What is a TXT record?

What a TXT record is

DNS stores different record types against each name in a domain: A records for addresses, MX records for mail servers, CNAME records for aliases, and TXT records for arbitrary text. The TXT type was defined in the original DNS specification, RFC 1035, as a place for descriptive text. Over time it became the standard way for other systems to publish settings and proofs in DNS, because every domain owner can add one and anyone can look it up. A name can hold several TXT records at once, and each can contain one or more text strings of up to 255 characters.

How verification works

A service that needs to know you control a domain generates a token and asks you to add it as a TXT record, either at the apex or at a specific label it names. When you click Verify, the service queries DNS for that name and compares what comes back with the token it expects. If they match, it concludes that whoever can edit your DNS asked for the connection. Some services keep checking periodically, so deleting the record later can undo the verification. Using a dedicated label, such as an underscore name, keeps verification tokens apart from your email settings at the apex.

When it matters

TXT records matter whenever you connect a domain to something new: a website host, an email provider, a search console, a newsletter tool. They matter most for email. Without SPF, DKIM and DMARC records, mail sent in your domain's name is more likely to land in spam or be rejected. A small business that sends invoices and quotes from its own domain should check these three records once and keep a note of what each one does.

Common mistakes

Publishing two separate SPF records at the apex, which makes both invalid; SPF must be one record. Adding quotation marks twice because the dashboard already adds them. Pasting a verification token at the apex when the service asked for a label such as _service, or the reverse. Deleting old TXT records during a tidy up without knowing which service still checks them. Expecting a TXT record to point traffic anywhere. And testing seconds after saving, before the change has reached the resolver you are asking.

Where it shows up in OneCraft

Connecting a custom domain to a OneCraft site starts with a TXT record at _onecraft followed by your host name, plus a CNAME, then a Verify step; after verification a managed certificate is issued for the host. Apex hosts need an ALIAS or ANAME record instead of a CNAME. Custom domains are a paid plan feature: Starter 1, Pro 5, and Pro+ and up no cap. Mail a site sends, such as a newsletter to confirmed subscribers, goes out from OneCraft's address with the site's name, so your domain's own SPF and DMARC records are not involved.

Questions people ask