How to Add a TXT Record in Namecheap

With its user-friendly interface and straightforward dashboard for domain management, Namecheap makes adding records to your domain name system (DNS) a breeze.

While you may need to add various records to your domain like an A record or a CNAME, this article will focus only on how to add a TXT record in Namecheap. We’ll also flesh out why DNS records matter and discuss Namecheap and its advantages in more detail.

Adding a TXT Record in Namecheap

This tutorial will assume you’ve already used the Namecheap platform and understand its basic functions. In particular, you should have a Namecheap account with at least one domain.

To add a TXT record in Namecheap, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Namecheap dashboard and log in.
   
2. Under “Domain & Hosting,” navigate to “Domains.” Your hosting accounts will be listed here, along with any domains you hold.
   
3. Locate the domain you want to transfer and click “Manage” button.
   
4. Head to the “Advanced DNS” tab at the top of the domain’s page.
   
5. Whether you want to add a TXT record to a domain or hosting account, click on the relevant entry.
   
6. Select “TXT Record” to create a new record.
   
7. Enter the record details, including the port, and hostname.
   
8. Select “Add TXT Record” and review the details on the following page. If you’re satisfied with the entered information, confirm the action.

Note that, for step 5, your hostname will be the name or IP of your server.

Why Are TXT Records Important?

A TXT record is stored in your DNS. The record holds domain information which is particularly useful with regard to the email service. There may be other reasons you may need to add a TXT record, such as proving the ownership of your domain.

If you have a Google Cloud account, you’ll receive a tailored TXT record from Google. Adding this record to your domain will confirm you as the domain owner. As a result, your domain will be more secure and in better standing with Google.

However, ownership verification isn’t reserved for Google alone. Adding a TXT record that confirms you own the domain will work universally. Outside of Google, you’ll need to obtain a verification code to insert the record. You can get this code, as well as the DNS admin access, from Namecheap, which is the registrar for your domain.

Other types of TXT records can improve the security of your email service. You can utilize different records to disable outgoing spam mail, make your email content safer, authenticate your messages, and secure the connection for both outbound and inbound emails.

In more general use, a TXT record holds basic domain information and serves as a depository of your contact details.

Other Crucial Record Types

TXT records aren’t the only record type you can add to your server. In fact, there are numerous other records that serve different purposes. Briefly, these are:

• A records
• AAAA records
• AFSDB records
• ATMA records
• CAA records
• CERT records
• CNAME records
• DHCID records
• DNAME records
• DNSKEY records
• DS records
• HINFO records
• ISDN records
• MB, MG, MINFO, MR records
• MX records
• NAPTR records
• NSAP records
• NSEC records
• NSEC3 records
• NSEC3PARAM records
• PTR records
• RP records
• RRSIG records
• RT records
• SOA records
• SRV records
• TLSA records
• X25 records

A Records

A Records are the basic record type that stores your domain name as an IPv4 address.

AAAA Records

AAAA Records are similar to the A variant. However, instead of using IPv4, AAAA records use IPv6.

AFSDB Records

This type of record establishes contact between your local domain and a number in the Andrew File System (AFS).

ATMA Records

ATMA records connect your domain name to an address within the Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). This address is formatted either in the decimal or hexadecimal system.

CAA Records

A CAA record handles certificates on your domain. In particular, the record controls whether the domain will accept certificates from specific authorities.

CERT Records

CERT records store authenticity certificates, as well as certificate revocation lists (CRL), which can single out unauthorized data senders or receivers.

CNAME Records

If you have a domain that serves as an alias, a CNAME record will point to the actual domain rather than the alias.

DHCID Records

DHCID records are essential for storing information about your Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).

DNAME Records

You can generate aliases for each subdomain belonging to your domain. Unlike a CNAME record, which stores only one alias, DNAME can store multiple entries.

DNSKEY Records

This record type is intended as a data key repository for DNSSEC signature verification.

DS Records

DS records secure DNSSEC delegations by referencing the DNSKEY record.

HINFO Records

A HINFO record stores the host’s hardware and OS details. Since they contain sensitive information, these records are mostly kept outside of public servers.

ISDN Records

This type of record connects your domain name to a phone number in the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN).

MX Records

A mail exchange (MX) record has email directing instructions that allow emails to reach the servers in accordance with the SMTP protocol.

MB, MG, MINFO, MR Records

These records represent an alternative to the MX record.

NAPTR Records

NAPTR records connect domains with the DNS records on corresponding servers.

NSAP Records

An NSAP record connects a domain name to a particular NSAP address, similar to how an A or AAAA record works for IP addresses.

NSEC Records

NSEC records handle how DNSSEC records show up in the sorting order. This function is particularly important for DNSSEC record validation.

NSEC3 Records

This record type functions identically to NSEC but incorporates an encrypted hashing technique.

NSEC3PARAM Records

As indicated by the name, this record type holds the NSEC3 parameters. It has a key role in responding to DNSSEC requests with the proper NSEC3 record.

PTR Records

A PTR record is practically the opposite of an A record. It links an IP address to a domain name.

RP Records

This record type holds the mailbox, phone, and address info of whoever is responsible for the domain.

RRSIG Records

If there are several DNS records that share the type and name, the RRSIG record will handle their DNSSEC signatures for verification purposes.

RT Records

RT records can route intermediates to a recorded domain. Only intermediate hosts with valid A records will be eligible for this type of routing.

SOA Records

The IETF standard demands servers to hold SOA records, as this record type contains crucial zone and domain info.

SRV Records

SRV records are particularly important for VoIP and email services. These records hold information about the relevant ports and hosts.

TLSA Records

When a domain uses a TLS server, it depends on proper key usage for communication. A TLSA record holds these keys to ensure the servers function correctly.

X25 Records

This record type connects a domain name with an address number in a Public Switched Data Network (PSDN).

What Makes Namecheap a Good Choice?

Before you go on to insert a TXT record in Namecheap, it might be worth it to go into a bit of detail about the hosting platform itself.

As you probably know, Namecheap is widely popular due to its attractive pricing. However, that’s not the only advantage of this platform.

Namecheap comes with a free SSL certificate, sufficient server space, unmetered bandwidth, and uptime that’s above the industry standards. The last point is particularly important because it means your traffic can move unlimited data back and forth. However, it’s important to note that this doesn’t mean unlimited server speed.

You can get the most from Namecheap due to its intuitive interface and user-friendly build. The platform’s control panel is tailored for hosting account management.

Set Up Your Namecheap Domain Correctly

A TXT record allows Namecheap domain administrators to add text content into their DNS records for added functionality and compliance. Luckily, with the easy-to-use, user-friendly interface the platform boasts, you should have no issues performing this task.

Did you add a TXT record in Namecheap successfully? Let us know in the comments below.