# My Domain Shows "Pending" — DNS Propagation Explained > You published your SPF/DKIM/DMARC records but AcelleMail still shows the domain as Pending. That's almost always normal DNS propagation. Here's what's happening and exactly what to do. - Canonical URL: https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/dns-propagation-explained - Author: Lena Hart, Email Deliverability Editor - Category: DNS & Domain Setup — SPF, DKIM, DMARC, BIMI, domain verification, MX records, Return-Path - Content type: guide · Difficulty: beginner - Tags: Acellemail - Published: 2026-02-18 · Last updated: 2026-08-15 - Reading time: 3 min - Publisher: AcelleMail Knowledge Base, https://acellesend.com/kb --- ## What this is for You added your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records at your DNS host, came back to AcelleMail, and the domain still shows **Pending** instead of **Verified**. Nine times out of ten this is normal **DNS propagation**, not a mistake. This article explains what's happening and exactly what to do — without sending you to a terminal. ## Why it's not instant When you save a DNS record, it doesn't appear everywhere at once. DNS is cached around the internet, and each record has a "time to live" (TTL) that controls how long resolvers hold the old answer before fetching the new one. Until those caches refresh, a checker — including AcelleMail's **Verify** — may still see "no record yet." That's the whole story. You don't need to understand DNSSEC or routing to fix a Pending domain; you need to know how long to wait and how to tell a delay from a real error. ## What to do 1. **Wait, then re-check.** Most records propagate in **5-60 minutes**. Give it an hour, then in AcelleMail open the sending domain and click **Verify** again. A lot of "it's broken!" is just checking too soon. 2. **Still Pending after a few hours?** Re-check after the longer window — propagation can occasionally take **up to 24-48 hours**, especially if your old records had a long TTL. 3. **Still Pending after 24 hours?** Now it's worth suspecting a real mistake at your DNS host (see below) — propagation alone never takes that long. ## Telling a delay from a real mistake If a record genuinely won't verify after a day, it's almost always one of these at your DNS host — not propagation: - **Wrong record type** — e.g. an A record where a TXT or CNAME was needed. - **The host/name field is off** — many DNS panels auto-append your domain, so typing `dkim._domainkey.example.com` becomes `dkim._domainkey.example.com.example.com`. Use exactly what AcelleMail shows. - **Extra quotes or line breaks** — paste the record value exactly; some panels add their own quotes. - **It didn't actually save** — re-open the record in your DNS panel and confirm it's there as you entered it. Fix the record, save, wait an hour, and click **Verify** again. ## Common questions **Does a faster TTL make AcelleMail verify quicker?** A lower TTL helps *future* changes propagate faster, but the first time you add a record there's nothing cached yet, so it's mostly down to your DNS host pushing the record out. Just wait and re-check. **The record looks right but still won't verify — what now?** Confirm you put it on the exact domain AcelleMail is checking (the apex vs a subdomain catches people out), and that you didn't duplicate an existing SPF record — a domain may only have **one** SPF record, so multiple `v=spf1` lines must be merged into one. See [How to Set Up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Records](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/how-to-set-up-spf-dkim-and-dmarc-records). ## Related articles - [How to Set Up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Records](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/how-to-set-up-spf-dkim-and-dmarc-records) — the records AcelleMail asks you to publish - [Complete DNS Setup for Email Sending](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/complete-dns-setup-for-email-sending) — the full DNS picture - [DMARC Enforcement Migration](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/dmarc-enforcement-migration) — once your records verify, tighten DMARC safely --- ## Related articles - [BIMI with VMC — Cost, Process, and Whether It's Worth It](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/bimi-with-vmc-cost-walkthrough): VMC (Verified Mark Certificate) costs $1,500/yr per domain and takes 4-8 weeks to obtain. This guide walks the cost math, the trademark requirements, the alternative paths, and a decision framework for whether VMC is right for your sending program. - [Return-Path vs Envelope-Sender — What Each Does in AcelleMail](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/return-path-and-envelope-sender-explained): The "From" address recipients see isn't the address that handles bounces. That's the envelope-sender (also called the return-path or MAIL FROM). This guide separates the three sender concepts and shows where AcelleMail configures each. - [How to Set Up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Records — The Basics](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/how-to-set-up-spf-dkim-and-dmarc-records): New to email sending? These are the 3 DNS records you absolutely need before sending a single campaign. This guide is the basics — what each does, what to publish, how AcelleMail verifies them. - [Custom Tracking Domain for Click URLs — AcelleMail Setup](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/custom-tracking-domain-for-click-urls): By default every link in your emails routes through acellemail.com's tracking redirect. Replace with click.yourdomain.com — same redirect mechanics, your own brand. This guide walks the setup + the CNAME + the link-report verification. - [BIMI Setup — Show Your Logo in Gmail (and Beyond)](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/bimi-setup-show-your-logo-in-gmail): BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) shows your verified logo next to your messages in Gmail, Yahoo, Apple Mail. Recipients see brand trust at glance — open rates measurably rise. This guide walks the prerequisites + the setup.