Creating a DMARC record in DirectAdmin

With a DMARC record, you tell recipients what to do with mail that appears to come from your domain but isn't approved by SPF or DKIM. Major mail providers nowadays expect a DMARC record. You can read what DMARC is in What is DMARC? Explained in plain language.

First check if there's already a DMARC record

In DirectAdmin, go to Account Management, DNS Management and look for a TXT record named _dmarc. With a hosting package, there's usually already one by default: v=DMARC1;p=reject. That's the strictest setting. If all your mail goes through WebOké, you can leave it as is. Don't create a second one, but edit the existing record using the pencil icon next to it.

Which policy do you choose?

Do you also send mail via another service, such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or a newsletter service, or are you creating a new record yourself? Then go step by step:

1. Start with None (p=none) and enter a report address.
2. Check the reports for a few weeks to see if all your own mail passes the check. If a service isn't showing up correctly yet, add it to your SPF record and enable DKIM for that service.
3. After that, choose Quarantine (p=quarantine), and if that goes well, Reject (p=reject).

Adding a DMARC record

1. Log in to DirectAdmin: in My WebOké, go to My Products and click DirectAdmin next to your hosting package.
2. Under Account Management, click DNS Management.
3. Click Add Record, choose type TXT, enter _dmarc as the name, and select DMARC under TXT Record Type.
4. Under Domain Policy Type, choose the policy:
   • None (p=none): recipients do nothing, they only send reports. This is where you start.
   • Quarantine (p=quarantine): suspicious mail goes to spam. The second step.
   • Reject (p=reject): suspicious mail is rejected. This provides the best protection against misuse of your domain. This is the goal.
5. If you want to receive reports, enter an email address under Aggregate Email (RUA). This isn't required, but it's useful if you're starting with None.
6. Leave Percentage at 100. In the new DMARC standard (RFC 9989, 2026), this field will disappear.
7. Save the record.

Note: if you choose quarantine or reject, make sure your SPF record is correct. If you send mail via another service, that service needs to be included in your SPF record, and preferably also use DKIM. Otherwise, that mail will no longer be delivered. Read Adding or changing an SPF record.

Also see in the DirectAdmin manual: Setting up and supplementing SPF and Enabling and checking DKIM.

Detailed explanation with screenshots: Setting up DMARC in the DirectAdmin manual.