Mailchimp emails going to spam? Check your domain in 60 seconds.
We verify Mailchimp's DKIM CNAMEs (k1._domainkey → dkim.mcsv.net), your DMARC, MX and 24+ blocklists — and catch the record-name mangling that fools half the setups we see.
Free · no signup · unlimited checks · reads public DNS only
Mailchimp domain authentication is two (sometimes three) CNAME records: k1._domainkey — and on newer accounts k2/k3 — pointing at dkim.mcsv.net. Mailchimp manages the actual keys behind those names and rotates them for you; your job is only to make the names answer. You do NOT need to touch your SPF record for Mailchimp — modern Mailchimp authenticates through DKIM alignment, and old guides telling you to paste servers.mcsv.net into SPF are describing a setup Mailchimp retired.
Enter your domain and we'll confirm the CNAMEs resolve to the right place, your DMARC record exists and won't quarantine your own campaigns, and the domain's foundation — SPF validity, MX, blocklists — holds up.
How Mailchimp setups actually fail
The doubled-domain record name
Mailchimp's own docs warn about this: many DNS providers append your domain to whatever you type, so entering k1._domainkey.yourdomain.com creates k1._domainkey.yourdomain.com.yourdomain.com. Authentication then fails while your DNS dashboard looks correct. Our probe queries the exact name receivers use, so this shows up immediately.
A typo in dkim.mcsv.net
The CNAME target must be exactly dkim.mcsv.net. A trailing space, a pasted URL instead of a hostname, or dkim.mcsv.net.yourdomain.com (the appending problem again, on the value side) all break signing. We show you the observed target so a mismatch is obvious.
Authenticated in 2019, DMARC never added
Plenty of Mailchimp accounts authenticated years ago and stopped there. Since February 2024, Gmail and Yahoo require bulk senders to publish DMARC. One TXT record at _dmarc.yourdomain.com with v=DMARC1; p=none brings you back into compliance.
Fix anything above in your Mailchimp dashboard following the official Mailchimp setup guide, then re-run the check — DNS changes usually show within minutes.
Record names and provider behavior on this page were last verified against Mailchimp's official documentation on 12 July 2026.
Questions, answered plainly
Why are my Mailchimp emails going to spam?
Start with authentication: if Mailchimp's k1._domainkey CNAME doesn't resolve to dkim.mcsv.net, your campaigns send without your domain's signature and inherit shared reputation. Then DMARC — required for bulk senders since 2024 — then the foundation: SPF validity, MX records, blocklist status. This checker runs all of it from your domain name.
What DNS records does Mailchimp need?
CNAME records at k1._domainkey (and on many accounts k2._domainkey/k3._domainkey) pointing at dkim.mcsv.net. That's it — Mailchimp manages the keys behind those names. Find your exact records in Mailchimp under Website → Domains → Authenticate.
Do I need to add Mailchimp to my SPF record?
No. Mailchimp sends with its own envelope domain, so SPF passes on their side; your domain authenticates through the DKIM CNAMEs. Guides telling you to add include:servers.mcsv.net to SPF are outdated.
How long does Mailchimp domain authentication take?
Adding the records takes minutes; DNS propagation is usually minutes but can take up to 48 hours. Mailchimp re-validates automatically — and you can re-run this checker any time to see exactly what your DNS answers.
The full guide
Mailchimp emails going to spam? Check these two CNAME records first
Most Mailchimp spam problems come down to k1._domainkey, a DNS dashboard that mangles it, or a DMARC record nobody added. The fixes, in plain English.
Read the guide →More free checkers
A passing check is a snapshot: records that are right today drift, expire and get overwritten, and nobody gets notified. That slow rot is what we call deliverability decay, and it has its own curriculum in Decay University.