Turning on and checking DKIM

DKIM adds a digital signature to every email you send. The recipient checks that signature using a key stored in your DNS. If the signature matches, the recipient knows the email really came from your domain and wasn't changed along the way. Gmail, Microsoft and other major providers check this strictly.

Is DKIM turned on?

At WebOké, DKIM is turned on by default. You can recognise it by a TXT record named x._domainkey in DNS Administration, with a value starting with v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p= followed by a long code (see Opening DNS Administration and reading the records).

In DirectAdmin, you turn DKIM on or off under E-mail Accounts:

1. In the menu, click E-mail Accounts under E-mail Manager.
2. Choose the correct domain in the top right.
3. If there's a DISABLE DKIM button (1), DKIM is already turned on. If it says ENABLE DKIM, click it. DirectAdmin will then create the key and the record for you.

Please note: Don't click Disable DKIM unless you're sure what you're doing. Without DKIM, your email is more likely to end up in spam.

DKIM with external DNS

If your domain's DNS isn't hosted with us but with, for example, Cloudflare, you'll need to add the DKIM record there yourself. Copy the name (x._domainkey) and the entire value from DNS Administration in DirectAdmin, and create a TXT record with exactly that name and value at your DNS provider.

DKIM from another service

Do you also send email through another service, such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or a newsletter service? That service has its own DKIM key. The service will give you one or more records to add, usually with a name like selector1._domainkey, google._domainkey or k1._domainkey.

• If it's a TXT record, create a TXT record with type Plain (see TXT records for verification (Google, Microsoft and others)).
• If it's a CNAME record, create a CNAME record with a dot at the end of the value (see CNAME records and the trailing dot).

These records sit alongside WebOké's DKIM record (x._domainkey). Each has its own name, so they don't interfere with each other. Don't remove WebOké's record: your website and forms send mail through our servers.

Checking whether DKIM works

Send an email to a Gmail address and open Show original there. DKIM should show PASS. You can also send a test email to a testing site such as mail-tester.com.