How to Set Up Hostinger DNS Records for Email Marketing

You manage DNS records in Hostinger through the hPanel control panel. Hostinger sets a default TTL of 14400 seconds (4 hours) and provides a built-in search filter to locate existing records. Before adding new email marketing records, check for existing SPF or MX entries so you do not publish conflicting configurations.

Hostinger DNS navigation and nameserver check

To access your DNS records in Hostinger:

1. Log in to Hostinger hPanel.
2. Click Domains in the top navigation bar, then click your domain name.
3. In the left sidebar, click DNS / Nameservers. (If your domain is attached to a web hosting plan, you can also navigate to Websites > Dashboard > Advanced > DNS Zone Editor.)

Before adding records, check the Nameservers section on this page. Your domain must use Hostinger nameservers (such as ns1.dns-parking.com and ns2.dns-parking.com). If your domain points to external nameservers like Cloudflare or another registrar, Hostinger displays a notice stating that your DNS is managed elsewhere. In that case, configure your email marketing records in that external provider’s control panel.

Hostinger provides a search bar directly above the Manage DNS records table. Use this search bar to filter by record type (such as TXT or MX) or hostname to inspect existing entries before creating new ones.

Adding a record in Hostinger

1. In hPanel, go to Domains > [Your Domain] > DNS / Nameservers.
2. Scroll to the Manage DNS records section.
3. Select the record type from the Type dropdown (TXT, CNAME, or MX).
4. Enter the Name value:
   • For root domain records (such as SPF), enter @.
   • For subdomains (such as _dmarc or a DKIM selector), enter only the subdomain prefix. Hostinger appends your root domain automatically.
5. Enter the target value or content:
   • For TXT records, enter the string in the TXT value field. Do not wrap the value in quotation marks.
   • For CNAME records, enter the destination hostname in the Target (or Points to) field.
   • For MX records, enter the mail server hostname in the Points to (or Mail Server) field, and enter the integer in Priority.
6. Leave TTL at the default 14400 (4 hours) unless your email platform specifies another value.
7. Click Add Record.

Hostinger documents field requirements and zone management in its DNS record management guide.

Required authentication records

Receiving mail servers use these three records to verify that messages sent from your domain are authentic.

1. SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

• Type: TXT
• Name: @ (Hostinger applies this to your root domain)
• TXT value: The SPF string provided by your email platform, such as:

  v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:sendgrid.net ~all

• TTL: 14400

Merging multiple SPF records

A domain can only have one SPF record at the root level. If you use Hostinger Email or Titan Email, Hostinger may have already added an SPF record (v=spf1 include:_spf.mail.hostinger.com ~all).

Do not add a second TXT record starting with v=spf1. Multiple SPF records cause receiving mail servers to fail evaluation with a PermError, which sends messages to spam or blocks them entirely.

To authorize your email marketing provider:

1. Use the search bar in the Manage DNS records table to search for TXT records.
2. Locate the existing SPF record starting with v=spf1 and click the pencil icon to edit it.
3. Insert your email marketing provider’s include: mechanism before the closing qualifier (~all or -all). For example, an existing Hostinger record might become:

   v=spf1 include:_spf.mail.hostinger.com include:sendgrid.net ~all

4. Click Update to save the changes.

Do not add quotation marks around the string in the TXT value field. Hostinger stores the text literally, and quotes will break SPF validation.

2. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

Email platforms provide DKIM records in one of two formats:

CNAME-based DKIM

Most modern email platforms (including Klaviyo, Postmark, SendGrid, and Amazon SES) use CNAME records:

• Type: CNAME
• Name: The selector prefix without your root domain, such as s1._domainkey or k1._domainkey
• Target: The target hostname provided by your email platform, such as s1.domainkey.example-esp.com.
• TTL: 14400

If your email service provides a full hostname like s1._domainkey.yourdomain.com, enter only s1._domainkey in the Name field. Entering the full domain causes Hostinger to publish s1._domainkey.yourdomain.com.yourdomain.com, which breaks verification.

TXT-based DKIM

Some platforms (such as Google Workspace or custom mail servers) provide a raw public key string:

• Type: TXT
• Name: The selector prefix, such as google._domainkey
• TXT value: The raw public key string starting with v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=...
• TTL: 14400

Paste the public key directly into the TXT value field without quotation marks. Hostinger supports 2048-bit keys, so you do not need to split the string into multiple chunks.

3. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance)

• Type: TXT
• Name: _dmarc (enter only _dmarc; Hostinger appends your root domain)
• TXT value:

  v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com; pct=100;

• TTL: 14400

Start with p=none. This keeps DMARC in monitoring mode so you can collect reports without risking delivery issues. Once SPF and DKIM pass across all sending services, update the policy tag to p=quarantine or p=reject.

Optional deliverability and branding records

These records configure custom subdomains for processing bounces and tracking campaign clicks. If omitted, your email provider routes tracking and bounces through its shared infrastructure.

4. Custom return path (bounce domain) (optional)

• Type: CNAME
• Name: bounces (or the subdomain prefix specified in your platform settings)
• Target: The mail server hostname assigned by your email platform (such as pm.mtasv.net or sendgrid.net)
• TTL: 14400

5. Branded tracking domain (optional)

• Type: CNAME
• Name: links (or track, click, or email as specified by your platform)
• Target: The tracking hostname assigned by your email platform
• TTL: 14400

Setting up custom MX records (if required)

If your email marketing service requires MX records for incoming replies, unsubscribe handling, or dedicated sending subdomains:

1. In the Manage DNS records section, select MX from the Type dropdown.
2. Enter the details:
   • Name: @ (or the subdomain prefix if you send from a subdomain like mail)
   • Mail Server: The mail server address provided by your platform (such as feedback-smtp.us-east-1.amazonses.com)
   • Priority: The integer specified by your provider (such as 10)
   • TTL: 14400
3. Click Add Record.

If you use Hostinger Email or Titan Email for your business mailboxes, do not delete or overwrite your primary MX records pointing to Hostinger servers (mx1.hostinger.com and mx2.hostinger.com). Only add MX records for dedicated sending subdomains, or update root MX records if you are migrating your primary inbox provider.

Verifying your DNS records

Hostinger publishes DNS changes quickly, but resolvers cache records based on their TTL. External lookups can take up to 24 to 48 hours to show changes globally.

You can verify your DNS records in Windows PowerShell using Resolve-DnsName:

Check SPF

Resolve-DnsName -Name yourdomain.com -Type TXT

Examine the Strings column. Verify that only one SPF record exists and that your sending provider’s include: tag is present.

Check DMARC

Resolve-DnsName -Name _dmarc.yourdomain.com -Type TXT

Verify that the Strings column contains v=DMARC1; p=....

Check DKIM

Replace s1 with the selector provided by your email platform:

Resolve-DnsName -Name s1._domainkey.yourdomain.com -Type CNAME

If your platform uses TXT-based DKIM, change the -Type argument to TXT. The output should return your provider’s target hostname or public key.

Check tracking and bounce records (if configured)

Resolve-DnsName -Name bounces.yourdomain.com -Type CNAME

The output should show your provider’s hostname in the NameHost column.

Check MX records (if configured)

Resolve-DnsName -Name yourdomain.com -Type MX

Verify that the NameExchange column lists your mail servers with the correct priority numbers in the Preference column.

Common troubleshooting issues

Issue	Root cause	Solution
Subdomain hostname is duplicated (_dmarc.yourdomain.com.yourdomain.com)	The full domain was entered into the Name field.	Enter only the prefix (such as _dmarc). Hostinger appends your root domain automatically.
SPF status shows PermError	Two separate TXT records begin with v=spf1.	Use the search bar in the Manage DNS records table to find duplicate SPF entries, delete the extra record, and merge all include: mechanisms into one string.
Authentication check fails with syntax error	Quotation marks were pasted into the TXT value field.	Remove surrounding quotes from the TXT value field. Hostinger stores the string literally.
DNS table displays an external nameserver warning	The domain points to external nameservers.	Check the Nameservers section in hPanel. If custom nameservers are active, configure your DNS records in that external provider’s dashboard.
Primary business email stops receiving messages	Root MX records were overwritten with email marketing MX records.	Restore your primary inbox MX records (such as Hostinger Titan or Google Workspace), and place marketing MX records on a dedicated subdomain.
Records do not resolve after saving	Resolvers are caching previous values based on TTL.	Wait for the TTL interval to expire (up to 24 to 48 hours for global propagation) before testing again.