cPanel Email Deliverability: SPF, DKIM & DMARC in Malaysia

Why Your Emails Hit the Spam Folder

If you are sending proposals or invoices from a cPanel webmail account and clients complain they found it in their Junk folder, your DNS authentication is failing. Google and Yahoo enacted strict sender requirements recently—if your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are not perfectly aligned, your emails will be rejected or marked as spam.

1. Configuring SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

SPF tells receiving servers which IP addresses are allowed to send email on behalf of your domain.

In cPanel, go to Email Deliverability and click Manage next to your domain. If you only send via cPanel, your TXT record should look like this:

v=spf1 +a +mx +ip4:103.X.X.X ~all

Crucial Fix: If you also send marketing emails via Mailchimp or invoices via Xero, you MUST include them in the same record. Do not create two SPF records.

v=spf1 +a +mx +ip4:103.X.X.X include:servers.mcsv.net include:spf.xero.com -all (Note the -all for strict enforcement).

2. Setting Up 2048-bit DKIM

DKIM signs your outgoing emails with a cryptographic signature. In the cPanel Email Deliverability interface, ensure DKIM is enabled.

cPanel often defaults to 1024-bit keys. Modern security standards require 2048-bit keys. Via SSH as root, you can force a 2048-bit key generation:

/usr/local/cpanel/bin/dkim_keys_install username --2048

Copy the generated TXT record (selector usually default._domainkey) to your DNS provider (e.g., Cloudflare).

3. Enforcing DMARC

DMARC tells the receiving server what to do if SPF or DKIM fails. Start with a monitoring policy, then enforce it. Add a TXT record for _dmarc.yourdomain.com:

Phase 1 (Monitor): v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com; Phase 2 (Enforce): v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com;

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Is terrible email deliverability costing you contracts? We implemented strict DMARC enforcement for nCrypt and TechFix Malaysia, ensuring 100% inbox placement for critical transactional emails.

Audit your email authentication with JagaWeb's RM5,000 Ownership & Access Review, and let us continuously monitor your DMARC reports via our RM450/month Care Plan.