Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC on Name.com
Add SPF, DKIM, and DMARC at Name.com by creating TXT records under Manage DNS Records — leave Host blank for SPF on the root domain, use default._domainkey (or the selector your provider gives) for DKIM, and _dmarc for DMARC.
Where to add records on Name.com
Log in at name.com, then click the "MY DOMAINS" link in the top-right navigation bar (it's a direct link, not a Domains submenu). Click the specific domain name to open its management page, then in the "Domain Actions" section click "Manage DNS Records" to open the DNS editor for that domain. This only works when the domain is using Name.com's nameservers (ns1–ns4.name.com); if you've pointed it elsewhere, an on-page warning appears and you must manage DNS at whoever runs your nameservers instead.
- Log in to name.com and click 'MY DOMAINS' in the top-right navigation, then click the domain you want to edit.
- In the 'Domain Actions' section of the domain's page, click 'Manage DNS Records' to open the DNS editor.
- In the add-record form, choose 'TXT' from the Type drop-down menu.
- Fill in the Host field: leave it blank for a root-domain record (e.g. SPF), or enter just the subdomain/selector (e.g. _dmarc, or default._domainkey for DKIM) — do NOT type your full domain, Name.com appends it automatically.
- Paste the record value into the Answer field exactly as provided, and leave TTL at 300 (the default).
- Click the blue 'Add Record' button to save. Repeat for each TXT record; allow up to 24 hours (up to 48 for email-authentication records) for full propagation.
The three records on Name.com
SPF Sender Policy Framework
Create one TXT record with the Host field left blank — that is Name.com's documented convention for the apex/root domain — and put your SPF policy in the Answer field, e.g. v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all. Do not type your full domain or '@' in Host (Name.com auto-appends the domain). Publish only ONE SPF (v=spf1) record per domain — merge all senders into a single string rather than adding a second TXT.
DKIM DomainKeys Identified Mail
Name.com does not generate DKIM keys — your email/sending provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, your ESP) generates the selector and public key. Add it as a TXT record where the Host is the selector path your provider gives you (commonly default._domainkey, google._domainkey, or selector1._domainkey) and the Answer is the full v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=… value. Enter the host exactly as provided (do not append the domain — Name.com adds it automatically). DKIM/email-auth records can take up to 48 hours to take effect.
DMARC reporting and policy
Add a TXT record with Host set to _dmarc (Name.com appends your domain automatically, so do not type _dmarc.example.com) and the Answer set to your policy, e.g. v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com. Start with p=none to monitor, then tighten to p=quarantine or p=reject once your SPF/DKIM alignment is confirmed.
Need the record values? Generate a valid SPF and DMARC record with the record generator, then learn what each one does: SPF, DKIM, DMARC.
Name.com gotchas
- Root/apex convention is a BLANK Host — not '@'. Name.com's docs say to leave the Host field empty for the root domain, and Name.com auto-appends your domain to whatever you type. So an '@' is not documented as an apex alias and risks creating a literal '@.yourdomain.com' record. Leave Host blank for root, and never type your full domain (e.g. type _dmarc, which becomes _dmarc.yourdomain.com).
- Quotes: paste the raw record value into Answer WITHOUT wrapping it in surrounding double-quotes. Name.com stores/serves the TXT value for you; adding your own quotes can produce a malformed record with literal quote characters that breaks SPF/DKIM/DMARC parsing.
- TTL: the field defaults to 300 seconds (5 minutes) — leave it as-is. The short TTL means changes are picked up quickly, but Name.com still advises allowing up to 24 hours (up to 48 for email-auth records) for full propagation before troubleshooting.
- Long values (DKIM especially): paste the entire key string as one continuous value in the Answer field — do not manually split it into multiple quoted chunks. Name.com handles long TXT strings, so a hand-split DKIM record is a common cause of failed verification.
- DNS only applies when the domain uses Name.com's nameservers (ns1–ns4.name.com). If you've changed nameservers (e.g. to Cloudflare or a host), Name.com shows a warning and the 'Manage DNS Records' editor won't affect live resolution — add the records at whoever runs the nameservers.
Records set. Now make sure you actually land.
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC on Name.com get you authenticated, but inbox placement also needs sender reputation and domain warmup. Scheduler Zero handles both so your cold email reaches the inbox.