SPF Record in Bluehost

Bluehost is one of the largest web hosting providers, popular with small businesses and WordPress sites. If your domain is registered with Bluehost or you're using their hosting, you'll manage your DNS records through their cPanel-based Zone Editor. Adding an SPF record is straightforward, but Bluehost has a quirk worth knowing about: they may auto-create SPF records for their own email hosting, so you'll want to check what's already there before adding anything new.

This guide covers everything you need to add, edit, and verify SPF records in Bluehost.

Why SPF Matters for Bluehost-Hosted Domains

If your domain runs on Bluehost, there's a good chance you're sending email from it -- whether through Bluehost's built-in email hosting, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or a marketing tool like Mailchimp. An SPF record tells receiving mail servers which services are authorized to send email from your domain. Without one, your emails are more likely to land in spam or get rejected entirely.

Setting up SPF is the first step in email authentication, as specified in RFC 7208, and it only takes a few minutes to get right.

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

Log in to your Bluehost account

Go to my.bluehost.com and sign in with your credentials.

Navigate to the DNS Zone Editor

From the main dashboard, go to Domains in the left sidebar. Find your domain and click Manage. Then look for DNS or Zone Editor -- Bluehost's interface may vary slightly depending on your hosting plan, but the Zone Editor is under the Domains section (see Bluehost's DNS documentation for details).

Check for existing SPF records

Scroll through the TXT records and look for any value starting with v=spf1. Bluehost may have automatically created an SPF record for their own email service. If one exists, you'll need to edit it rather than creating a new one.

Add a new TXT record

Click Add Record and select TXT as the record type. In the Name field, enter your domain name or leave it blank (Bluehost typically auto-fills this). In the Value or TXT Value field, paste your SPF record -- for example: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com -all. Click Save.

Verify the record is live

DNS changes on Bluehost can take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours. Check your record at SPF Record Check to confirm it's published and valid.

Bluehost's interface has been updated several times over the years. If your dashboard looks different from what's described here, look for DNS, Zone Editor, or DNS Records under the Domains section. The core process is the same regardless of the interface version.

A Note on the Name Field

Bluehost's Zone Editor handles the Name field differently depending on your setup. For the root domain SPF record, you typically enter your domain name (like example.com) or leave the field blank. Bluehost will auto-append the domain if needed. Don't add extra text -- just the domain or blank for root-level records.

Bluehost's Auto-Created SPF Records

Bluehost sometimes creates a default SPF record when you activate their email hosting. This record typically authorizes Bluehost's own mail servers. If you see something like v=spf1 +a +mx +ip4:... ~all already in your DNS records, you have two options:

If you use Bluehost email only -- The existing record may be sufficient. Verify it at spfrecordcheck.com.
If you use other email services -- Edit the existing record to include your other services. Don't create a second SPF record.

Never create a second SPF record. Having two TXT records starting with v=spf1 causes a permanent error that breaks SPF for every email you send. Always edit the existing record instead.

SPF Record Examples for Bluehost

Here are ready-to-use SPF records for common configurations.

Google Workspace Only

Use the _spf.google.com include for Google Workspace:

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

Microsoft 365 Only

Use the spf.protection.outlook.com include for Microsoft 365:

v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all

Bluehost Email + Google Workspace

v=spf1 +a +mx include:_spf.google.com -all

The +a +mx mechanisms authorize Bluehost's servers while the include handles Google.

Google Workspace + Mailchimp

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:servers.mcsv.net -all

Microsoft 365 + SendGrid

v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:sendgrid.net -all

Setup	SPF Record	Est. Lookups
Google Workspace	v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com -all	~3
Microsoft 365	v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all	~2
Bluehost + Google	v=spf1 +a +mx include:_spf.google.com -all	~5
Google + Mailchimp	v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:servers.mcsv.net -all	~5
M365 + SendGrid	v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:sendgrid.net -all	~3

Monitor your email authentication

After setting up SPF in Bluehost, make sure it keeps working. Get daily checks on SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

Start Monitoring

Common Bluehost SPF Mistakes

Not Checking for Bluehost's Default SPF Record

This is the biggest Bluehost-specific pitfall. If Bluehost already created an SPF record for their email hosting and you add a second one for Google Workspace, you'll have two SPF records -- which causes a permanent error. Always scroll through your TXT records first.

Using the Wrong Name Format

Bluehost's Zone Editor can be inconsistent about what goes in the Name field. Some interfaces expect the full domain, others expect blank. If your SPF record doesn't seem to be working, check that it's actually attached to your root domain and not a subdomain.

Leaving Bluehost Mechanisms After Migrating Email

If you switch from Bluehost email to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, remove the Bluehost-specific mechanisms (+a +mx or any IP addresses) from your SPF record. Keeping them wastes DNS lookups and can cause confusion.

Not Saving Changes

It sounds obvious, but Bluehost's Zone Editor sometimes requires you to scroll down to find the Save button, or it may not give clear confirmation. After adding or editing a record, verify the change is reflected in the records list.

Editing an Existing SPF Record in Bluehost

Find your SPF record

Go to Domains > DNS / Zone Editor. Scroll through the TXT records and find the one with a value starting with v=spf1.

Edit the record

Click the Edit button next to the record. Update the Value field with your new SPF record. Keep v=spf1 at the beginning and your all mechanism at the end.

Save and verify

Click Save. Wait for propagation (up to a couple of hours with Bluehost), then check the record at SPF Record Check.

Save a copy of the old record

Before editing your SPF record, copy the current value somewhere safe. If email delivery breaks after the change, you can revert quickly.

Verifying Your SPF Record

After adding or editing your SPF record in Bluehost, verify that it's published correctly.

SPF Record Check -- Go to spfrecordcheck.com and enter your domain. It validates syntax, counts DNS lookups, and flags errors.
Send a test email -- Send a message from each email service in your SPF record and check the headers on the receiving side for spf=pass.
Command line -- Run dig TXT yourdomain.com +short or nslookup -type=TXT yourdomain.com to see your published TXT records.

Complete Your Email Authentication

SPF is the first piece of email authentication. For full protection, set up all three protocols:

DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to your outgoing emails. Use DKIM Creator to generate your DKIM keys and add the records in Bluehost's Zone Editor.
DMARC ties SPF and DKIM together and tells receiving servers what to do when authentication fails. Use DMARC Creator to build your DMARC policy.

Both DKIM and DMARC records are added as TXT records, using the same process as SPF.

Never miss an SPF issue

Monitor your SPF, DKIM, DMARC and MX records daily. Get alerts when something breaks.