The starting value
With p=none nothing changes for delivery, you only receive reports. That is the right start because the reports show which services send on behalf of the domain and whether SPF and DKIM match for them. The rua address should be a mailbox someone reads, or a report service.
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@your-domain.comAfterwards: quarantine and reject
After four to eight weeks of reports and fixed SPF and DKIM records, edit the record at Cloudflare to p=quarantine, with pct=25 if you like, and finally p=reject. The record is only edited, never recreated.
v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:dmarc@your-domain.com; adkim=s; aspf=sHow to add the DMARC record at Cloudflare
The way to the Cloudflare DNS editor:
- In the Cloudflare dashboard open the domain and choose "DNS" → "Records".
- Choose "Add record" and enter type, name and content.
- For MX, TXT and mail-related CNAME records keep the proxy status on "DNS only"; the orange cloud belongs to web records only.
- Type TXT, host name _dmarc (at some hosts _dmarc.your-domain.com), value: the DMARC record starting with v=DMARC1.
- Save; Cloudflare propagates instantly.
Typical mistakes at Cloudflare
- Wrong name: the record sits on the domain instead of _dmarc.
- Domain doubled in the name (_dmarc.your-domain.com.your-domain.com) because the host appends the domain itself.
- rua without mailto: or with a typo, then no reports arrive.
- p=none stays forever and protects nothing.
Verify and keep an eye on it
After saving, the change at Cloudflare usually applies within minutes. The checker below queries the authoritative name servers and shows right away whether the DMARC record is read correctly. DomainWarn keeps checking the record afterwards and alerts you when it changes or disappears, for example after a migration or one click too many in the DNS editor.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I enter _dmarc or _dmarc.your-domain.com at Cloudflare?
- It depends on the editor: if Cloudflare appends the domain automatically, enter just _dmarc. The result must be _dmarc.your-domain.com; the DMARC checker shows whether it is right.
- Can I set DMARC without DKIM?
- Yes, with p=none for monitoring. For quarantine or reject DKIM should be in place because SPF breaks on forwarding.