What is a DNS TXT record?

What is a DNS TXT Record?

This article explains what DNS TXT records are, their common uses, and how to view them.

Understanding DNS TXT Records

The Domain Name System (DNS) links domain names (like example.com) to their corresponding IP addresses (such as 93.184.216.34). Within DNS, there are various record types, including A, CNAME, MX, PTR, and TXT records.

A TXT record is used to associate any text information with a domain or host name. The content can be intended for human reading or for automated systems to process. Below are common uses for TXT records:

1. Email Authentication
Protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC depend on TXT records to define how mail servers handle and verify emails for your domain.

Note:
For details about DKIM and SPF, refer to the relevant articles in the ruachost.com Knowledge Base.

2. Domain Ownership Verification
TXT records are also used to verify domain ownership since only the domain owner can create or modify DNS entries.

Note:
For an example of verifying domain ownership using a TXT record, see the related guide on ruachost.com.

3. General Information or Notices
Because TXT records can contain any type of text, they may sometimes display general messages or notices related to the domain, such as “This domain name is reserved for testing.”

Viewing TXT Records

You can check TXT records for any domain in two main ways:

Using an online tool:
Visit https://mxtoolbox.com/TXTLookup.aspx and enter your domain name.

Using the command line:
Run the following command:

dig TXT example.com

Example output:

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;example.com.            IN    TXT

;; ANSWER SECTION:
example.com.        3198    IN    TXT    "v=spf1 -all"
example.com.        3198    IN    TXT    "wgyf8z8cgvm2qmxpnbnldrcltvk4xqfn"