Google Cuts SPF Lookups from Four to One: What This Means for Your Email Deliverability

In a welcome update for anyone wrestling with Sender Policy Framework (SPF) limits, Google has simplified its SPF record so that it now only requires one DNS lookup rather than four. This change is a big deal for deliverability and a win for organisations tired of hitting the SPF lookup ceiling.

For context, SPF records can include references to many different services. Each include or mechanism that causes a DNS TXT lookup counts against the hard limit of ten lookups that RFC standards impose. If this limit is exceeded the result is a permanent SPF error, and many mail receivers will reject the message outright.

The problem is real. Even commonly used providers on their own can almost single handedly push you over the ten lookup limit. For example:

• Google Workspace
• Mailgun
• Freshdesk

If all three are included in your SPF record, you can easily exceed ten lookups before you add other services your domain uses for legitimate email sending.

That is why Google’s move to reduce its SPF footprint matters so much. By collapsing four lookups into a single one, Google has given organisations breathing room. It reduces the complexity of their DNS records and significantly lowers the risk of hitting the lookup limit.

Why This Matters More than SPF Compression

SPF compression tools and services have grown in response to this exact problem. They work by rewriting SPF records to reduce the number of DNS lookups. In theory this helps prevent permanent errors caused by lookup limits. In practice, however, compression adds operational complexity and can mask the real issue, which is overly complex SPF policies.

Google’s decision demonstrates that major providers can optimise their own SPF records without compression. This should encourage other big senders to follow suit and, over time, reduce the industry reliance on SPF compression solutions.

There is a place for SPF compression when you absolutely cannot reduce your lookups, but it should be a last resort. Keeping your SPF record clean, transparent, and under the lookup limit is always preferable.

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