When you send emails, you expect them to land in the recipient's inbox. But sometimes, you might notice your SPF record is showing as "neutral." This can be a perplexing result, especially when you've invested time in setting up your email authentication protocols correctly.
An SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record showing as neutral means that the domain owner has explicitly stated they are not asserting whether the sending IP address is authorized or not. Unlike a "pass" or "fail," a neutral result provides no clear signal to the receiving server about the legitimacy of the sender.
While a neutral SPF isn't an outright rejection, it can negatively impact your email deliverability. Mailbox providers often look for strong authentication signals to trust incoming mail, and a neutral SPF can contribute to your emails landing in the spam folder or even being silently dropped.
The SPF "neutral" qualifier, represented by ?all, indicates that the domain's SPF record does not claim whether an IP address is authorized or not. Essentially, it's a polite shrug, telling the receiving server, "I have no opinion on this sender."
This contrasts sharply with other SPF qualifiers such as -all (hard fail), which explicitly states that emails from unauthorized IPs should be rejected, or ~all (soft fail), which suggests that emails from unauthorized IPs might be spam and should be treated with suspicion. A neutral result is often seen when an SPF record is either absent or explicitly uses ?all as its final mechanism.
While SPF neutral might seem harmless because it doesn't cause an immediate rejection, it effectively weakens your domain's email authentication posture. This can leave your domain vulnerable to spoofing, as bad actors could potentially send emails purporting to be from your domain without strong authentication checks at the receiving end. For a deeper dive into SPF specifications, the official RFC 7208 on SPF provides comprehensive details.
Common culprits behind a neutral SPF record
Several factors can lead to your SPF record showing a neutral result. One common issue is a simple syntax error, such as missing the crucial "v=spf1" tag at the beginning of the record. This tag identifies the TXT record as an SPF record, and without it, receiving servers might interpret it differently or ignore it entirely, leading to a neutral outcome.
Another frequent culprit is the use of ?all as the final mechanism in your SPF record. While it's a valid qualifier, it's explicitly designed to return a neutral result. Many organizations initially set up SPF with ?all for testing or to avoid accidental rejections, but forget to update it to a stronger policy like ~all or -all for production use.
Another key aspect is ensuring your SPF record is published for the correct domain. SPF checks the domain found in the email's return-path (also known as the Mail From or Envelope From) address, not necessarily the visible "From" address. If your SPF record is on your main domain, but your emails are sent with a subdomain in the return-path, the SPF check for the subdomain might result in neutral if no specific SPF record exists there.
Finally, DNS caching can play a role. Even if you've corrected your SPF record, it can take some time for these changes to propagate across the internet due to DNS Time To Live (TTL) settings. During this period, some mail servers might still be querying old cached records, leading to a temporary neutral result.
Understanding SPF results
SPF Pass: The sending IP is explicitly authorized in the SPF record.
SPF Neutral: The domain owner has explicitly stated no assertion about the sending IP.
SPF Softfail (~all): The sending IP is likely not authorized, but the receiving server should not reject the email outright.
SPF Fail (-all): The sending IP is explicitly not authorized, and the email should be rejected.
SPF PermError: A permanent error occurred, often due to an invalid SPF record or too many DNS lookups.
Fixing your SPF neutral record
To fix an SPF record showing as neutral, the first step is to accurately identify all legitimate IP addresses and domains that send email on behalf of your domain. This includes your own mail servers, email service providers (ESPs), and any third-party services like marketing automation platforms or transactional email services. Ensure all these sources are correctly listed in your SPF record using mechanisms like ip4, a, mx, or include.
Crucially, you need to replace the ?all qualifier with a stronger, definitive one. For most situations, ~all (soft fail) is recommended as a balance between security and deliverability. It flags unlisted senders as suspicious but allows them to be delivered, enabling you to monitor your DMARC reports for any legitimate traffic that might be failing SPF. Once you are confident that all your legitimate sending sources are authorized, you can consider moving to -all (hard fail) for maximum protection against spoofing. You can read more about this in our article on why you should not be concerned about -all.
Remember to include v=spf1 at the very beginning of your SPF record. After making changes, use an SPF record checker from Google to verify the record. Be mindful of DNS propagation times, which can range from minutes to hours depending on your TTL settings. If your SPF record is still showing as neutral, it might just need more time to update globally. You can also review our guide on how to fix a broken SPF record.
The wider impact on email deliverability
A neutral SPF record doesn't just represent a technical oversight; it has tangible consequences for your email deliverability and overall sender reputation. Mailbox providers, such as Gmail and Outlook, rely heavily on authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to determine if an email is legitimate. A neutral SPF result provides no positive signal, making it harder for your emails to pass these checks confidently.
For DMARC, an SPF neutral result typically means that SPF authentication will fail for the purpose of DMARC alignment. DMARC requires either SPF or DKIM to pass and align with the From domain. A neutral SPF, by definition, does not provide a pass result, thus breaking SPF alignment and potentially causing your emails to be quarantined or rejected if your DMARC policy is set to p=quarantine or p=reject. This is why a simple guide to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM is essential.
Ultimately, a neutral SPF result can lead to your emails being flagged as suspicious, increasing the likelihood of them landing in spam folders. It also makes your domain more susceptible to phishing and spoofing attacks, as it provides no strong signal to block unauthorized senders. Ensuring SPF passes is a fundamental step toward achieving excellent email deliverability and protecting your brand reputation, preventing your domain from being placed on an email blacklist (or blocklist).
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always include the `v=spf1` tag at the beginning of your SPF TXT record for proper identification by receiving servers.
Utilize an SPF policy qualifier, like `~all` (softfail) or `-all` (hardfail), at the end of your record to provide a clear directive to receiving mail servers, rather than `?all` (neutral).
Ensure the SPF record is published for the domain used in the email's return-path address, as this is the domain mail servers actually check for SPF authentication.
Verify all legitimate sending IPs and `include` mechanisms for third-party senders like ESPs in your SPF record to prevent legitimate emails from being flagged.
Allow sufficient time for DNS changes to propagate globally (based on your TTL settings) after updating your SPF record before retesting.
Common pitfalls
Forgetting to include `v=spf1` in the SPF TXT record, causing mail servers to ignore or misinterpret the record.
Leaving `?all` as the final SPF mechanism, which explicitly tells receiving servers to take a neutral stance on unauthorized senders, hindering deliverability.
Publishing the SPF record for the visible 'From' domain instead of the actual envelope-from (return-path) domain used for SPF checks.
Having multiple SPF TXT records for a single domain, which is a violation of RFC standards and causes SPF validation errors.
Exceeding the 10 DNS lookup limit in an SPF record, leading to `PermError` and authentication failures.
Expert tips
For optimal DMARC enforcement, aim to move from a `~all` to a `-all` SPF policy once you are confident that all your legitimate sending sources are properly authorized.
Use a robust SPF record checker after every update to immediately catch syntax errors and confirm proper record interpretation.
Implement DMARC from day one to gain visibility into your email authentication results and track emails that are failing SPF, even those with neutral results.
Pay close attention to large IP blocks (e.g., `/18` or larger) in your SPF record, as they can sometimes indicate a less precise configuration or cover unused IPs, potentially increasing risk.
If using a CDN or proxy like Cloudflare, be aware that the `a` mechanism in SPF might refer to Cloudflare's IPs, not your origin, so explicit `ip4` or `include` mechanisms are often necessary.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says to check what SPF qualifier was used to replace `?all`.
2021-07-14 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that SPF query results might be cached, affecting real-time checks.
2021-07-14 - Email Geeks
Ensuring SPF passes for better deliverability
While an SPF neutral result might not immediately block your emails, it signifies a missed opportunity to strengthen your email authentication and protect your domain. It sends an ambiguous signal to receiving mail servers, potentially impacting your inbox placement and leaving your brand susceptible to email spoofing and phishing attacks. Understanding and addressing this neutral status is crucial for maintaining a healthy email ecosystem.
By ensuring your SPF record is correctly formatted with the v=spf1 tag, explicitly authorizing all legitimate sending sources, and ending with a clear policy qualifier like ~all or -all, you can significantly improve your email deliverability. Remember to account for DNS propagation delays when troubleshooting and leverage tools to verify your changes. Regularly testing your deliverability can help you identify any issues quickly, which you can learn how to do with this proven checklist for an email deliverability test.
A robust SPF record, combined with DKIM and DMARC, forms the bedrock of a strong email security posture. It ensures your legitimate emails reach their intended recipients while protecting your domain from unauthorized use and potential blacklisting. Prioritize these authentication standards to boost your email deliverability rates and foster trust with your audience.
Gmail and 
Outlook, rely heavily on authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to determine if an email is legitimate. A neutral SPF result provides no positive signal, making it harder for your emails to pass these checks confidently.
