What is a TXT Record?
A TXT (Text) record is a type of DNS record that allows you to store arbitrary text data associated with a domain. TXT records are widely used for domain verification, email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and other purposes that require associating text information with a domain.
How Does TXT Record Work?
TXT records serve many important purposes in modern web infrastructure. For email security, SPF records (stored as TXT records) specify which servers are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. DKIM records provide cryptographic email signing, and DMARC records define email authentication policies. These email authentication records help prevent email spoofing and improve deliverability.
Beyond email, TXT records are commonly used for domain ownership verification by services like Google Search Console, Let's Encrypt, and various SaaS platforms. The service asks you to add a specific TXT record to your domain, and then checks for it to confirm you own the domain. TXT records have a maximum size of 255 characters per string, but multiple strings can be concatenated for longer values.