How To Turn On DKIM and DMARC

DMARC and DKIM are email security standards that work together to secure your domain's email services.

DMARC is an additional security measure that uses SPF and DKIM to help prevent email spoofing. DMARC stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance.

DKIM makes sure messages aren't altered in transit, and removes the "via porkbun.com" notification in Gmail and other email clients. DKIM stands for DomainKeys Identified Mail.

⚠️️ Note

This service is only for Porkbun hosted email addresses. If you don't have a Porkbun hosted email address, our DKIM and SPF records will not work.

You'll most likely want to enable these features on your domain if you're using Porkbun's email hosting service. Here's how!

Log in. You should arrive at the Domain Management screen. If you're already logged in, click on ACCOUNT in the top-right corner and select Domain Management.

Locate the domain you're enabling DMARC and DKIM for. To the right of the domain is a row of icons. Click on the envelope icon under the "EMAIL" column.

You'll be taken to the Email Hosting and Forwarding page. Scroll down until you see the section labeled "DMARC Notice". Click on the "Configure DMARC" button.

⚠️️ Note

If your "DMARC Notice" section contains a different message that warns you about not being able to configure your domain for DMARC, skip to the end of this guide for more information.

A browser window will appear, asking if you're sure you want to configure DMARC for the domain. Click the "OK" button to proceed.

After a moment, another browser pop-up will appear letting you know that the DMARC/DKIM records are queued for configuration. Click the "OK" button one more time to close out of that pop-up.

The Email Hosting and Forwarding page will refresh automatically, and you'll see a new message in the "DMARC Notice" section that lets you know we're working on configuring your domain.

After five or ten minutes have passed, refresh the page and you'll see that the "DMARC Notice" section has changed to green, and it will show a new message confirming that your domain is configured for DMARC and DKIM.

You will also see buttons that allow you to delete the records or reset them at any time.

That's it! Your domain should now be properly configured with DMARC and DKIM records, enabling better email security and deliverability.

What to do if you see a DMARC Warning

You may find that instead of a "DMARC Notice" section, you'll be presented with a "DMARC Warning" section letting you know we aren't able to configure DMARC for your domain automatically:

This typically means that your domain is using third-party DNS nameservers instead of the default nameservers provided by Porkbun.

If you are intentionally using third-party DNS nameservers to host the DNS/website for your domain, don't worry! You can still use Porkbun's email hosting services and get your DMARC and DKIM records working. You will just need to follow our guide on using Porkbun's email hosting while your DNS is hosted elsewhere.

Feel free to get in touch with our support team if you need any further assistance.