--- title: "A Brief Guide To Setting Up Sender Policy Framework Office 365 | DuoCircle" description: "Join the thousands of organizations that use DuoCircle Find out how affordable it is for your organization today and be pleasantly surprised.Interested in" image: "https://www.duocircle.com/images/og-default.png" canonical: "https://www.duocircle.com/content/sender-policy-framework/sender-policy-framework-office-365/" --- Content # A Brief Guide To Setting Up Sender Policy Framework Office 365 Join the thousands of organizations that use DuoCircle Find out how affordable it is for your organization today and be pleasantly surprised.Interested in [ Talk to an Expert → ](/contact/) [ See what we make ](/products/) ## A Brief Guide To Setting Up Sender Policy Framework Office 365 [Fix Your SPF Errors Now](/email/spf-record-check) _Spoof emails have become a common threat these days_. The malicious actors research an organization to send emails to the victim by using its domain name to make it look genuine. The [Sender Policy Framework](/content/sender-policy-framework) Office 365 helps in email authentication for Microsoft users to protect them from scam and **phishing emails** malicious actors forge in their names. _The Office 365 SPF contains an SPF record that includes a list of all authorized hosts permitted to send an email from an organization’s domain_. ![sender policy framework](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/11/spf-domain.png) ### SPF Record Syntax For Microsoft Office 365 To add a typical **SPF record** in Microsoft 365 SPF, one needs to input information like IP version, IP addresses, domain names, and Enforcement rules. Here is an example of [SPF record syntax](/content/sender-policy-framework/spf-record-syntax) for Sender Policy Framework Office 365. `v=spf1 [|:] [include:]` In this example, ‘v=spf1’ defines the SPF TXT record, and ‘ip4|ip6’ specifies the version of the IP address used. Following these details, the authorized IP addresses and domain names are mentioned. The ‘Enforcement Rule’ instructs what action to be taken by the Sender Policy Framework when an email fails authentication. ### Office 365 SPF Record Single vs. Multiple Outbound Servers Here are [SPF record examples](/content/sender-policy-framework/spf-record-example) for two different scenarios. 1\. When all the emails are sent from a single Office 365 account, the record should be as follows. `v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com –all` 2\. On the other hand, when one has multiple **outbound email servers**, they must all be added to the SPF record, as shown below. `v=spf1 ip4:192.168.0.1 ip4:192.168.0.2 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all` ![spf record example](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/11/spf-validator.png)![spf record](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/11/spf-check.png) ### How To Create SPF Records With Multiple Subdomains? If an organization has multiple subdomains, each subdomain must have a separate [SPF record](/content/sender-policy-framework/spf-record) as it doesn’t inherit the records of the top-level domain. A wildcard SPF record (\*.) is used for each subdomain and domain, as shown below. `Syntax: *.subdomain.domain.com. IN TXT “v=spf1 –all”` `Example: *.abc.example.com IN TXT "v=spf1 –all"` MORE – [How to create SPF record](/content/sender-policy-framework/how-to-create-spf-record) ### Limitation For Adding External Domains Sometimes organizations have to **authorize external domains** like third parties to send emails using their domain information. _It is done by inserting the ‘include’ function in the SPF record_. Every ‘include’ function will necessitate a DNS lookup while [authenticating the emails](https://www.csoonline.com/article/3254234/mastering-email-security-with-dmarc-spf-and-dkim.html). There are lookups already for each added domain and subdomain. _Third-party domains will further increase the number of lookups_. However, the maximum number of such lookups allowed is 10\. If the lookup exceeds 10 in Office 365 SPF, it will return an error such as ‘too many lookups’ or ‘maximum hop count exceeded.’ One must keep this factor in mind while adding external domains to the DNS record. ![spf record flattening](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/11/check-spf-record.png)![spf checker](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/11/how-to-test-spf.png) ### How To Add DNS Record In Microsoft Office 365? Once the SPF record is set, it must be added to the DNS. Here are the steps to [create a DNS record](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/get-help-with-domains/create-dns-records-at-any-dns-hosting-provider?view=o365-worldwide). #### Domain Verification 1. Sign in to Microsoft 365 ‘Admin Center.’ 2. Select Show all-> Setting -> Domains. 3. Sign in to the domain hosting provider’s website and search for the ‘DNS Setting’ option to manage the domain. 4. Go to the hosting provider’s DNS Manager page and add the TXT record mentioned in the domain’s Admin Center. 5. Save the record and go back to the admin center page and select ‘Verify.’ _The records take around 15 minutes to reflect in the register_. And once Microsoft finds the correct TXT record, the domain is verified. #### Adding An SPF Record Or Editing The Existing One If the organization has an existing **SPF record** for the domain, there is no need to create a separate one. The required MS Office 365’s values can be added to the organization’s hosting provider’s website’s current record. The following values must be set. - **Record Type:** TXT - **Host:** @ - **TXT Value:** v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com –all - **TTL: 3600**‎ (or your provider default) Please note that if the SPF records are not validated and incorrect, a 550 [rejecting for Sender Policy Framework](/content/sender-policy-framework/rejecting-for-sender-policy-framework) error will be displayed at the receiver’s end, and the email will be rejected. _SPF records help prevent the malicious actor from sending spoof emails impersonating an organization’s domain_. The **Sender Policy Framework Office 365** has numerous provisions for Microsoft Office users to set up SPF records for various scenarios. They provide complete authentication of emails, thereby _safeguarding an organization’s reputation and ensuring email delivery._ ##### Join the thousands of organizations that use DuoCircle --- Find out how affordable it is for your organization today and be pleasantly surprised. [Auto SPF - Sign Up FREE](/email/spf-record-check)Interested in our Partner Program for MSPs and VARs? Visit Our [MSP Partner Program](/msp-partner-program). ## Ready to talk? Same-day response from someone technical. We tell you yes or no quickly. If yes, we get to work. [Talk to an Expert→](/contact/)[See what we make](/products/) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.duocircle.com/images/duocircle-logo.png"},"description":"DuoCircle is a portfolio of specialized email products covering protection, authentication, delivery, and routing. We deliver about 90% of category-leader capability at roughly half the price, backed by experts who own the outcome. 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