Can TXT records be added in any order?
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If you've ever set up email authentication, you've probably stared at your DNS panel wondering whether the order you add records matters. Good news: it doesn't. DNS has no concept of order for TXT records, and it doesn't care which one you added first.
When someone's mail server queries your domain, DNS returns whatever records it finds. There's no guarantee of which order they come back in, and no protocol expects them in a specific sequence. Your SPF record, your Google Workspace verification tag, your Facebook domain verification. They all coexist happily, regardless of when you created them.
What actually causes problems isn't order. It's duplicates. A few rules worth knowing:
- You can only have one SPF record per domain. Two SPF records (
v=spf1 ...) will cause a permanent error and break your authentication entirely. - You can only have one DMARC record at
_dmarc.yourdomain.com. Multiple DMARC records at the same name are invalid. - Multiple TXT records for different purposes are completely fine. That's normal DNS.
So add your SPF record and your DMARC record in whatever order your afternoon allows. Just make sure you only have one of each. If you're not sure whether you've accidentally created duplicates, our free SPF checker will flag it right away.
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