses another, it may be fine. Check in your email provider's settings.

Is it safe to check my domain?

Yes. We only read public DNS records, which anyone can see. Nothing is changed and nothing is sent.

What is the difference between ~all and -all in SPF?

~all is a soft fail: email from a server not on the list is accepted but treated with suspicion. -all is a hard fail: such email should be rejected. Many businesses use ~all and let DMARC decide what happens, and +all should never be used.

Can I have two SPF records?

No. A domain must have exactly one SPF record, and two make SPF fail for every email. If two services each asked you to add one, merge them into a single record that includes both.

What is the SPF 10 lookup limit?

Checking an SPF record may take no more than 10 DNS lookups, and each include: for a service counts as at least one. Go over and SPF fails. Remove services you no longer use, or send some email from a subdomain with its own record.

How long do DNS changes take to work?

Often minutes, sometimes up to 48 hours, depending on how long the old records are cached. Check again later before assuming a change failed. The checker reads the records live, so it shows what inboxes see now.

What does a DMARC report tell me?

Which servers sent email as your domain, how many messages each sent, and whether each passed SPF and DKIM. The reports arrive as files, usually daily, so most businesses use a report service to turn them into a readable summary. They are how you find a forgotten service before tightening the policy.

Do I need these records if I never send newsletters?

Yes. Gmail and Yahoo expect SPF or DKIM from every sender, and invoices, quotes and replies are judged by the same inboxes. Without them, ordinary business email is more likely to land in spam or be faked by someone else.

Should I send marketing emails from a separate subdomain?

It is a good idea once you send in volume. Sending newsletters from an address such as news.yourdomain.co.uk keeps their reputation apart from your everyday email, so a bad campaign does not hurt your invoices and replies. Each subdomain needs its own SPF and DKIM.