Understanding Shopify Email & Store Notifications Email Authentication
Shopify requires merchant domains to authenticate SPF and DKIM so order receipts, shipping notifications, and marketing emails reach customer inboxes.
When Shopify Email & Store Notifications delivers outbound emails on your behalf, recipient mail transfer agents (MTAs) at Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and corporate mail gateways inspect the sender identity. Without a published SPF record explicitly permitting Shopify Email & Store Notifications's IP ranges, these emails trigger SPF Softfail (~all) or Hardfail (-all), severely degrading domain reputation and inbox placement.
Required DNS Records for Shopify Email
Publish the following DNS records in your domain registrar or DNS management console (Cloudflare, AWS Route 53, GoDaddy, Namecheap):
| Type | Host / Name | Value / Target | TTL | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TXT | @ | v=spf1 include:shops.shopify.com ~all | 3600 | Shopify store SPF. |
Step-by-Step Setup Instructions
In Shopify Admin > Settings > Notifications > Sender email > Authenticate your domain.
Shopify provides 4 CNAME records for DKIM and Return-Path.
Add "include:shops.shopify.com" to your root SPF record.
Click Authenticate in Shopify.
Common Shopify Email SPF Configuration Mistakes
× Customer emails landing in Spam
Cause: Missing Shopify domain authentication.
Fix: Authenticate sender domain in Shopify admin.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the SPF include for Shopify?
Shopify uses "include:shops.shopify.com".