DKIM Records in OVHcloud

This guide is part of our Setup & Configuration resources.

OVHcloud is a popular European hosting and cloud provider used by businesses around the world. If your domain is registered or managed through OVHcloud, you can add DKIM records directly in their Control Panel using the DNS Zone editor. This guide walks you through the entire process, from logging in to verifying that your record is live. For a general overview of DKIM authentication, see our complete DKIM guide.

OVHcloud offers several email hosting products (MX Plan, Exchange, Email Pro) that can configure DKIM automatically. If you use one of these services, check your email settings first - manual DNS changes may not be needed. This guide is primarily for adding DKIM records for third-party email services like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Mailchimp, or SendGrid.

What You Need Before Starting

Before opening the OVHcloud Control Panel, gather the following:

Your OVHcloud account login - access to the Control Panel at ovh.com
A DKIM public key - the DNS record value starting with v=DKIM1;
Your selector name - the label for your key (e.g., default, mail, google, or whatever your email provider specifies). See DKIM selectors explained if you need guidance
Your domain name as it appears in your OVHcloud account

If you do not have a DKIM key pair yet, use DKIM Creator to generate one before continuing. It runs in your browser and takes just a few seconds. You will need the public key record value and the selector you chose.

Generate your DKIM keys

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OVHcloud Email Services vs. Third-Party Providers

How you set up DKIM depends on which email service you use with your OVHcloud domain.

Email Service	DKIM Setup Method
OVHcloud MX Plan	DKIM may be pre-configured. Check your email settings in the Control Panel to confirm it is active.
OVHcloud Exchange	DKIM can be enabled from the Exchange dashboard. OVHcloud handles the DNS records for you.
OVHcloud Email Pro	Similar to Exchange - enable DKIM from the email administration panel.
Google Workspace	Add the DKIM TXT record Google provides through the OVHcloud DNS Zone editor.
Microsoft 365	Add the CNAME records Microsoft provides through the OVHcloud DNS Zone editor.
Mailchimp / SendGrid / Other	Add the TXT or CNAME records your provider gives you through the DNS Zone editor.

If you are using one of OVHcloud's own email products, start by checking whether DKIM is already enabled in your email dashboard. For any third-party email service, follow the manual steps below to add the records yourself.

Adding a DKIM TXT Record in the OVHcloud Control Panel

Follow these steps to add your DKIM record through the OVHcloud DNS Zone editor.

Log in to the OVHcloud Control Panel

Go to the OVHcloud website and sign in to the Control Panel with your account credentials. You will land on your main dashboard showing your services and domains.

Navigate to your domain

In the left sidebar or top navigation, click Domains. Find the domain you want to configure and click on it. This opens the domain management page with tabs for general information, DNS Zone, DNS servers, and more.

Open the DNS Zone tab

Click the DNS Zone tab. This displays all the DNS records currently configured for your domain. You will see existing records like A, MX, and TXT entries listed in a table.

Add a new entry

Click the Add an entry button on the right side of the page. OVHcloud will present a list of record types to choose from.

Select the record type

For most DKIM setups, choose TXT. If your email provider specifically requires a CNAME record instead (common with Microsoft 365), select CNAME. This guide focuses on TXT records, which are the most common format for DKIM.

Fill in the record details

Enter the following values in the form:

Subdomain: selector._domainkey - replace selector with your actual selector name (e.g., mail._domainkey or default._domainkey)
TTL: Leave at the default value, or set it to a custom value if preferred
Type: TXT (already selected)
Target / Value: Paste the full DKIM record value starting with v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=...

Confirm and save

Click Next and then Confirm to add the record to your DNS zone. OVHcloud will save the entry and it will appear in your DNS Zone list.

OVHcloud automatically appends your domain name to the subdomain field. If your domain is example.com and your selector is mail, enter only mail._domainkey in the subdomain field - not mail._domainkey.example.com. Entering the full domain will create a record at mail._domainkey.example.com.example.com, which will not work.

DNS Record Reference

Use this table to double-check the values you entered in the DNS Zone editor.

Field	What to Enter
Subdomain	`selector._domainkey` (replace `selector` with your actual selector)
TTL	Default (or 3600 / 14400)
Type	TXT
Target	Your full DKIM record (starts with `v=DKIM1;`)

Verifying Your DKIM Record

After saving the record, you need to wait for DNS propagation before testing. OVHcloud DNS changes typically propagate within 4 to 24 hours, though many records go live sooner.

Wait for DNS propagation

Give your new record at least a few hours to propagate. OVHcloud usually updates fairly quickly, but full worldwide propagation can take up to 24 hours.

Look up the DNS record

Use a DKIM lookup tool or run the following command in a terminal to verify the record is published:

dig TXT selector._domainkey.yourdomain.com +short

You should see a response containing your v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=... value.

Send a test email

Send an email from your domain to a Gmail address. Open the email in Gmail, click the three dots menu, and select Show original. Look for dkim=pass in the Authentication-Results header. If you see it, your DKIM signing is working correctly.

Propagation timing

If your DKIM lookup returns nothing after 24 hours, go back to the DNS Zone editor and verify the subdomain and target values. A small typo in the selector name or a missing character in the key value are the most common culprits.

Common OVHcloud DKIM Issues

Subdomain includes the domain twice OVHcloud appends your domain automatically. If you entered the full subdomain including your domain name, the resulting record will be incorrect. Edit the entry and remove the extra domain portion.

Record not showing after saving DNS propagation on OVHcloud typically takes 4 to 24 hours. If the record still does not appear after a full day, confirm that your domain is actually using OVHcloud's DNS servers. If your nameservers point to another provider like Cloudflare, you need to add the DKIM record there instead.

Long TXT record errors 2048-bit DKIM keys produce long values. The OVHcloud DNS Zone editor handles long TXT records, but make sure you paste the complete value as a single unbroken string without line breaks or extra spaces. Copy directly from DKIM Creator to avoid truncation issues. For more on handling long keys, see DKIM record too long.

Conflict with OVHcloud email DKIM If you use OVHcloud's own email hosting and it has already configured DKIM for your domain, adding a second record with a different selector is fine. However, adding a record with the same selector will cause a conflict. Check your existing DNS records before adding new ones.

CNAME record for Microsoft 365 Microsoft 365 uses CNAME records for DKIM rather than TXT. When adding entries for Microsoft 365, select CNAME as the record type and enter the values Microsoft provides. Do not try to convert them to TXT records. For more on the differences, see DKIM TXT vs CNAME records.

Pairing DKIM with SPF and DMARC

DKIM is most effective when combined with SPF and DMARC. Once your DKIM record is live, consider adding these complementary records through the same OVHcloud DNS Zone editor:

SPF - A TXT record that specifies which mail servers are authorized to send email for your domain
DMARC - A TXT record at _dmarc.yourdomain.com that tells receiving servers how to handle messages failing DKIM or SPF checks

All three work together to protect your domain from spoofing and improve your email deliverability.

References

RFC 6376 — DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) Signatures
RFC 1035 — Domain Names — Implementation and Specification
OVHcloud — DNS Zone editor documentation

OVHcloud keeps DNS management clean and accessible. Generate your DKIM keys, add them through the Control Panel, and start authenticating your email in minutes.

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