Email authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, MX) live in your domain's DNS, not in the Edlio CMS. Who adds them depends on who manages your DNS. The first section helps you check which path you're on.
📧 DNS-specific questions? Email Edlio's DNS team directly at [email protected] for help with nameservers, DNS records, email authentication (SPF/DKIM/DMARC/MX), domain transfers, or SSL setup. For general support, you can also open a ticket through Eddy in your admin dashboard.
What these records do
When your domain sends email — whether from your school's primary email server, Mailchimp, finalsite, Microsoft 365, or anywhere else — receiving mail servers (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) check your DNS to confirm the sender is authorized to send on your behalf. Four record types do most of that work:
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) — a TXT record listing which servers are allowed to send mail for your domain.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) — a TXT record (or CNAME pointing to the sender) that carries a public key used to verify message signatures.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) — a TXT record that tells receivers what to do with mail that fails SPF or DKIM, and where to send reports.
MX (Mail Exchange) — a record specifying which mail servers receive email for your domain.
Without these, your outbound mail may go to spam, get rejected outright, or be flagged as suspicious — especially when sent through a third-party service.
Which path are you on?
Edlio either manages your DNS, or you do. The answer determines who adds the records.
To check, run a quick WHOIS lookup on your domain at ICANN Lookup (or any WHOIS tool). Look at the Name Servers field in the results.
If you see
ns1.edlio.comandns2.edlio.com→ Edlio manages your DNS. Follow Path A below.If you see anything else (your registrar's nameservers, your IT team's nameservers, Cloudflare, etc.) → You manage your DNS. Follow Path B below.
Path A — Edlio manages your DNS (ns1.edlio.com / ns2.edlio.com)
Because Edlio's nameservers are authoritative for your domain, Edlio Support adds the records on your behalf. You can't add them yourself in any Edlio admin screen — there isn't one. The flow is:
Gather the record values from the service that needs them. This is the most important step.
For your school's primary email server (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Proofpoint, etc.), the vendor's admin console will display the exact SPF/DKIM/DMARC/MX values you need to add. Look for a "Domain setup" or "Verify your domain" section in the vendor's docs.
For senders like Mailchimp, finalsite, or other transactional/marketing services, the sender's setup page will show you the exact records to add. Copy them exactly — including any subdomain prefixes (e.g.
_dmarc,selector1._domainkey).Submit a ticket to Edlio Support via Eddy with the records. See "How to submit the ticket" below.
Edlio Support adds the records, then confirms. After we add them, allow up to a few hours for DNS propagation, then verify in the vendor's tool (Mailchimp's "Authenticate Domain" button, M365's "Check status," etc.).
How to submit the ticket
Edlio Support tickets are submitted through Eddy, Edlio's AI support assistant, directly inside your CMS admin dashboard.
Step 1: Open Eddy in your admin dashboard
Log into your Edlio admin site and click the Eddy chat icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
If you don't see the chat icon, your browser may have JavaScript disabled or an ad-blocker active. See the troubleshooting steps on the Edlio support page under "Support Launcher Not Appearing."
Step 2: Describe what you need
Click Ask a Question and type a request like:
"Please add the following DNS records for our domain. We use [vendor name, e.g. Mailchimp / Microsoft 365] for email."
Eddy may suggest knowledge-base articles first. If you want to skip straight to a ticket, continue the conversation — Eddy will connect you with the support team.
Step 3: Include this information in the ticket
So that Edlio Support can add the records without a round-trip, include:
Your school or district name and website URL.
The records to add, exactly as the vendor provided them. The clearest format is a table or list with: Type (TXT / CNAME / MX), Hostname (e.g.
@,_dmarc,selector1._domainkey), Value (the long string the vendor gave you), and Priority (MX records only).The vendor or purpose, so Support has context if something looks off (e.g. "for Mailchimp domain authentication," "for Microsoft 365 mail flow," "for DMARC reporting").
Step 4: Submit the ticket
Eddy will generate the ticket with your conversation details and hand it to the Edlio Support team. You'll receive email confirmation and can track ticket status from the Tickets panel inside Eddy.
Step 5: Confirmation from Edlio
Once the records are in, Edlio Support will confirm. DNS changes typically propagate within a few hours, though full global propagation can take up to 48 hours. Verify in the vendor's tool before assuming the change is complete.
Path B — You manage your DNS (own nameservers)
Because you control your own nameservers, you add the records yourself in your DNS provider's control panel (your registrar — GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, AWS Route 53, etc., or your IT team's DNS server). Edlio does not need to be looped in.
Get the record values from the service that needs them (same as Path A, step 1).
Sign into your DNS provider's control panel and add each record using the exact values the vendor provided.
Save and wait for propagation (typically a few hours; up to 48 for full global propagation).
Verify in the vendor's tool (Mailchimp's "Authenticate Domain" button, M365's "Check status," etc.).
If you run into a question that's specific to Edlio's part of the DNS setup — for example, the A/CNAME records that point your site to Edlio — see Using your own nameservers for those values.
Common scenarios
These are the most frequent reasons schools ask about email auth records. Whichever provider you're using, the setup process follows the same path-A-or-path-B logic above — the vendor tells you which records to add, you add them (or send them to Support if Edlio manages your DNS), and the vendor verifies the change once DNS propagates.
A few patterns are common across most vendors:
A "Verify domain" or "Authenticate domain" wizard in the vendor's admin showing the exact records to add. This is your source of truth — don't rely on generic record values you find online.
One or more TXT records for SPF, DKIM, or DMARC, plus optionally MX or CNAME records depending on the use case.
A verification step in the vendor's wizard that checks DNS once the records are live and propagated.
Examples of vendors schools commonly authenticate:
Mailchimp — provides CNAME records for DKIM and a TXT record for verification; eliminates the "via mailchimpapp.net" tag on outbound campaigns.
Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace — typically MX + SPF + DKIM + optional DMARC; the vendor's domain wizard shows the exact values for your tenant.
The same pattern applies to any other transactional or mass-mail vendor a school adds (newsletter platforms, ticketing systems, fundraising tools, etc.) — pull the records from the vendor, add them via Path A or Path B above.
How long do changes take?
DNS changes typically propagate within a few hours but can take up to 48 hours for full global propagation. MX changes follow the same pattern — most mail starts routing within hours, but allow up to 48 hours for full reliability. Don't assume a change failed if your verification check doesn't pass in the first 30 minutes.
Need help?
If you're on Path A and aren't sure what records to send, gather what the vendor's setup page provides (a screenshot or copy-paste of the records table works) and include it in the Eddy ticket — Edlio Support can help interpret what the vendor is asking for.
For non-technical questions, see the Get Help page.