Defaults.Exposed › Glossary › DNS TXT record

DNS TXT record

Also known as: TXT record, text record

A flexible note attached to your domain that the internet can read — most often used to prove email is really from you and to verify you own the domain.

What it is

A TXT record is simply a piece of text you attach to your domain that other systems can look up. It’s a general-purpose notice board. In practice it’s used for a few important jobs: proving to services (like email or analytics providers) that you actually own the domain, and holding the settings that protect your email from being forged — the rules that tell receiving mail systems which servers are allowed to send email in your name.

Why it matters to your business

The most valuable TXT records are the ones that protect your email reputation. Without them, scammers can send emails that appear to come from your address — invoices, payment requests, password resets — and they’ll often slip past spam filters. That puts your customers at risk and can get your genuine email marked as junk. The right TXT records let mail providers confirm your email is real and reject the fakes.

How to tell / what to do

The free check looks at the key TXT records tied to your email protection and tells you, in plain terms, whether they’re present and sensible. If any are missing, it points you to the steps to add them at your domain provider. They’re text entries, cost nothing, and are invisible to visitors.