SPF Record in OVH

OVHcloud (formerly OVH) is one of Europe's largest hosting and domain providers. Adding an SPF record in OVH's control panel is straightforward, but there is one important detail: OVH offers both a dedicated "SPF" record type and a standard "TXT" record type. This guide explains which to use and walks you through every step. 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 OVHcloud account login. You need access to the account that manages DNS for your domain.
Your SPF record value. This is the text string you will add. If you are not sure what it should contain, SPF Creator can build the correct record based on your email services.

A typical SPF record looks like this:

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

Your record will be different depending on what 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. See SPF record examples for common configurations.

Check for an existing SPF record first

Your domain can only have one SPF record. Adding a second one causes a PermError. OVH may have already created a default SPF record if you are using OVH email hosting — check first and edit rather than creating a duplicate.

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

Log into the OVHcloud Control Panel

Go to ovh.com and click "Login" in the top right corner, or go directly to the OVHcloud Manager at www.ovh.com/manager. Sign in with your OVH credentials. You will land on the main dashboard.

Navigate to your domain's DNS zone

In the left sidebar, click "Domain names" (under the "Web Cloud" section). Click on the domain you want to configure. Then click the "DNS zone" tab (OVHcloud DNS guide). This shows all the DNS records for your domain.

Check for an existing SPF record

Scroll through the DNS zone entries and look for any TXT or SPF record that contains v=spf1. If one exists, you will need to edit it rather than creating a new one. Click the three dots next to the record and select "Modify the entry" to edit it.

Add a new entry

If no SPF record exists, click the "Add an entry" button on the right side of the DNS zone page. OVH will show you a list of record types to choose from.

Important: OVH offers both an "SPF" record type and a "TXT" record type. Choose TXT for maximum compatibility. The dedicated SPF record type is based on an older standard that has been deprecated. While it still works in most cases, TXT is the correct and universally supported option.

Fill in the record fields

Configure the TXT record with these settings:

Subdomain: Leave this blank or enter nothing (for your root domain). If adding SPF for a subdomain, enter just the subdomain part.
TTL: You can leave this at the default (3600 seconds is typical for OVH) or set it to a custom value. For initial setup, 300 seconds (5 minutes) helps changes take effect quickly.
Value: Enter your full SPF record value, for example: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all

Confirm and save

Click "Next" and then "Confirm" to save the record. OVH displays a message that DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate, though in practice changes usually take effect within 1 to 4 hours.

Verify the record is live

After waiting for propagation, use the checker tool above to confirm your SPF record is published and valid. The tool shows the record contents, validates syntax, and counts DNS lookups.

OVH-Specific Details

TXT vs SPF Record Type

When adding a DNS entry in OVH, you will see both "TXT" and "SPF" as options. Here is the key difference:

Record Type	Status	Recommendation
TXT	Current standard (RFC 7208)	Use this one
SPF	Deprecated (RFC 4408, obsoleted)	Avoid for new records

The SPF-specific DNS record type was introduced in 2006 but was officially deprecated in 2014. The current SPF standard requires publishing SPF data as a TXT record. While OVH still offers the SPF type for backwards compatibility, you should use TXT for all new SPF records.

OVH Email Hosting and Default SPF Records

If you use OVH's own email hosting (MX Plan, Email Pro, or Exchange), OVH may have automatically created an SPF record for your domain. This default record typically looks like:

v=spf1 include:mx.ovh.com ~all

If you see this record and you also use other email services (like Google Workspace or Mailchimp), you need to edit this record to include those services — not create a second one. For example:

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

Do not delete OVH's default SPF if you use OVH email

If you use OVH email hosting, keep include:mx.ovh.com in your SPF record. Removing it means emails sent through OVH's mail servers will fail SPF checks.

Propagation Time

OVH's DNS propagation is typically slower than providers like Cloudflare. Most updates are visible within 1 to 4 hours, though OVH states it can take up to 24 hours.

OVH SPF Record Examples

Here are common SPF record configurations for OVH-hosted domains:

OVH email only:

v=spf1 include:mx.ovh.com ~all

Google Workspace only (no OVH email):

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

OVH email + Google Workspace:

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

OVH email + Mailchimp:

v=spf1 include:mx.ovh.com include:servers.mcsv.net ~all

Domain that does not send email:

v=spf1 -all

Editing an Existing SPF Record in OVH

To add a new email service to an existing SPF record, find the record in your DNS zone, click the three dots icon next to it, and select "Modify the entry." Add the new include: before ~all. For example, to add HubSpot, change v=spf1 include:mx.ovh.com ~all to v=spf1 include:mx.ovh.com include:pm.hubspot.com ~all.

Verify with the checker tool after editing to confirm the syntax is correct and you are within the 10 DNS lookup limit.

Verifying Your Setup

After adding your SPF record in OVH:

1. Check the record with the tool above. Confirm it shows the correct value, passes syntax validation, and stays within the lookup limit.

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

3. Set up full authentication. SPF is one part of email authentication. Also configure DKIM and DMARC as TXT records in your OVH DNS zone. The Email Deliverability Suite can check all three protocols at once.

Using a different DNS provider? See our guides for Gandi, IONOS, or Cloudflare.

References

RFC 7208: Sender Policy Framework (SPF) — The current SPF specification
OVHcloud: Editing a DNS zone — Official OVHcloud DNS documentation

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