Add a TXT Record to Verify Your Domain (Google, Microsoft, Meta)

What a verification TXT record is

A TXT record is a DNS record that holds text. Services use it as proof: only someone who controls your domain's DNS can publish the exact string they gave you. Our guide to DNS records explained covers how TXT fits with A, CNAME and MX records.

For Meta's full process, see our Meta domain verification guide. Copy the value from the service's own screen every time. The code is unique to your account, so a value from someone else's guide or an old setup won't work.

Find where your DNS is actually hosted

This is the step people get wrong. You must add the record at your DNS host, which may differ from the registrar where you bought the domain. If your domain's nameservers point to Cloudflare, your web host or Microsoft, records added at the registrar are ignored.

• Run a nameserver (NS) lookup for your domain with a free tool such as Google Admin Toolbox Dig.
• Nameservers ending in cloudflare.com mean Cloudflare hosts your DNS.
• Nameservers named after your registrar or web host mean you edit DNS in that company's control panel.
• If you don't know who set it up, check old invoices or the emails from when the website was built.

Google's domain verification help notes that your domain registrar is usually the company where you bought your domain or the one hosting your website, and links to a tool to identify it.

How to add the TXT record, step by step

The menus differ by provider, but the fields are the same everywhere.

1. 1

   Copy the value from the service

   Use the copy button rather than selecting text by hand, so you don't miss characters or add spaces.

2. 2

   Open your DNS host's record editor

   In Cloudflare, go to DNS, Records, then Add record, per Cloudflare's DNS records guide. Other providers call it DNS Management, Zone Editor or Advanced DNS.

3. 3

   Choose type TXT

   Not CNAME, not SPF. Some old control panels list SPF as a separate type; don't use it for verification.

4. 4

   Set the Host or Name field

   For the root domain, enter @ or leave it blank, as your provider expects. Google's Search Console help says the same. Enter a subdomain name only if the service asks you to verify a subdomain.

5. 5

   Paste the value exactly

   Paste the full string. If the provider adds quotation marks, that's fine; Cloudflare adds them automatically for new TXT records. Don't add your own extra quotes.

6. 6

   Leave TTL on the default and save

   Automatic or one hour is fine. A lower TTL doesn't speed up the first appearance of a new record.

7. 7

   Wait, then press Verify

   Give it a few minutes, check the record is visible (next section), then press Verify in the service.

Several TXT records can live together

A busy domain often has five or more TXT records at the root: Google, Microsoft, Meta, an email platform, and SPF. That is normal. Each verification record is separate, and services look only for their own string.

The one exception is SPF. RFC 7208, the SPF standard, says a domain must not have multiple SPF records, so there must be only one TXT record starting with v=spf1. When a new tool asks you to add SPF, merge its include into your existing record instead of adding a second one. Our SPF too many lookups guide shows how.

Check the record is live before pressing Verify

Use a public lookup so you see what the internet sees, not a cached copy on your computer.

• Open Google Admin Toolbox Dig, choose TXT and enter your domain.
• Look for your exact string in the results. If it's there, press Verify.
• If it's missing after 30 minutes, check the Host field and that you edited DNS at the right provider.

Timing varies by service. Google says adding the Workspace record takes about 10 minutes and confirmation can take up to an hour after it is active. Meta's domain verification guide says it usually takes minutes but can take up to 72 hours.

Can I delete old verification TXT records?

Not blindly. Some services check the record repeatedly and drop your verification if it disappears.

Before removing any TXT record, find out which service it belongs to. Deleting the wrong one can unverify a domain in Search Console, break email authentication if it was SPF or DMARC, or stop a certificate renewal that relies on DNS validation. If you're adding a domain to Microsoft 365, our Microsoft 365 add domain guide covers the other records that follow.

Do it yourself or get help?

If you can log in to your DNS host, adding one TXT record takes five minutes. Problems come from editing at the wrong provider, the Host field, or touching the SPF record.

If you'd rather not touch DNS, our Domain & DNS Setup (S$99) puts your domain in your name, sets up DNS records for your website and email, checks SSL and redirects, and turns on auto-renew. IT Sorted is a Singapore-based team of developers with over 10 years of experience; you pay upfront online and send us the records in writing.