Emails going to spam
This guide explains how to check the authentication records for your domain, read the headers of a message, and improve your sending habits so that fewer legitimate messages land in spam.
Before you begin
- SPF, DKIM and DMARC records set for your domain. See SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
- A message that was marked as spam, and the address that received it.
No service can guarantee inbox delivery
Authentication and good sending habits improve delivery. They do not guarantee that every message reaches the inbox. Each recipient's provider decides for itself.
Steps
- Check the authentication records. Confirm that the SPF record includes Business Email, that the DKIM record matches the panel, and that a DMARC policy exists.
- Read the message headers. In most webmail and mail apps, you can view the full headers of a received message. Look for the
Authentication-Resultsline. It shows whether SPF, DKIM and DMARC passed. - Improve your sending habits. Send from a real person's mailbox, not from many new addresses at once. Keep subjects and content clear and relevant to the recipient.
- Remove bounced addresses from your lists, and do not send bulk messages to people who did not ask for them.
- Ask recipients to mark your mail as not spam. Ask them to check their spam folder once, add your address to their contacts, and mark one message as not spam.
Do not buy or scrape email lists
Buying or collecting email lists harms your sending reputation, and it can break the law in many places.
Expected result
Authentication checks pass in the headers, and legitimate messages from your mailboxes reach recipients' inboxes more often.
If something goes wrong
- Authentication fails in the headers. Read Email authentication errors.
- One recipient always gets your mail in spam. Ask them to follow step 5, and to check their own provider's settings.
- Only some messages are affected. Look at what is different about them, such as links, attachments or bulk sending.
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Last reviewed
2026-10-27