SPF for Freshdesk

Freshdesk is one of the most popular customer support platforms for small and mid-sized businesses. When customers email your support address and your team replies through Freshdesk, those replies are sent from Freshdesk's mail servers — not your own. Without proper SPF configuration, receiving email servers have no way to verify that Freshdesk is authorized to send on your behalf, which can land your support replies in spam.

For a comprehensive overview of SPF, see our complete SPF guide. This guide walks you through setting up SPF for Freshdesk, handling the broader Freshworks suite, and verifying your configuration.

The Freshdesk SPF Include

To authorize Freshdesk to send email for your domain, add this include to your SPF record (Freshdesk Support):

include:email.freshdesk.com

This include authorizes Freshdesk's email sending infrastructure to deliver messages on behalf of your domain. Freshdesk maintains this record, so when their infrastructure changes, you do not need to update anything on your end.

Freshworks suite uses the same setup

If you use other Freshworks products — Freshsales, Freshmarketer, Freshservice, or Freshcaller — they share the same email infrastructure. Setting up SPF for Freshdesk typically covers the entire Freshworks suite. Check your specific product's admin panel for the exact include value, as Freshworks may provide a product-specific domain in some cases.

Setting Up SPF for Freshdesk

Before making changes, check whether your domain already has an SPF record. You need to know if you are creating a new record or adding Freshdesk to an existing one.

Configure your custom mailbox in Freshdesk

Log into your Freshdesk account as an administrator. Go to Admin, then Email (under Channels). Click "New Support Email" or edit your existing support email to use your custom domain instead of Freshdesk's default address.

Get the required DNS records

When you set up a custom mailbox, Freshdesk shows you the DNS records you need to add. This typically includes SPF and DKIM records. Note down all the records — you will need them for full authentication.

Log into your DNS provider

Go to the website where your domain's DNS is managed — see our guides for Cloudflare, GoDaddy, or Namecheap. Find the DNS management or DNS records section.

Add or update your SPF record

If you do not have an existing SPF record, create a new TXT record with this value:

v=spf1 include:email.freshdesk.com ~all

If you already have an SPF record, add the Freshdesk include to it. For example, if your current record is v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all, change it to:

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

Set the Name/Host field to @ (or leave it blank, depending on your provider) and keep the TTL at the default value.

Add DKIM records

While you are in your DNS settings, add the DKIM records that Freshdesk provided. These are typically CNAME or TXT records that enable cryptographic signing of your emails.

Verify in Freshdesk

Go back to Freshdesk Admin and verify your custom mailbox. Freshdesk checks your DNS records and confirms they are correctly configured. DNS propagation can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours, so wait and retry if verification does not succeed immediately.

Freshdesk with Other Email Services

Most businesses use Freshdesk alongside a primary email provider like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. You need all authorized senders in a single SPF record.

Freshdesk + Google Workspace:

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

Freshdesk + Microsoft 365:

v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:email.freshdesk.com ~all

Freshdesk + Google Workspace + Mailchimp:

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:email.freshdesk.com include:servers.mcsv.net ~all

Each include adds DNS lookups toward the 10 DNS lookup limit. If you use many services, check your total lookup count with the tool above. If you are approaching the limit, read our guide on SPF flattening for solutions.

Not sure which services to include? SPF Creator can help you build a complete record with all your email services. For guidance on combining multiple providers, see SPF for multiple ESPs.

The Freshworks Suite and SPF

Freshworks offers a family of products that share underlying infrastructure:

Product	Purpose	SPF Consideration
Freshdesk	Customer support ticketing	Primary product that sends support emails
Freshservice	IT service management	Sends internal IT support emails
Freshsales	CRM and sales outreach	Sends sales emails on your behalf
Freshmarketer	Marketing automation	Sends marketing campaigns

Because these products share Freshworks infrastructure, the SPF include for Freshdesk typically covers other Freshworks products as well. However, always verify in each product's admin panel. Some products may provide a different include value or additional DNS records. If a product gives you a different include domain, add that to your SPF record alongside the Freshdesk one.

Common Freshdesk SPF Mistakes

Not setting up a custom mailbox

If you only use Freshdesk's default support email (like support@yourcompany.freshdesk.com), SPF is handled by Freshdesk automatically because the email comes from their domain. But this looks unprofessional and does not build your domain's sender reputation. Always set up a custom mailbox using your own domain.

Creating a second SPF record

This is the most common DNS mistake across all email services. Your domain must have exactly one SPF record. If you already have one, edit it to add Freshdesk's include — do not create a new TXT record. Having two SPF records causes a PermError that breaks authentication for all your email, not just Freshdesk.

Using the wrong include value

The correct include is email.freshdesk.com. Double-check what Freshdesk shows you in their admin panel, as the exact domain may vary. A typo or wrong domain means SPF will fail for your support emails.

Forgetting to verify in Freshdesk

After adding DNS records, you need to go back to Freshdesk and complete the verification step. Until Freshdesk confirms your records are valid, your custom mailbox may not work correctly.

Ignoring DKIM and DMARC

SPF tells receiving servers that Freshdesk is allowed to send for your domain, but it does not prove the email content has not been altered. Set up DKIM (using the records Freshdesk provides) for message integrity, and publish a DMARC record to tell receivers how to handle authentication failures.

Verifying Your Freshdesk SPF Setup

After making DNS changes, confirm everything is working:

1. Check your SPF record. Use the lookup tool above to confirm your record includes email.freshdesk.com, is valid, and stays within the 10 DNS lookup limit.

2. Verify in Freshdesk. In Freshdesk Admin under Email, your custom mailbox should show as verified.

3. Send a test reply. Create a test support ticket and reply to it from Freshdesk. If the recipient uses Gmail, open the message, click the three dots, and select "Show original." Look for spf=pass in the authentication results.

4. Check your other authentication. While you are verifying SPF, also confirm that DKIM is passing. Both should show as "pass" in the email headers.

5. Run a full domain check. The Email Deliverability Suite checks your SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX records in one scan, giving you a complete picture of your email authentication health.

Forwarding vs. Custom Mailbox

Some businesses try to use email forwarding instead of setting up a proper custom mailbox in Freshdesk. While forwarding can work for receiving emails, it creates authentication problems for outgoing replies. When Freshdesk sends a reply, it needs to be authorized through SPF. Forwarding does not solve this — you still need the SPF include and a properly configured custom mailbox.

If you are currently using forwarding and experiencing delivery issues with your Freshdesk replies, switching to a properly authenticated custom mailbox with SPF and DKIM will almost always resolve the problem.

References

RFC 7208: Sender Policy Framework (SPF) — The current SPF specification
Freshdesk: Setting Up SPF Records — Official Freshdesk SPF documentation

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SPF for Freshdesk: Setup Guide for Support Email Authentication