Troubleshooting setup

If your domain shows no data after 48-72 hours, or DMARCdrift shows a DNS detection problem, work through these checks in order.

DNS record not detected by DMARCdrift

DMARCdrift polls your domain's DNS periodically to verify your DMARC record is present and contains your assigned address. If detection fails, your domain settings will show a warning.

Check the hostname. Your DMARC record must be at _dmarc.yourdomain.com. Look up your record directly:

dig TXT _dmarc.yourdomain.com

If this returns no results, the record either doesn't exist or is at the wrong hostname. Some DNS providers auto-append your domain, so entering _dmarc becomes _dmarc.yourdomain.com — confirm what your provider does.

Check the record content. The value must start with v=DMARC1. A record that's missing this prefix, has a typo in the version tag, or uses incorrect formatting won't parse as a valid DMARC record. Use the DMARC check tool to validate your record.

Check for multiple records. Only one _dmarc TXT record is valid. If you accidentally created a second one instead of editing the first, receivers (and DMARCdrift) may reject both. Look for duplicates in your DNS provider's interface.

rua= address not updating

If you updated your DMARC record to add your DMARCdrift address but reports aren't arriving, the update may not have propagated yet or the address may not have been saved correctly.

Verify the update is live. Use dig TXT _dmarc.yourdomain.com or the DMARC check tool to see the current published record. If your old record still appears, either propagation is still in progress or the change wasn't saved.

Check the rua= format. The address must be in the format mailto:d-abc123@in.dmarcdrift.com with the mailto: prefix. Multiple addresses must be comma-separated with no spaces: mailto:first@example.com,mailto:d-abc123@in.dmarcdrift.com.

Common copy-paste mistakes in DNS hosts

Extra spaces: Some DNS interfaces silently accept values with leading or trailing spaces, which break parsing. If you pasted the record value from another source, check for invisible whitespace.

Smart quotes: If you composed the record value in a text editor or email client, it may have converted straight quotes (") to curly quotes (""). DNS TXT records require straight ASCII quotes. Open a plain text editor to prepare the value if needed.

Semicolons: DMARC tags are separated by semicolons (;). A missing semicolon between tags causes the record to parse incorrectly. Verify each tag is separated: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:....

Wrong domain in rua=: The inbound address for each domain is unique to that domain. If you copied an address from a different domain in your account, reports will be delivered to the wrong place. Check that the address in your DNS record matches the address shown in settings for that specific domain.

How to verify propagation

DNS propagation is complete when your updated record is visible from multiple resolvers around the world.

The DMARC check tool queries your record and shows the current value. If it shows your updated record, propagation is complete from that vantage point.

For a broader check, tools like dnschecker.org show results from multiple global resolvers simultaneously. Enter _dmarc.yourdomain.com with record type TXT to see whether your update has propagated globally.

If the record looks correct but reports still aren't arriving after 72 hours, the most likely cause is low email volume. Receivers don't send reports for domains they haven't seen mail from. Send a test email from your domain to a Gmail or Outlook address and wait another 24 hours.

See also: When reports start arriving: timing expectations and the first-report checklist.