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DMARC Record Checker & Builder

Check DMARC records for email security. Build policies with reject/quarantine/none, reporting URIs, and alignment modes.

Tested tool guide Tested browser tools Checked August 16, 2026

What DMARC Record Checker & Builder does and how it behaves

Inspect an existing DMARC record or assemble one from policy, reporting, and identifier-alignment choices. The checker interprets the semicolon-separated tags in a DMARC TXT value and identifies whether its required version and policy structure are usable. The builder formats the selected settings as a record suitable for DNS publication. A common surprise is that p=none still performs DMARC evaluation and can request aggregate reports; it asks receivers to take no policy-based enforcement action.

How the result is produced

1

Checking a record

Enter the TXT value beginning with v=DMARC1. The checker evaluates its tag-value structure, including the required policy tag and recognized settings for aggregate reporting and SPF or DKIM alignment. Policy values describe the requested treatment of failing mail: none, quarantine, or reject. A successful syntax check concerns the entered value, not its presence in public DNS.

2

Building a policy

Choose a policy and optionally supply reporting URIs and alignment modes. The builder combines those choices into a semicolon-separated DMARC value for the TXT record at _dmarc followed by the domain name. The adkim and aspf tags select relaxed or strict identifier alignment. Building the value does not publish it or configure the domain's SPF and DKIM records.

Good uses

  • Review a proposed DMARC TXT value before adding it to a domain's DNS settings.
  • Create a reject or quarantine policy with an aggregate-report mailbox and explicit alignment choices.
  • Interpret an inherited record to see which policy, reporting destinations, and alignment modes it declares.

Limits and checks

  • A valid entered value does not prove that DNS publishes it at the correct _dmarc name or that no conflicting record exists.
  • DMARC policy is a request to receiving systems, so a reject setting does not guarantee identical handling by every receiver.
  • Syntax alone cannot confirm that SPF or DKIM passes for real messages, that identifiers align, or that report mailboxes accept reports.

Common questions

Does a valid DMARC record mean my messages will pass DMARC?

No. DMARC passes when at least one supported authentication path passes and aligns with the domain in the visible From field: aligned DKIM or aligned SPF. The checker can assess the record's declared policy and settings, but it cannot establish how a particular message was signed, routed, authenticated, or evaluated by a receiver.

What is the difference between relaxed and strict alignment?

Strict alignment requires the relevant authenticated domain to match the From domain exactly. Relaxed alignment permits domains that share the same organizational domain under DMARC's domain comparison rules. The adkim tag controls DKIM alignment, while aspf controls SPF alignment. Strict mode can expose legitimate mail streams that use related but nonidentical domains.

References and verification

The behavioral notes were checked against the browser implementation. Standards and primary references below define the relevant format, formula, or platform behavior.

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