What this checks
This tool pulls every TXT record published at a domain's apex and shows them exactly as the resolver returns them, then sorts them into buckets — SPF, DKIM, DMARC, verification tokens, and everything else — so you can see at a glance what's living in your TXT zone. TXT is the junk drawer of DNS: a single free-text record type that dozens of unrelated systems reach for whenever they need to prove something about a domain. Over a few years a busy domain accumulates a surprising pile of them.
Verification-record archaeology
A large share of most domains' TXT records are verification tokens — strings like
google-site-verification=…, MS=ms12345678, or
facebook-domain-verification=…. A service asks you to add one to prove you control the
domain, you paste it in, the service confirms, and then the record just… stays there, often for
years after you've stopped using that product. Looking up your TXT records is the fastest way to
excavate this history: you'll frequently find tokens for tools nobody on the team remembers signing
up for. Most are harmless clutter, but see the FAQ on which are safe to remove.
The 255-character chunking rule
A single TXT string can't exceed 255 characters — that's a hard limit in the DNS
wire format. Longer values (a DKIM public key, say, or a long SPF include list) are stored as several
quoted strings sitting side by side inside one record, and resolvers concatenate them back together
with no separator. That's why a raw TXT value sometimes appears as
"first chunk…" "second chunk…": it isn't two records and it isn't corrupted, it's one
logical value the DNS layer had to split to fit. When you paste a long value into your DNS provider,
most panels do this chunking for you automatically.
Why SPF lives in a TXT record
SPF — the mechanism that says which servers are allowed to send mail as your domain — is published as
an ordinary TXT record beginning with v=spf1. There was once a dedicated SPF record type,
but it was deprecated years ago in favour of TXT, so today every SPF policy is just a specially
formatted TXT string. That's why an SPF record shows up in this lookup at all, and why a domain may
only ever have one SPF TXT record. For validating what's inside that record, use the
dedicated SPF checker linked below; this tool's job is to surface it alongside everything else in your
TXT zone.
FAQ
Can a domain have multiple TXT records?
Yes — a name can carry many TXT records at once, and most domains do. That's fine and expected for verification tokens and unrelated values. The one important exception is SPF: a domain may publish only a single SPF TXT record, and having two is an error that breaks SPF evaluation.
Why is my TXT record split into chunks?
Because a single TXT string is capped at 255 characters. Any longer value is stored as multiple quoted strings within the same record, which resolvers stitch back together transparently. The split is a storage detail of the DNS format, not a problem — the concatenated value is what systems read.
Should I delete old verification records?
Usually only once you're sure the service that asked for it is gone. Some providers re-check the token periodically and will flag your domain as unverified if it disappears, so removing a token for a tool you still use can quietly break things. When in doubt, confirm the product no longer needs it before cleaning up — the records cost nothing to leave in place.
Why does SPF show up here?
Because SPF policies are published as TXT records (the value starting with v=spf1); there
is no separate SPF record type in use anymore. This tool categorizes it into its own bucket so it's
easy to spot. To validate the policy itself, use the SPF Record Checker.