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Cloudflare DNS Setup Guide

Step-by-step guide to configure DMARC records in Cloudflare

Cloudflare DNS Setup Guide

This guide walks you through adding your DMARC record to Cloudflare.

Prerequisites

  • Cloudflare account with your domain configured
  • DMARC record from DMARC Nerd (from your dashboard)
  • Administrative access to your Cloudflare account

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Log in to Cloudflare

  1. Go to dash.cloudflare.com
  2. Enter your email and password
  3. Click Sign in

2. Select Your Domain

  1. Click on your domain in the domain list
  2. You’ll see your domain’s dashboard

3. Navigate to DNS Records

  1. In the left sidebar, click DNS (or DNS Records depending on your Cloudflare UI)
  2. You’ll see your existing DNS records

4. Add a New Record

  1. Click the + Add record button
  2. A form will appear with fields for:
    • Type - Leave as default
    • Name - We’ll change this
    • IPv4 address - We’ll ignore this
    • TTL - Leave as default

5. Configure the DMARC Record

Fill in the following fields:

Type:

  • Click the dropdown that says “A”
  • Select TXT from the list

Name:

  • Enter _dmarc (just the text, no domain)

Content:

  • Paste your entire DMARC record from DMARC Nerd
  • It should look something like: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:...

TTL:

  • Leave as “Auto” (Cloudflare default)

Proxy status:

  • Should already be set to “DNS only” - that’s correct
  • Do NOT set it to “Proxied”

6. Save Your Record

  1. Click Save button
  2. Cloudflare will create the record
  3. You should see your new _dmarc TXT record in the list

Verifying Your Record

Option 1: Cloudflare Dashboard

  1. Look in your DNS records list
  2. You should see the _dmarc record you just added
  3. Status should show as “Active”

Option 2: Online DNS Checker

  1. Go to mxtoolbox.com
  2. Select TXT Lookup
  3. Enter _dmarc.yourdomain.com
  4. You should see your DMARC record in the results

Option 3: DMARC Nerd

  1. Log in to DMARC Nerd
  2. Go to your domain settings
  3. Click Verify DNS Record
  4. If configured correctly, it will show as verified

Troubleshooting

Record not showing up?

  • Confirm the Type is set to TXT
  • Confirm the Name is exactly _dmarc (with underscore)
  • Wait 5-10 minutes for Cloudflare to propagate the record
  • Try refreshing the DNS Records page

DMARC Nerd says record is invalid?

  • Copy and paste the exact record from DMARC Nerd
  • Make sure there are no extra spaces or line breaks
  • Double-check the record content matches exactly

DNS propagation taking longer?

  • DNS changes typically take 5-10 minutes in Cloudflare
  • In rare cases, it can take up to 24 hours
  • Try clearing your browser cache or using incognito mode

What Happens Next?

  1. Your DMARC record is now live
  2. Email servers start processing your policy
  3. Reports start coming in immediately
  4. First aggregated report arrives next Monday morning

Questions?

Contact our support team if you need help!

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