BIMI record
A BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) record points to your logo so inboxes such as Gmail, Apple Mail and Yahoo can show it next to your messages. It only works once DMARC is at quarantine or reject, and Gmail and Apple also require a mark certificate.
| Record type | TXT (BIMI is a standard carried in TXT records) |
|---|---|
| Lives at | default._bimi |
| Used for | |
| How common | Specialist |
| Defined in | BIMI Group specification (IETF draft) |
Format
default._bimi <ttl> IN TXT "v=BIMI1; l=<logo URL>; a=<certificate URL>"
| Field | What it means | Accepted values |
|---|---|---|
| v=BIMI1 | Marks the record. | BIMI1 |
| l= | Your logo. | An https:// URL to a square SVG in the SVG Tiny Portable/Secure profile. |
| a= | Your Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) or Common Mark Certificate (CMC). | An https:// URL to a .pem file. Required by Gmail and Apple Mail. |
Check a BIMI record
Type or paste a record in zone-file form (name, TTL, type, value) or just its value. Each part is explained as you type.
A valid TXT record (BIMI logo).
| Part | What it means |
|---|---|
| Namedefault._bimi | A name under the domain. In a dashboard for example.com, “default._bimi” means default._bimi.example.com. |
| TTL3600 | Resolvers may keep this answer for 1 hour before asking again. Changes can take that long to reach everyone. |
| ClassIN | Internet. Every record you'll write uses IN. |
| TypeTXT | Free text: SPF, DKIM, DMARC, verification. |
| Textv=BIMI1; l=https://example.com/bimi/logo.svg; a=https://example.com/bimi/vmc.pem | 80 bytes. |
| vv=BIMI1 | Must be BIMI1. |
| ll=https://example.com/bimi/logo.svg | HTTPS address of your logo as an SVG Tiny PS file. Empty means you don't want a logo shown. |
| aa=https://example.com/bimi/vmc.pem | HTTPS address of your Verified Mark Certificate (or Common Mark Certificate), which Gmail and Apple Mail need before they show the logo. |
- NoteBIMI logos only show when DMARC is at quarantine or reject (at 100%).
Examples
Logo with certificate
default._bimi 3600 IN TXT "v=BIMI1; l=https://example.com/bimi/logo.svg; a=https://example.com/bimi/vmc.pem"
The full setup for Gmail and Apple Mail.
Declining BIMI
default._bimi 3600 IN TXT "v=BIMI1; l=;"
An empty l= says you don't want a logo shown.
Look up BIMI records
TTL
3600. How TTL works
Common mistakes
- Publishing BIMI while DMARC is p=none. Inboxes ignore it.
- A regular SVG export. The logo must use the SVG Tiny PS profile, with a square viewBox and no scripts.
- Expecting a logo in Gmail without a VMC or CMC.
At your DNS host
- Any DNS host: a TXT record at default._bimi.
Questions
Do I need a certificate for BIMI?
For Gmail and Apple Mail, yes: a Verified Mark Certificate (needs a registered trademark) or a Common Mark Certificate. Some other inboxes show the logo without one.
This page is also available as Markdown.
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