---
description: Review number of DNS lookups on your SPF records
title: DNS lookup limit
image: https://developers.cloudflare.com/og-docs.png
---

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# DNS lookup limit

Last updated Aug 24, 2026|Copy as Markdown|[View as Markdown](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/dmarc-management/dns-lookup-limits/index.md)|[Agent setup](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/agent-setup/)

An [SPF record ↗](https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/dns/dns-records/dns-spf-record/) lists which servers are authorized to send email for your domain. SPF records can reference other domains and services (for example, using `include:` or `mx` mechanisms), and each such reference requires a separate DNS lookup to verify. The [SPF specification (RFC 7208) ↗](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc7208.html) limits the total number of these lookups to 10 per SPF check. If your SPF record exceeds this limit, receiving mail servers may treat the SPF check as a permanent error and reject or flag your emails.

To check if your SPF records are compliant with the SPF specification:

1. Log in to the [Cloudflare dashboard ↗](https://dash.cloudflare.com/), and select your account and domain.
2. Go to **Email** \> **DMARC Management**.
3. In **Email record overview**, select **View records**.
4. Find your SPF record, and select the three dots next to it > **Edit**.
5. DMARC Management will inspect your records and check for the total number of DNS lookups. If the record exceeds the limit, DMARC Management will display a warning. To fix this, remove unnecessary entries in your SPF record. Refer to [Manage DNS records](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/dns/manage-dns-records/how-to/create-dns-records/#delete-dns-records) for more information.

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