SPF Record in IONOS

IONOS (formerly known as 1&1 IONOS) is a major hosting and domain provider, especially popular in Europe. Adding an SPF record is straightforward, though the IONOS control panel can feel a bit overwhelming if you're new to DNS management. This guide walks you through every step with clear instructions. No technical experience required. For background on SPF records, see our complete SPF guide.

Before You Start

You need two things:

Your IONOS account login. You need access to the account that owns or manages the domain.
Your SPF record value. This is the text string you'll add as a DNS record. If you're not sure what yours should contain, 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 services send email for your domain. Common includes are _spf.google.com for Google Workspace, spf.protection.outlook.com for Microsoft 365, and sendgrid.net for SendGrid. New to SPF? Read What is SPF? for an introduction, or see SPF record examples for ready-to-use configurations.

Check for an existing SPF record first

Your domain may already have an SPF record, especially if you're using an IONOS email package. 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 IONOS

Log into your IONOS account

Go to ionos.com and sign in. You'll land on your IONOS control panel.

Navigate to Domains & SSL

From the main menu or dashboard, click Domains & SSL. This shows a list of all domains in your account. Find the domain you want to configure.

Open DNS Settings

Click on the domain name to open its settings. Then look for DNS or DNS Settings in the menu (IONOS DNS guide). Click it to open the DNS management page where all your domain's records are listed.

Check for an existing SPF record

Scroll through the list of DNS records and look for any TXT record that starts with v=spf1. IONOS may also show SPF records with a dedicated "SPF" label in some views. If you find an existing SPF record, you need to edit it rather than creating a new one. Skip to the editing section below.

Click Add Record

Look for the Add Record button near the top of the DNS settings page. Click it to create a new DNS record.

Select TXT as the record type

IONOS will ask you to choose the record type. Select TXT from the available options. In some versions of the IONOS interface, you may see a dedicated SPF option — either TXT or SPF will work, but TXT is the standard approach.

Fill in the record fields

Set each field as follows:

Host Name: Enter @ (this applies the record to your root domain)
Value: Paste your complete SPF record, for example: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all
TTL: Leave at the default (IONOS typically defaults to 1 hour)

Save the record

Click Save to add the record. IONOS will save 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 IONOS

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

Example: Adding Google Workspace to an existing IONOS email record.

Before:

v=spf1 include:_spf.perfora.net include:_spf.kundenserver.de ~all

After:

v=spf1 include:_spf.perfora.net include:_spf.kundenserver.de include:_spf.google.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.

IONOS Email Packages and Default SPF Records

IONOS offers several email packages (Mail Basic, Mail Business, Microsoft 365 through IONOS, etc.), and many of these come with pre-configured SPF records. These records typically include IONOS-specific domains like _spf.perfora.net and _spf.kundenserver.de to authorize IONOS mail servers.

Do not remove these includes if you still use IONOS email. Removing them will cause emails sent through IONOS to fail SPF checks. Instead, add your new include statements alongside the existing ones.

If you've fully migrated away from IONOS email and use a different provider exclusively, you can replace the entire record. But make absolutely sure no emails are still being sent through IONOS first.

IONOS-Specific Interface Tips

Navigating the control panel

The IONOS control panel has been redesigned several times over the years. If you can't find Domains & SSL on the main page, try clicking the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner. You can also search for "DNS" in the IONOS help search bar to be taken directly to the right page.

IONOS was formerly 1&1

If you have an older account, you may still see references to "1&1" or "1&1 IONOS" in some parts of the interface. The DNS management process is the same regardless of the branding you see.

The Host Name field

In IONOS, the Host Name field uses @ to represent your root domain. Do not type your full domain name.

Correct: @
Wrong: yourdomain.com

For a subdomain like mail.yourdomain.com, enter just mail in the Host Name field.

SPF record type vs TXT record type

Some versions of the IONOS interface offer a dedicated SPF record type in addition to TXT. Both work, but the industry standard is to publish SPF records as TXT records. If you have a choice, use TXT. If IONOS only shows an SPF option, that's fine too — the result in DNS is the same.

Quotation marks

Do not add quotation marks around your SPF record value. IONOS handles DNS formatting automatically. Adding quotes can cause double-quoted records that lead to validation errors.

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

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

DNS management location

If you registered your domain at IONOS but pointed your nameservers to another DNS provider (like Cloudflare), the records you set in IONOS won't take effect. Check your nameserver settings in the domain overview. If they point to a third-party provider, add the SPF record there instead.

DNS Propagation Expectations

After saving your SPF record, it needs to propagate across DNS servers worldwide. IONOS's default TTL is typically 1 hour. Here's what to expect: IONOS's own DNS servers update within a few minutes, most major DNS resolvers pick up the change within 30 minutes to 2 hours, and full global propagation can take up to 48 hours in rare cases.

Most of the time, changes are visible within an hour. If you're testing, you can keep the TTL at the default and simply wait a bit before checking.

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 1-2 hours for propagation, check for multiple SPF records on the same domain (a common mistake when both IONOS and a user have created separate records), verify IONOS is managing your DNS (check 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
IONOS: Configuring TXT and SRV records — Official IONOS DNS documentation

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