How to Add a TXT Record in Route 53 (Step-by-Step)

Adding a TXT record in AWS Route 53 takes about 3 minutes via the console. CLI users can automate.

Prerequisites

AWS account with Route 53 access
Your domain configured as a Hosted Zone in Route 53
Your domain’s nameservers pointing to Route 53’s (verify with the DNS query tool)

Step 1 — Open Route 53

AWS Console → Route 53 → Hosted zones
Click your zone’s domain name

Step 2 — Create Record

Blue Create record button at the top.

Step 3 — Fill in the Fields

Record name — the subdomain (leave blank for the root domain):
- SPF → blank (root)
- DMARC → _dmarc
- DKIM → {selector}._domainkey
Record type — TXT
Value — the TXT value, wrapped in double quotes:
- "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all"
- Route 53 requires the quotes; other DNS providers may not
TTL — 300 seconds is a good default
Routing policy — Simple routing (default)

Step 4 — Save

Click Create records. Route 53 propagates within 60 seconds.

Step 5 — Verify

Verify with the DNS query tool — enter your domain and the record name.

Long Records — Multi-String Format

For DKIM public keys or long SPF records over 255 characters, Route 53 requires splitting into multiple quoted strings on one record:

"first-half-of-the-record..." "second-half-of-the-record..."

Each string must be ≤ 255 characters. Route 53 concatenates them at query time.

CLI Alternative

aws route53 change-resource-record-sets \
  --hosted-zone-id ZXXXXXXXXX \
  --change-batch file://change.json

change.json:

{
  "Changes": [{
    "Action": "CREATE",
    "ResourceRecordSet": {
      "Name": "yourdomain.com.",
      "Type": "TXT",
      "TTL": 300,
      "ResourceRecords": [{ "Value": "\"v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all\"" }]
    }
  }]
}

Common Miss

Forgetting the surrounding double quotes — Route 53 rejects the record
Long DKIM record not split into multiple strings — the record over 255 chars fails validation
Wrong record name (using the full FQDN when Route 53 only wants the subdomain part)

Verify with the DNS query tool.

Browse every major DNS record type, check the TXT record glossary entry, and read how to add a TXT record in Cloudflare.