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HubSpot emails going to spam? Here's the fix

If HubSpot marketing emails land in spam, start with your email sending domain. Until it's connected and authenticated, HubSpot can't sign your mail as your business.

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1. Connect your email sending domain

In HubSpot, open Settings, go to Domains & URLs and the Email Sending tab, and connect the domain you send from.
HubSpot generates the DNS records for your account: two DKIM CNAME records whose names start with hs1- and hs2-, an SPF value, and, depending on your setup, a DMARC record.
Add them at your DNS host exactly as shown, then verify in HubSpot.

Don't stop at "partially authenticated". That status means some records are still missing.

2. Avoid the common mistakes

A second SPF record. HubSpot's SPF value is specific to your account. Add it to your existing SPF record; never create a second one. Two SPF records break SPF for all your mail, including your normal mailbox.
A generic SPF include copied from a blog. Use the value HubSpot shows you, not one from another account.
Cloudflare proxying. If your DNS is at Cloudflare, set HubSpot's DKIM CNAME records to DNS only. A proxied record can't be checked by receiving servers.
Too many SPF lookups. Each service in your SPF record costs DNS lookups, and the limit is 10. Marketing tools, a CRM, your mailbox provider and a website plugin can add up. Remove tools you no longer use.

3. Make sure you have DMARC

Add a TXT record named _dmarc with v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourcompany.com if you don't have one. Gmail and Yahoo require a DMARC record from bulk senders. Our DMARC guide covers tightening it later.

4. Then look at who you're emailing

Authentication proves the mail is yours. Whether it reaches the inbox also depends on how people react to it. Imported lists of contacts who never opted in, old contacts who never open, and big sends after months of silence are the usual causes once DNS is right. HubSpot lets you send to engaged contacts only and suppress unengaged ones; use it.

Sales emails from your own inbox

One-to-one sales emails sent through HubSpot from a connected Gmail or Outlook inbox go out through your mailbox provider, not HubSpot's marketing servers. If those land in spam, fix your mailbox provider's authentication: see our Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 guides.

Test it

Send a test to a Gmail address you own and choose ⋮ → Show original. DKIM should pass with your domain, and SPF and DMARC should pass too.

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Questions

Why are my HubSpot emails going to spam?

Most often because the email sending domain isn't fully connected and authenticated, so HubSpot can't sign your emails with your domain. Other causes are a second SPF record, proxied DKIM records at Cloudflare, no DMARC record, and sending to contacts who never opted in or don't engage.

What DNS records does HubSpot need?

HubSpot generates them for your account when you connect your email sending domain: two DKIM CNAME records starting with hs1- and hs2-, an account-specific SPF value to add to your existing SPF record, and a DMARC record if you don't already have one.

What does partially authenticated mean in HubSpot?

Some of the records HubSpot asked for are in place, usually DKIM, but others such as SPF or DMARC are still missing or wrong. Finish adding them and verify again until the domain shows as fully authenticated.

Do HubSpot sales emails need the same setup?

No. One-to-one emails sent from a connected Gmail or Outlook inbox go out through your mailbox provider, so they rely on that provider's SPF, DKIM and DMARC setup instead of HubSpot's sending domain.