topic Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails in Email

Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

AMcG — Thu, 07 May 2026 08:22:09 GMT

Hello, I am not certain this is correct place to ask for help: if not can someone point me in the correct direction.

I use an email address of info@mcgregoropticians.co.uk to send emails from my practice management system "Optix" these are rejected if trying to sent hen to gmail addresses.

The fix that I have been given by Optix is that the SPF record has to be edited to include the IP address of their server.

I am an optician not IT expert so need help to either do this, or request someone in PlusNet?Greenby to make the change.

Please Help!

I have attached the new line that needs to be entered and a screen shot. Hopefully this will be a simple fix for the right person to do.

v=spf1 a mx ip4:77.73.168.0/23 include:_spf-internal.plus.net include:_spf-internal2.plus.net include:spf.greenby.com ~all

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

pvmb — Thu, 07 May 2026 08:28:14 GMT

"Hopefully this will be a simple fix for the right person to do."

Fingers (and toes) crossed! 😆

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

MisterW — Thu, 07 May 2026 09:50:03 GMT

Hopefully this will be a simple fix for the right person to do.

@AMcG I'm afraid not!. On the PLusnet DNS system, Its not possible to change the SPF record from the default.

Unless you can configure the Optix system to send via the Plusnet servers then I suggest you consider moving your domain to a hosting service which provides a more flexible DNS control.

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

PhilipHeyes — Thu, 07 May 2026 10:03:45 GMT

Which SMTP server are you using when sending as info@mcgregoropticians.co.uk
that results in a rejection with either : spf=fail or spf=softfail

It looks to be configured to use a Plusnet SMTP server from a quick squint :

https://www.nslookup.io/domains/mcgregoropticians.co.uk/dns-records/#google

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

pvmb — Thu, 07 May 2026 14:49:06 GMT

@AMcG wrote:

I use an email address of info@mcgregoropticians.co.uk to send emails from my practice management system "Optix" these are rejected if trying to sent hen to gmail addresses.

The fix that I have been given by Optix is that the SPF record has to be edited to include the IP address of their server.

Um... This rather reminds me of a random thought that occurred to me a while ago about a possible cause of general issues for Plusnet email account users trying to send to Gmail recipients - due to the format of Plusnet email accounts usernames.

Interestingly, or otherwise, the results for 'my' email domain, a user with a static IP - i.e. derived from my Plusnet account email address <User>.plus.com:

SPF record
This record is valid for 10m.
Include the SPF record at _spf-internal.plus.net and pass if it matches the sender's IP.
  include:_spf-internal.plus.net
Or else, include the SPF record at _spf-internal2.plus.net and pass if it matches the sender's IP.
  include:_spf-internal2.plus.net
Or else, include the SPF record at spf.greenby.com and pass if it matches the sender's IP.
  include:spf.greenby.com
Or else, mark the email as softfail.
  ~all

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

njay — Thu, 07 May 2026 16:48:43 GMT

The sender ip i believe is the outgoing mail server rather than your clients ip address.

The spf record associated with your subdomain is saying unless the sending mail server ip matches one of those listed via the includes then recipient mail server should softfail. I.e. put it in the recipients spam folder rather than rejecting it completely.

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

offscotland — Thu, 07 May 2026 20:01:53 GMT

Sending to gmail is getting worse....

Diagnostic-Code: smtp; 550-5.7.26 Your email has been blocked because the
    sender is unauthenticated. 550-5.7.26 Gmail requires all senders to
    authenticate with either SPF or DKIM. 550-5.7.26 550-5.7.26
    Authentication results: 550-5.7.26 DKIM = did not pass 550-5.7.26 SPF
    [offscotland.plus.com] with ip: [213.5.180.238] = did not pass 550-5.7.26
    550-5.7.26 For instructions on setting up authentication, go to 550 5.7.26

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emai

Baldrick1 — Thu, 07 May 2026 20:19:28 GMT

@AMcG

Considering that you can host your personal domain as an Email only service, with full control, with a hosting company such as Mythic Beasts for £20 per annum, one must ask why it is being hosted by Plusnet/Greenby.

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

pvmb — Thu, 07 May 2026 20:20:14 GMT

@njay wrote:
The sender ip i believe is the outgoing mail server rather than your clients ip address.

The spf record associated with your subdomain is saying unless the sending mail server ip matches one of those listed via the includes then recipient mail server should softfail. I.e. put it in the recipients spam folder rather than rejecting it completely.

OK, the Optix mail host is not included in a Plusnet range of IP addresses. Not too surprising as it is in the Optix domain!

https://www.whois.com/whois/77.73.168.0

So my question would be how come an (apparently) Optix email account email, going via an Optix mailer, is failing due to a Plusnet domain DNS setting? If being sent with Plusnet account credentials, why is it not going directly to a Plusnet mailer?

If the Optix mailer was hosted on a Plusnet account why would it not already have a Plusnet IP based address?

I'm missing something here...

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

pvmb — Thu, 07 May 2026 20:49:25 GMT

@offscotland wrote:

Sending to gmail is getting worse....

Diagnostic-Code: smtp; 550-5.7.26 Your email has been blocked because the
    sender is unauthenticated. 550-5.7.26 Gmail requires all senders to
    authenticate with either SPF or DKIM. 550-5.7.26 550-5.7.26
    Authentication results: 550-5.7.26 DKIM = did not pass 550-5.7.26 SPF
    [offscotland.plus.com] with ip: [213.5.180.238] = did not pass 550-5.7.26
    550-5.7.26 For instructions on setting up authentication, go to 550 5.7.26

213.5.180.238 Is an Enix domain IP.

https://www.whois.com/whois/213.5.180.238

How are you sending your emails? If using client email software on a PC then the current Greenby recommended settings for sending Plusnet emails are:

Outgoing Server Address relay.plus.net [212.159.8.107]
SMTP Port 465 (Encryption Enabled)

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

njay — Thu, 07 May 2026 20:44:17 GMT

My previous reply was in relation to userid.plus.com subdomains or domains that plusnet host on a users behalf that map onto the userid.plus.com

In the example above i believe their domain is hosted by plusnet so emails sent via webmail or email client configured to log in to plusnet outgoing email server would be going out by plusnet mail server.

However, i believe they are also using their domain email address as sender email address on optix mail server which isnt included in spf record.

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

MisterW — Fri, 08 May 2026 07:53:32 GMT

However, i believe they are also using their domain email address as sender email address on optix mail server which isnt included in spf record.

and that is the nub of the problem!. Gmail requires that either DKIM and/or SPF is valid on all received emails. Whilst these are not mandatory standards, they are good practice to enable reliable delivery of email.

@AMcG in your case, using your own domain hosted at Plusnet, DKIM signing is not possible. There is a valid SPF record but it only authorises the Plusnet (and Greenby) servers as valid senders. If the Optix system allows you to use your own domain to send emails then it really ought to allow you to specify the sending (SMTP) server. In this day & age it is NOT a good idea to send email via anything other than the hosting (Plusnet in this case) providers server. Yes , you might be able to modify an SPF record (although not in this case) to allow sending from the Optix server, you will never be able to implement DKIM.

If the Optix system will not allow you to configure the SMTP server, then (since I appreciate you are not an IT expert) I suggest you get some assistance and migrate your domain and email hosting as suggested by @Baldrick1 above.

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

offscotland — Tue, 12 May 2026 09:14:28 GMT

Using Webmail, just as I have been for upteen years...

This morning I tried an email to a hotmail.co.uk account, again using webmail, and got this...

Diagnostic-Code: smtp; 550 5.7.1 Unfortunately, messages from [213.5.180.90]
    weren't sent. Please contact your Internet service provider since part of
    their network is on our block list (S3140). You can also refer your
    provider to http://mail.live.com/mail/troubleshooting.aspx#errors.
    [Name=Protocol Filter Agent][AGT=PFA][MxId=11BD5B6122B964D9]
    [AMS0EPF0000019C.eurprd05.prod.outlook.com 2026-05-12T09:09:06.928Z
    08DEADB0949D25CA]

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

stuck — Tue, 12 May 2026 11:06:59 GMT

@offscotland wrote:

Using Webmail, just as I have been for upteen years...

This morning I tried an email to a hotmail.co.uk account, again using webmail, and got this...

That error, and the lack of a lasting fix, is the subject of this very long topic:

https://community.plus.net/t5/Email/Hotmail-rejecting-mail-from-PN-Diagnostic-Code-smtp-550-5-7-1/td-p/2035800

In summary, I started that topic on 28 Jan 2026. A week ago, @plusnettony said there had been a vast improvement of late in sending to Hotmail, in this post:

https://community.plus.net/t5/Email/Hotmail-rejecting-mail-from-PN-Diagnostic-Code-smtp-550-5-7-1/m-p/2045088#M60569

Your experience today does not support that claim.

My solution to the problem was to move my email to a dedicated email provider. Yes, that has cost me money but at least I can send emails without error once again.

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

abitpedantic — Tue, 12 May 2026 14:33:43 GMT

@offscotland

Just to be clear, are you using Plusnet webmail or Greenby webmail?

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

offscotland — Tue, 12 May 2026 16:33:23 GMT

webmail.plus.net

so is there a difference?

I have logged into webmail.greenby.com and see some but not all of the same inbox I see on webmail.plus.net.

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

offscotland — Tue, 12 May 2026 16:35:50 GMT

for example the notification from the community.plus.net is showing on plus webmail but not greenby webmail....

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

pvmb — Tue, 12 May 2026 16:55:29 GMT

@offscotland wrote:

I have logged into webmail.greenby.com and see some but not all of the same inbox I see on webmail.plus.net.

Ah. That at least is not a problem. For some reason, after transfer to Greenby, mailboxes beyond the default set are left 'Unsubscribed'. All you need do is Subscribe to them - log into Greenby webmail, click on the three dots next to your email address shown at the top left of the webmail interface and select Manage folders. You should see all your old Plusnet email folders. Simply slide the blue button to the right for any folder you want to subscribe to. They should afterwards be visible as normal in Mail.

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

pvmb — Tue, 12 May 2026 17:00:25 GMT

@offscotland wrote:

for example the notification from the community.plus.net is showing on plus webmail but not greenby webmail....

For a particular message missing, have you looked in the Greenby Spam mailbox? The Greenby Spam filter is set 'ON' by default (and 'More Aggressive'), whatever the setting was on Plusnet email.

Re: Edit of SPF needed to avoid bouncing emails

njay — Tue, 12 May 2026 17:17:18 GMT

What interesting is that both webmails use imap so surely they should both be showing the same content in each folder. I gather not all folders are initially subscribed to when on greenby but if the main inbox is differing and missing messages are in greenby spam folder then that suggests different rule sets are in play?