What does it mean when SPF is not aligned in a DMARC report and how does it affect deliverability?

Email marketer from Mailhardener explains that when SPF fails alignment, it means the domain that passed SPF authentication (the 5321.MailFrom, also known as the envelope sender or Return-Path) is different from the domain displayed in the 'From' header that recipients see. If SPF fails and alignment fails, deliverability will be affected negatively, especially if you don't have DKIM working.

Email marketer from EasyDMARC shares that if SPF alignment fails, emails are more likely to be flagged as spam, especially if DMARC policy is set to quarantine or reject. This directly impacts deliverability and inbox placement.

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that DMARC only requires SPF or DKIM to pass, not both.

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that non-aligned SPF indicates that, while the server sending the email is authorized to send on behalf of a domain, that domain isn't the same as the one displayed in the email's From address. This can lead to deliverability problems as it raises red flags with spam filters, especially if the DMARC policy is set to strict enforcement.

Email marketer from URIports explains that non-aligned SPF means that even if SPF passes, the 'From:' domain visible to the user doesn't match the domain that authenticated. This can trigger spam filters because it looks like the email is spoofing a legitimate domain and affects the email deliverability.

Email marketer from Postmark explains that SPF is prone to breaking with forwarding. If someone forwards an email, the original SPF record may no longer apply, causing SPF to fail. If the forwarded email also fails DKIM or the domains don't align, it can affect deliverability.

Email marketer from EmailGeeks Forum explains that if SPF fails alignment, even if the email passes SPF authentication, it can still be treated with suspicion by receiving mail servers. This is because the 'From' address is what recipients see, and if it doesn't match the authenticated domain, it can be a sign of spoofing, potentially harming deliverability.

Email marketer from GlockApps explains if SPF fails alignment with the From domain, email providers may see this as a sign of potential phishing or spoofing. This can lead to lower deliverability, with emails landing in the spam folder or being blocked altogether.

Email marketer from StackExchange explains that failing SPF alignment means that your email is not fully authenticated, it weakens your DMARC compliance, and can impact your sender reputation. This affects deliverability as ISPs may treat your emails with more suspicion.

Email marketer from Reddit shares that SPF failing alignment isn't the end of the world if you have DKIM aligned. However, it's best to resolve it because mail providers are getting stricter, and both SPF and DKIM alignment gives you the best chance of hitting the inbox.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that the major problem is when SPF fails to align, it raises questions about whether the displayed 'From' address is legitimate. This is important as the receiving server can't use the valid SPF record to verify the email's authenticity, leading to potential deliverability issues and increased spam filtering.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that the issue isn’t that SPF is failing, but rather that SPF is not aligned, meaning the domain in your 5321.from address is different from the domain in your 5322.from address. She indicates that if the SPF domain is passing, and DKIM alignment is working, then no action is needed.

Expert from Email Geeks says that including sending IPs in the link-assistant's SPF record won't help for DMARC. The only thing that will make DMARC SPF pass is changing seopowesuitenews.com to link-assistant.com.

Expert from Email Geeks states that the biggest issue with deliverability and inbox placement is whether users want the mail.

Expert from Spam Resource explains that if SPF fails alignment, DMARC will fall back to DKIM. If both SPF and DKIM fail to align, then the email will be handled according to the DMARC policy, often resulting in being marked as spam or rejected.

Documentation from Mimecast explains that when DMARC fails due to SPF misalignment or DKIM failure, the receiving email server will handle the message according to the sender's DMARC policy, which could be to reject the message outright, quarantine it (send to spam), or take no action. A DMARC failure can significantly impact email deliverability, especially for senders with a strict DMARC policy.

Documentation from DMARC.org describes that SPF alignment has two modes: strict (s) and relaxed (r). Strict alignment requires an exact match of the domains. Relaxed alignment allows a subdomain match. If neither matches, alignment fails.

Documentation from Google explains that for SPF to pass DMARC, the domain used to authenticate the message via SPF (the 5321.MailFrom domain) must match the domain in the message's From: header. This is known as SPF alignment. If the domains don't match, SPF alignment fails.

Documentation from AuthSMTP explains that for an SPF check to 'align', the domain in the 'HELO' or 'MAIL FROM' SMTP commands needs to match the domain used in the 'From:' email header. If the domains do not match, SPF alignment fails. Depending on the DMARC policy of the recipient's email server, this can result in the email being rejected or placed in the recipient's spam folder.

Documentation from Microsoft details that for SPF to contribute to DMARC authentication, the organizational domain in the 5321.MailFrom address (Return-Path) must match the organizational domain in the From address. Without this alignment, DMARC may fail and impact deliverability to Microsoft services.

Documentation from RFC 7489 describes DMARC alignment as the relationship between the domain name used to authenticate an email message and the domain name presented to the user in the From header. Failure to achieve alignment reduces the effectiveness of DMARC's protections.