SPF Record in Bluehost

Bluehost is one of the most popular web hosting providers, and adding an SPF record there is straightforward once you know where to look. This guide walks you through every step, from logging in to verifying the record is live. No technical experience needed. New to SPF? Read What is SPF? for an introduction, or see our complete SPF guide for a full overview.

Before You Start

You need two things:

Your Bluehost account login. You need access to the account that manages your domain's hosting and DNS.
Your SPF record value. This is the text string you'll add as a DNS record. If you're not sure what yours should say, SPF Creator can build the correct record based on the email services you use.

A typical SPF record looks like this:

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all

Your record will be different depending on which email services send mail for your domain. Common includes are _spf.google.com for Google Workspace, spf.protection.outlook.com for Microsoft 365, and sendgrid.net for SendGrid. See SPF record examples for common configurations.

Check for an existing SPF record first

Your domain may already have an SPF record — especially if you're using Bluehost's built-in email service. Adding a second SPF record causes errors because you can only have one per domain. Always check first, and edit the existing record if one is already there.

Step-by-Step: Adding an SPF Record in Bluehost

Log into your Bluehost account

Go to bluehost.com and sign in. You'll land on your Bluehost dashboard.

Navigate to Domains

From the left-hand menu, click Domains. This shows a list of all domains associated with your account. Find the domain you want to configure and click on it.

Open DNS settings

On the domain management page, click the DNS tab (Bluehost DNS help). This opens the DNS zone editor where all your domain's DNS records are listed. Bluehost uses a cPanel-based interface, so the layout may look familiar if you've used cPanel before.

Check for an existing SPF record

Scroll through the list of DNS records and look for any TXT record that starts with v=spf1. If you find one, you need to edit it rather than creating a new record. Skip to the editing section below.

Click Add Record

Below the list of existing records, look for the Add Record button. Click it to create a new DNS record.

Fill in the record fields

Set each field as follows:

Type: Select TXT from the dropdown menu
Host Record: Enter @ (this applies the record to your root domain)
TXT Value: Paste your complete SPF record, for example: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all
TTL: Leave at the default (usually 14400 seconds / 4 hours) or set to 600 (10 minutes) for faster propagation during testing

Save the record

Click Save to add the record to your DNS zone. The change needs time to propagate across the internet before it takes effect everywhere.

Editing an Existing SPF Record in Bluehost

If your domain already has an SPF record, you must edit it instead of creating a new one. Having two SPF records on the same domain causes a PermError, which means all SPF checks fail.

In the DNS tab, find the TXT record that starts with v=spf1
Click the Edit button next to it
In the TXT Value field, add your new include statement before the ~all or -all
Click Save

Example: Adding Microsoft 365 to an existing Bluehost email record.

Before:

v=spf1 +a +mx +ip4:68.178.213.203 ~all

After:

v=spf1 +a +mx +ip4:68.178.213.203 include:spf.protection.outlook.com ~all

Keep the structure intact

Always keep v=spf1 at the very beginning and ~all (or -all) at the very end. New include statements go in between, separated by spaces.

Bluehost Email and Default SPF Records

If you're using Bluehost's built-in email service, your domain may already have a default SPF record that authorizes Bluehost's mail servers. This record typically includes Bluehost's server IP addresses using ip4 or +a +mx mechanisms.

Do not delete this record if you still use Bluehost email. Instead, add your new include statements to the existing record. If you remove Bluehost's authorization while still sending email through their servers, those emails will fail SPF checks.

If you've migrated your email entirely to another provider (like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365) and no longer use Bluehost email, you can replace the old record with a new one that only includes your current provider.

Bluehost-Specific UI Tips

The Host Record field

In Bluehost's DNS editor, the Host Record field (sometimes labeled Name) uses @ to represent your root domain. Do not type your full domain name here.

Correct: @
Wrong: yourdomain.com

If you're adding an SPF record for a subdomain like mail.yourdomain.com, enter just mail in the Host Record field.

Quotation marks

Do not wrap your SPF record in quotation marks when pasting it into Bluehost. The system handles DNS formatting automatically. Adding quotes can create double-quoted entries that cause validation errors.

Correct: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all

Wrong: "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all"

DNS management location

Bluehost manages DNS through its own interface, but if you've pointed your nameservers to another provider (like Cloudflare), the DNS records you set in Bluehost won't take effect. Check your Nameservers setting in the domain management area. If the nameservers are pointed elsewhere, you need to add the SPF record at that provider instead.

DNS Propagation Expectations

After saving your SPF record, it needs to propagate across DNS servers worldwide. Bluehost's default TTL is often 14400 seconds (4 hours), which is higher than some other providers. Here's what to expect: Bluehost's own servers update within a few minutes, most major DNS resolvers pick up the change within 1 to 4 hours, and full global propagation can take up to 48 hours in rare cases.

If you're testing, consider setting the TTL to 600 seconds (10 minutes) temporarily. Once everything is confirmed working, you can increase it back to the default.

Verifying Your SPF Record

Once you've waited for propagation, confirm the record is published and correct.

1. Use the free checker. Enter your domain in the lookup tool at the top of this page. It will show you exactly what SPF record is published, along with any errors or warnings.

2. Send a test email. Send an email from your domain to a Gmail address. Open the email, click the three dots, and select "Show original." Look for spf=pass in the authentication results.

3. Check the full picture. Use Deliverability Checker to verify your SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX records all at once.

What to Do If SPF Is Not Working

If the checker doesn't show your record or shows errors, work through these common issues: wait at least 4 hours for propagation (Bluehost's default TTL is higher than most), check for multiple SPF records (only one is allowed per domain), verify Bluehost is actually managing your DNS (check your nameservers), and look for typos in the record value.

For a complete list of common problems, see our common SPF errors guide.

Complete Your Email Authentication

SPF is one piece of the email authentication puzzle. For the strongest protection and best deliverability, also set up:

DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to your outgoing emails, proving they haven't been tampered with. Check your DKIM records with DKIM Test.
DMARC ties SPF and DKIM together and tells receiving servers how to handle emails that fail authentication. Check yours with DMARC Record Checker.

All three working together protect your domain from email spoofing and improve the chances of your emails reaching the inbox. Learn more in our guide on SPF, DKIM, and DMARC explained.

References

RFC 7208: Sender Policy Framework (SPF) — The current SPF specification
Bluehost: DNS management — Official Bluehost DNS documentation

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How to Add an SPF Record in Bluehost: Step-by-Step Guide