Setup Guide

How to Set Up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for Shopify

Shopify sends transactional emails on behalf of your store — order confirmations, shipping notifications, abandoned cart reminders, and account invitations. If you're using a custom domain for your Shopify store, configuring email authentication ensures these critical messages reach your customers.

SPF Configuration

Shopify's transactional emails are sent through their infrastructure. If your domain's email is managed by a separate provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, etc.), you need to include Shopify's SPF entry alongside your mail provider.

DNS Record:

Type:  TXT
Host:  @
Value: v=spf1 include:shops.shopify.com ~all

Combined with your email provider:

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

Note: If you also use Shopify Email (Shopify's marketing email feature), it may use different sending infrastructure. Check the Shopify admin for any additional DNS records required.

Verify your total lookup count with the SenderClarity SPF Checker.

DKIM Configuration

Shopify supports custom DKIM through their domain authentication settings.

  1. In your Shopify admin, go to Settings → Notifications → Sender email.
  2. If using a custom domain, look for the Domain authentication section.
  3. Shopify will provide CNAME records for DKIM setup:
Type:  CNAME
Host:  shopify._domainkey
Value: (provided by Shopify — unique to your store)
  1. Add the records to your DNS.
  2. Return to Shopify and verify.

The exact authentication flow may vary depending on your Shopify plan and whether you're using Shopify Email.

DMARC Configuration

Start with monitoring mode:

Type:  TXT
Host:  _dmarc
Value: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:your-address@reports.senderclarity.com; fo=1

Progress to enforcement after reviewing reports:

  1. p=quarantine; pct=25
  2. p=quarantine; pct=100
  3. p=reject

Verification

  • Check your SPF record →
  • Place a test order and check the confirmation email headers
  • Confirm dkim=pass and spf=pass in the Authentication-Results header
  • Monitor DMARC reports in SenderClarity

Common Issues

Order emails going to customer spam folders: The most common cause is missing authentication. Shopify sends email as your domain, but without SPF and DKIM configured, receiving servers may not trust these messages. This directly impacts your store's customer experience.

Shopify Email vs. transactional email: Shopify has two email streams: transactional (order confirmations, etc.) and marketing (Shopify Email campaigns). They may use different infrastructure. Verify both are covered in your DMARC reports.

Third-party Shopify apps: Many Shopify apps (review requests, upsell emails, abandoned cart recovery) send email through their own infrastructure, not Shopify's. Check whether apps like Klaviyo, Omnisend, or Judge.me require their own SPF/DKIM records.

Email forwarding conflicts: Some Shopify merchants use Shopify's built-in email forwarding for their custom domain. This is not the same as a full email hosting service and can cause authentication issues. Consider using a proper email provider for your domain.

SPF Lookup Impact

Include Estimated Lookups
shops.shopify.com 1–2