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How to set up DNS records for email notifications

Kristie
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Purpose: Learn how to configure the DNS records required to verify your domain for custom sender addresses in Sendcloud email notifications.

Setting up DNS records is required when you want to use a custom sender address for your tracking emails.
Sending tracking emails from your own email address is available on Premium plans and above.

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-> Send branded Tracking emails to your customers

Why do I need to verify my domain?

When you set up a custom sender address for Sendcloud email notifications, you need to verify your domain by adding DNS records. This allows Sendcloud to send emails on behalf of your domain and helps email providers recognize these messages as legitimate.

Before you start

Make sure you have access to your domain's DNS settings through your hosting provider, domain registrar, or IT administrator. The exact steps can vary depending on where your DNS is managed.

Important: Sendcloud cannot add or modify DNS records for you. These records must be configured on your side in the environment where your domain DNS is hosted.

How to set up your DNS records

The verification flow is always the same:

  1. Generate the required DNS records in Sendcloud.
  2. Add those records to your domain's DNS settings.
  3. Wait until the records are detected and verified.

Depending on your DNS provider, verification can take a few minutes, but in some cases it may take up to 24-48 hours.

Step 1Open the custom sender address settings in Sendcloud

To start the verification process, first open the custom sender address setup in your Sendcloud panel.

  1. Go to Tracking > Email notifications.
  2. Click Settings in the top-right corner.
  3. Select Set custom sender email.
  4. Enter the email address you want to use as the sender.

After entering the address, Sendcloud will generate the DNS records that must be added to your domain.

Step 2Copy the DNS records shown in Sendcloud

Sendcloud will display the DNS records required to verify your domain. These are the records you need to add to your DNS provider.

Depending on the setup, this may include:

  • CNAME records for DKIM authentication
  • TXT records for SPF and/or other verification purposes
Important Copy each value exactly as shown in Sendcloud. Even a small typo, missing character, or extra space can cause the verification to fail.

Make sure you copy both the Name / Host and the Value / Target for every record.

Step 3Add the records to your DNS provider

Log in to the platform where your domain DNS is managed and open the DNS settings for your domain. This may be your domain registrar, hosting provider, or a separate DNS management service.

  1. Open your domain's DNS settings, DNS management, or Zone editor.
  2. Create a new DNS record for each value shown in Sendcloud.
  3. Select the correct record type, for example CNAME or TXT.
  4. Paste the corresponding Name / Host and Value / Target.
  5. Save your changes.
Please note DNS providers do not all use the same field labels. One provider may use Name, while another uses Host. Likewise, Value, Points to, or Target can refer to the same field.

If your provider asks for a TTL value, you can usually leave the default value in place unless your IT administrator advises otherwise.

Step 4Check whether conflicting records already exist

Before saving new records, check whether similar DNS records already exist for your domain.

In particular:

  • You can have multiple DKIM records, as long as they use different selectors.
  • You should only have one SPF record for the same domain/host.

⚠️ Important: If your domain already has an SPF record, do not simply add a second SPF TXT record for the same host.

Having multiple SPF records can cause SPF validation to fail. If this applies to your setup, ask your IT administrator or DNS provider to update the existing SPF record correctly.

If you are unsure whether an existing record should be replaced, updated, or left unchanged, check with your IT administrator before proceeding.

Step 5Wait for DNS propagation and verification

After you save the DNS records, it can take some time before the changes become visible across the internet. This process is known as DNS propagation.

Once the records are available publicly, Sendcloud can detect them and verify your domain.

In most cases, verification is completed quickly, but it can take up to 24-48 hours.

Please note Until the domain is successfully verified, Sendcloud will not send email notifications from your custom sender address.
Step 6Confirm that the domain is verified

Once Sendcloud detects the required DNS records, the sender domain will be marked as verified in the custom sender address setup.

After verification is complete, Sendcloud can start sending email notifications using your custom sender address.

If the domain is still shown as unverified after 48 hours, review the troubleshooting section below.

 

Frequently asked questions

Which DNS records do I need to add?

The exact records are generated in Sendcloud during the custom sender address setup. Depending on the configuration, this can include CNAME records for DKIM and TXT records for SPF or verification.

Where do I add the DNS records?

Add them in the DNS settings for your domain. This is usually managed through your domain registrar, hosting provider, or DNS provider.

Can Sendcloud configure the records for me?

No. DNS records must be added in your own domain environment. If you do not manage this yourself, contact your IT administrator or hosting provider.

How long does verification take?

Verification can be completed within a few minutes, but it may take up to 24-48 hours depending on your DNS provider and propagation times.

Troubleshooting

If your domain is not being verified, review the following checks:

  1. Confirm that every DNS record was copied exactly as shown in Sendcloud, without extra spaces or missing characters.
  2. Check that each record was added with the correct type, such as CNAME or TXT.
  3. Verify that the records were added to the correct domain and in the correct DNS zone.
  4. Make sure your provider did not automatically append the root domain to the host value in a way that created a duplicated entry.
  5. Check whether an existing SPF record is already present and whether it needs to be updated instead of creating a second SPF record.
  6. Wait up to 48 hours to allow for DNS propagation before retrying verification.
💡 Tip If everything looks correct but the domain is still not verified, contact the person who manages your DNS settings or your hosting provider. They can confirm whether the records are published correctly.