How to Add DMARC Records on Squarespace Domains

If your domain is registered through Squarespace (including domains that were migrated from Google Domains), adding a DMARC record is a straightforward process in the Squarespace DNS panel. The interface is clean and simple, and the whole thing takes just a few minutes once you know what to enter.

This guide walks you through every step, from understanding what you need before you start to verifying your DMARC record is live. If you have not decided on your DMARC policy yet, our how to create a DMARC record guide will help you build the right one.

Before You Start

Make sure you have these things ready before touching your Squarespace DNS settings.

Your DMARC record value. This is the string you will paste into the TXT record. A basic monitoring-only record looks like this:

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

Start with p=none to collect reports before enforcing anything. You can upgrade to quarantine or reject later. See our DMARC policy levels guide for details on each option.

SPF and DKIM should be configured for your email provider. Squarespace itself does not send email on your behalf (unless you use their email forwarding feature). Your actual email provider -- Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho, or whatever you use -- needs SPF and DKIM set up. For background on how these protocols complement each other, read SPF vs DKIM vs DMARC. If your email provider is Google Workspace, see our Google Workspace DMARC guide for the prerequisites.

Access to your Squarespace account. You need to be the site owner or have permissions to manage DNS settings for your domain.

Step-by-Step: Adding DMARC in Squarespace

Squarespace Email Forwarding and DMARC

Squarespace offers a built-in email forwarding feature that lets you receive email at your custom domain address and forward it to another inbox (like Gmail). This is important to understand in the context of DMARC.

Email forwarding only handles inbound mail. When someone sends an email to hello@yourdomain.com and Squarespace forwards it to your Gmail, that is inbound forwarding. DMARC primarily concerns outbound email — messages sent from your domain. So Squarespace email forwarding does not directly conflict with your DMARC setup.

Forwarding can affect DMARC checks for the sender. When Squarespace forwards an email to your Gmail, the forwarding process can break SPF for the original sender because the forwarding server's IP is not in the sender's SPF record. This is a known issue with email forwarding in general, not specific to Squarespace. It does not affect your domain's DMARC record.

If you only use Squarespace email forwarding and do not send outbound email from your domain, you should still publish a DMARC record. A strict record like v=DMARC1; p=reject; protects your domain from being spoofed by others.

SPF and DKIM for Squarespace Sites

Squarespace sites often send email through third-party services rather than directly. Here are the most common scenarios and what each requires for DMARC to work:

Using Google Workspace with a Squarespace Domain

This is the most common setup. You register your domain through Squarespace and use Google Workspace for email. In this case, your SPF record needs include:_spf.google.com, and you need to enable DKIM in the Google Admin Console and publish the DKIM key in your Squarespace DNS. See our Google Workspace guide for detailed steps.

Using a Marketing Platform (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, etc.)

If you send email campaigns through a marketing platform using your domain as the From address, that platform needs to be included in your SPF record and configured for DKIM signing. Each platform has its own DNS records you need to add. If you run your own mail server behind your Squarespace domain, see our DMARC for self-hosted email guide. Build a comprehensive SPF record at spfcreator.com that includes all your sending services.

Not Sending Email at All

If your Squarespace domain is purely for a website and you never send email from it, publish a restrictive DMARC record to prevent spoofing:

v=DMARC1; p=reject; sp=reject;

This tells receiving servers to reject any email claiming to come from your domain. Since you never send email from it, nothing legitimate will be affected.

Verifying Your DMARC Record

After saving the record in Squarespace, wait five to ten minutes and then check it at dmarcrecordchecker.com. Enter your domain and verify:

• The record starts with v=DMARC1
• Your chosen policy is present
• Your rua reporting address is correct
• There is only one DMARC record (no duplicates)

If the record does not appear, double-check that your domain's nameservers point to Squarespace. You can see this in the domain settings. If you recently migrated your domain from Google Domains to Squarespace, nameserver changes should already be in place, but it is worth confirming.

Troubleshooting Squarespace DNS Issues

Record Not Appearing After Saving

Squarespace DNS propagation is generally fast, but a few things can delay it:

• Check for typos in the host field. It must be _dmarc with the underscore. A missing underscore means the record is published at the wrong location.
• Confirm your nameservers. If your domain's nameservers point to a different provider, DNS changes in Squarespace will not take effect.
• Look for duplicate records. If an old DMARC record exists, delete it and keep only the correct one.

Updating Your Record Later

When you are ready to move from p=none to enforcement, find your DMARC TXT record in the Squarespace DNS panel and edit it. Update the policy value, save, and changes will propagate within minutes.

Move gradually: start with p=quarantine; pct=10; and increase over time. Once you are at full quarantine with no issues, move to p=reject for maximum protection.

Monitor Your DMARC Record

You've created your DMARC record — now make sure it keeps working. The Email Deliverability Suite watches your SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX records daily and alerts you when something breaks.