How to Update DNS Records in Network Solutions

Network Solutions is one of the oldest domain registrars, and many long-established organizations still manage their DNS through its interface. The DNS management experience in Network Solutions is more traditional and less streamlined than newer providers, so knowing the exact navigation path saves time. This guide walks you through adding and editing SPF, DMARC, MTA-STS, and DKIM DNS records in Network Solutions. Each section includes the exact steps, correct field values, and provider-specific details you need to get your email authentication records configured correctly.

Network Solutions has reorganized its control panel several times over the years. The steps below reflect the current layout, but if your interface looks different, look for the Advanced DNS or DNS Management section under your domain settings.

Accessing Your DNS Zone

1. Sign in to your Network Solutions account at networksolutions.com.
2. Navigate to My Domain Names from the account dashboard.
3. Select the domain you want to manage.
4. Click Manage next to the domain, then look for Advanced DNS or DNS Records in the domain settings menu.
5. You are now in the DNS management section where you can add, edit, and delete records.

Network Solutions displays records in a tabular format grouped by record type. To add a new record, click Add/Edit in the relevant section or look for an Add Record button. To modify an existing record, click the Edit icon next to it.

Note: If your domain uses third-party nameservers, you will not be able to manage DNS records through Network Solutions. You need to manage DNS at the provider hosting your zone. Check your nameserver configuration under Domain Names > Nameservers.

TXT Records

SPF Record

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) tells receiving mail servers which IP addresses and services are authorized to send email for your domain. Your SPF record is published as a TXT record at the root of your domain.

1. In the Advanced DNS section, locate the TXT Records area.
2. Click Add/Edit or Add Record.
3. In the Host field, enter @. Network Solutions uses @ to represent the root of your domain.
4. In the TXT Value field, enter your SPF record: v=spf1 include:_spf.mxio.io ~all
5. Set the TTL to 3600 (1 hour) if a TTL option is available. Some Network Solutions interfaces use a default TTL that cannot be changed — the default is acceptable.
6. Click Save or Continue.

If you already have an SPF record, do not create a second one. Multiple SPF records cause a PermError and break email authentication entirely. Edit the existing TXT record that begins with v=spf1 and add include:_spf.mxio.io before the ~all or -all mechanism.

Network Solutions-specific note: Network Solutions has been known to strip or alter TXT record values in some cases. After saving, always verify the record was stored correctly by checking it with the SPF Checker. If the value appears truncated or modified, try re-entering it with careful attention to spacing and special characters.

DMARC Record

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) tells receiving servers how to handle email that fails SPF and DKIM checks. It also enables aggregate reporting so you can see who is sending email as your domain.

1. In the TXT Records area, click Add Record.
2. In the Host field, enter _dmarc. Network Solutions will append your domain, resulting in _dmarc.yourdomain.com.
3. In the TXT Value field, enter your DMARC policy: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com
4. Set the TTL to 3600 if configurable.
5. Click Save.

Replace dmarc@yourdomain.com with the address where you want to receive DMARC aggregate reports. Start with p=none to collect data before enforcing. See the DMARC Deployment Guide for the full progression from none to quarantine to reject.

Note: mxio will support DMARC policy management in a future release.

CNAME Records

MTA-STS

MTA-STS (Mail Transfer Agent Strict Transport Security) tells sending servers that your domain supports TLS encryption for inbound email and that they should refuse to deliver over an unencrypted connection. The MTA-STS policy is published via HTTPS, and a CNAME record points to the policy host.

1. In the Advanced DNS section, locate the CNAME Records area.
2. Click Add Record.
3. In the Alias or Host field, enter _mta-sts. Network Solutions will append your domain automatically.
4. In the Points To or Value field, enter the CNAME target provided by your MTA-STS hosting service.
5. Set the TTL to 3600 if configurable.
6. Click Save.

You also need a TXT record at _smtp._tls to publish the MTA-STS policy version identifier. Follow the same TXT record process described above, using _smtp._tls as the Host and the policy string as the TXT Value.

Note: mxio will support MTA-STS hosting in a future release.

NS Delegation

DKIM Key Hosting

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) uses cryptographic signatures to verify that an email was sent by an authorized server and that the message body was not altered in transit. DKIM keys are published as DNS records under the _domainkey subdomain.

For centralized DKIM key management, you can delegate the _domainkey subdomain to a dedicated DNS host via NS records.

1. In the Advanced DNS section, locate the NS Records area.
2. Click Add Record.
3. In the Host field, enter _domainkey. Network Solutions will append your domain, resulting in _domainkey.yourdomain.com.
4. In the Points To or Value field, enter the first nameserver provided by your DKIM hosting service.
5. Set the TTL to 3600 if configurable.
6. Click Save.
7. Repeat for each additional nameserver (typically 2-4 NS records are required for redundancy).

Note: Network Solutions may not expose NS record creation through all versions of their interface. If you do not see an NS record option, contact Network Solutions support to request NS delegation for the _domainkey subdomain, or consider migrating your DNS hosting to a provider with full record type support.

Note: mxio will support DKIM key hosting via NS delegation in a future release.

Verifying Your Changes

After adding or editing DNS records in Network Solutions, verify that your changes are live and correct.

1. Use the mxio SPF Checker to validate your SPF record. Enter your domain and confirm that the record resolves correctly, the lookup count is within the 10-lookup limit, and all your sending services are included.
2. Use the mxio DMARC Checker to verify your DMARC record is published and syntactically correct.
3. Use the mxio Domain Health tool for a full overview of your domain's email authentication status, including SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX configuration.
4. If you created NS delegation records for DKIM, use the Delegation Health tool to verify that the NS records are resolving correctly and the delegated zone is responding.

DNS propagation from Network Solutions typically takes 15 minutes to 48 hours. Network Solutions' DNS infrastructure tends to propagate changes more slowly than cloud-native DNS providers. Allow at least 1 hour before troubleshooting, and up to 24 hours for full global propagation.

Troubleshooting

Slow propagation

Network Solutions DNS changes can take longer to propagate than other providers. If your records are not appearing after 1 hour, verify the record was saved correctly by returning to the Advanced DNS page and confirming the value matches what you entered. If the record looks correct in the panel but is not resolving, wait up to 24 hours.

Duplicate SPF records

Your domain must have exactly one SPF TXT record at the root. If you see two TXT records starting with v=spf1, delete one and merge the include mechanisms into a single record. Use the SPF Checker to confirm you have only one record after merging.

Host field format

Network Solutions uses @ to represent the root domain. For subdomains like _dmarc, enter only the subdomain portion — Network Solutions appends the domain automatically. Do not enter the full _dmarc.yourdomain.com.

TXT record value corruption

Network Solutions has historically had issues with TXT record values being altered on save — semicolons, quotes, and special characters can sometimes be stripped or escaped incorrectly. After saving any TXT record, verify the live record using the SPF Checker or DMARC Checker to confirm the value matches exactly what you intended.

Advanced DNS not available

If you do not see the Advanced DNS option, your account may be on a hosting plan that manages DNS differently. Look for DNS Management under your domain settings, or contact Network Solutions support to enable advanced DNS editing for your domain.