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Email deliverability checker

Enter your domain to check SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. Get a 0-100 health score and step-by-step fixes for every issue found.

Common selectors:

Enter your domain above to check SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

How to check email deliverability

Enter your sending domain (e.g. company.com) in the Domain field above and choose your DKIM selector. If you use Google Workspace, select the "google" chip. For Microsoft 365, try "selector1". Click "Check deliverability" and the tool will query your domain's DNS in real time.

Results appear as three scored cards: SPF (up to 30 points), DKIM (up to 35 points), and DMARC (up to 35 points). Each card shows the raw DNS record, a plain-English status, and a list of specific fixes when issues are detected. The combined score out of 100 is shown in the gauge at the top of your results.

If you do not know your DKIM selector, log in to your email provider admin panel and look under email authentication or DKIM settings. You can also try the common selectors in the chip row above the input field.

Understanding SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are three independent DNS authentication standards that together tell receiving mail servers whether your email is legitimate. Each solves a different piece of the authentication problem and they work best when all three are configured.

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a DNS TXT record at your root domain that lists which servers are allowed to send mail on your behalf. A common SPF record looks likev=spf1 include:_spf.google.com -all. The -all at the end means any server not listed should be rejected.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a cryptographic signature to every message your mail server sends. The receiving server looks up the public key in your DNS atselector._domainkey.yourdomain.comand verifies the signature. This confirms the message was not altered in transit.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication) ties SPF and DKIM together with a policy. It lives at_dmarc.yourdomain.comand tells receivers what to do when mail fails both SPF and DKIM: p=none (report only), p=quarantine (send to spam), or p=reject (block outright). It also gives you a reporting address so you can see who is sending mail as your domain.

Why email deliverability matters for cold email

Cold email campaigns that land in the inbox depend on strong DNS authentication. Gmail and Outlook require SPF and DKIM to pass before any reputation scoring even begins. A missing DMARC record means inbox providers cannot verify your domain's sending policy, which lowers placement rates on high-volume sends.

Domains without authentication records are significantly more likely to be flagged as potential spam sources. Even a single missing SPF record can cause 10-20% of your messages to land in spam at scale. DKIM failure triggers similar penalties because it suggests the message may have been tampered with.

Fixing authentication issues is free and takes 15-30 minutes with your DNS provider. It is the highest-leverage deliverability improvement you can make before optimizing sending frequency, subject lines, or list quality. Use this checker after any DNS change or provider migration to confirm nothing broke.

Frequently asked questions

What is email deliverability?
Email deliverability is the ability of an email to reach the inbox rather than spam. It depends on DNS authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), sender reputation, and content quality. Domains with all three records configured correctly score significantly higher in inbox placement tests.
What does this email deliverability checker test?
This tool queries your domain's DNS for three records: SPF (which servers are allowed to send mail), DKIM (a cryptographic signature that proves authenticity), and DMARC (a policy that tells receivers what to do when SPF or DKIM fail). Each record is scored and you get a combined 0-100 health score.
What is an SPF record and why do I need one?
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a DNS TXT record that lists which mail servers are authorized to send email for your domain. Without SPF, any server can send mail claiming to be from your domain. Receiving mail servers check SPF automatically and may mark or reject mail that fails.
What is DKIM and how does it work?
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a cryptographic signature to every outgoing email. The receiving server looks up your public key in DNS and verifies the signature matches. This proves the email was not tampered with in transit and that it really came from an authorized server.
What is a DKIM selector?
A DKIM selector is a label your email provider uses to identify which DKIM key to look up in DNS. The record lives at selector._domainkey.yourdomain.com. Common selectors are "google" (Google Workspace), "selector1" and "selector2" (Microsoft 365), "k1" (Mailchimp), and "mail" or "smtp" for other providers. Find yours in your email provider's DKIM settings page.
What is DMARC and should I use p=reject?
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) tells receiving servers what to do when an email fails SPF or DKIM checks. p=none means monitor only, p=quarantine moves failing mail to spam, and p=reject blocks it entirely. Start with p=none to collect reports, then gradually move to p=reject over a few weeks once you confirm all legitimate mail is passing.
Why is my deliverability score low even though I have an SPF record?
A low SPF score usually means your record uses ~all (softfail) instead of -all (hardfail), has more than 10 DNS lookups (hitting the SPF 10-lookup limit), or has a syntax error. Check the fixes shown next to your SPF result card for the specific issue affecting your score.
How do I find my DKIM selector if I do not know it?
Log in to your email provider's admin panel and look for DKIM or email authentication settings. Google Workspace uses "google", Microsoft 365 uses "selector1" and "selector2", SendGrid typically uses "s1" or "s2", and Mailchimp uses "k1". You can also check a sent email by viewing the full headers and looking for the "dkim=pass header.i=" line.
Does passing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC guarantee inbox delivery?
No, but it removes the biggest technical barrier. Inbox placement also depends on sender reputation (how recipients have engaged with your mail), bounce rates, spam complaint rates, and email content. Authentication records are required to build a good sender reputation in the first place.
How often should I check my email deliverability?
Check after any DNS change, after switching email providers, and roughly every 90 days as a routine check. Deliverability issues often appear suddenly when DNS records are accidentally modified during a hosting migration or when a provider rotates DKIM keys.

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