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      4 min read

      Allow Abicart's email servers in the domain's SPF record

      By Althea.

      Photo of a computer with a Gmail email inbox

      Reduce the risk of your store's emails being rejected by authorizing the correct sending servers to send for your domain.

      This guide is for domain managers and store administrators who use their own sender domain and Abicart's email servers. It applies regardless of Go, Plus, or Pro subscription and regardless of theme. If a custom SMTP provider sends the emails, follow that provider's domain instructions; do not add Abicart as a sender unnecessarily.

      1. Determine the sender, sending service, and DNS manager

      1. Open Settings → Email and check which address is used for the relevant emails.
      2. Determine if the emails are sent via Abicart's email server or custom SMTP.
      3. Open the DNS management for the actual sender domain. For name@example.com, it's example.com. A separate sender subdomain needs to be evaluated for that specific domain.

      You cannot change the SPF for gmail.com or another provider's domain that you do not own. An SPF record on your store's own domain does not grant permission to send as name@gmail.com. Instead, use your own sender domain or an SMTP configuration supported by the email provider.

      2. Create or update a single SPF policy

      SPF is normally stored as a TXT record that starts with v=spf1. Read existing TXT records before making changes. Keep a single applicable SPF policy for the domain; do not add another record that starts with v=spf1.

      When no SPF record exists

      1. Create a TXT record with your DNS provider.
      2. Enter the correct hostname according to your provider's format, often @ for the domain root. Avoid having the provider add the domain name twice.
      3. If Abicart is the only intended sending service, the policy can be:
      v=spf1 include:spf.abicart.com -all

      Do not use this alone if, for example, your company's regular email also needs to send from the domain.

      When an SPF record already exists

      Add include:spf.abicart.com to the existing policy before its final mechanism: all. Keep other intended providers and do not change their settings or the final policy without evaluating the entire sending flow.

      Example for a custom domain that actually uses Google Workspace and Abicart:

      v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:spf.abicart.com -all

      This is not a setting for a private gmail.com address. Other previous examples are include:_custspf.one.com for one.com and include:spf.loopia.se for Loopia. Always check the current policy with the provider your domain actually uses: Google Workspace SPF, one.com or Loopia. Do not copy multiple providers just because they are in the example.

      3. Save and check the correct domain

      1. Save the DNS change. How quickly it becomes visible depends on DNS cache and TTL; it can take up to a day, but this is not a fixed delivery time for emails.
      2. Look up the domain's TXT records and verify that a single, correct SPF policy is displayed.
      3. Check the syntax and count no more than ten DNS-triggering SPF terms across the entire evaluation, including nested include chains. This is not a count of raw DNS requests, TXT records or characters.
      4. Check the sender address's SPF marker under Settings → Email. A green marker shows Abicart's SPF check for that address; it does not prove that all emails are delivered or that DKIM/DMARC is correct.

      Troubleshoot rejected emails

      • No policy / none: check that the TXT record is on the correct sender domain.
      • fail or softfail: check the actual sending service and if its authorization exists before the all mechanism. Do not add a fixed server IP from an old error message instead of the current include.
      • permerror: check for duplicate SPF records, syntax, and the lookup limit.
      • SPF passed but email is missing: check the recipient, spam folder, the provider's rejection notice, and DKIM and DMARC. SPF is only one part of email authentication.

      Extend the domain's existing SPF policy; do not replace it with the Abicart example if other services also send email. Keep a single applicable v=spf1 policy. Count no more than ten DNS-triggering SPF terms across the entire evaluation, including nested include chains. For a rejection, check the MAIL FROM domain in the rejection or message authentication results. The visible From field and an SPF pass alone do not prove correct DMARC alignment or delivery.

      Do not change the website's A/CNAME or the email's MX records to fix an SPF error.

      Quick start

      1. Check the sender address and which server is sending.
      2. Find the domain's existing SPF policy with the DNS provider.
      3. Add include:spf.abicart.com when Abicart is sending and keep other intended senders.
      4. Verify a single valid policy, the lookup limit, and the sender's status.

      Subscription and access

      This guide applies to Go, Plus, and Pro when Abicart's servers send from your own domain. You need access to the domain's DNS or help from its manager. The theme does not affect SPF.