BIMI Checker: How to Test, Fix, and Verify BIMI for Your Domain

Setting up BIMI sounds straightforward. You publish a record, add your logo, and expect it to appear in the inbox. But in practice, it rarely works on the first try.

The record exists, emails are sent, even authentication looks configured but BIMI still doesn't work. The issue is that BIMI depends on your authentication, DNS configuration, and logo setup working together. If any one of these breaks, the setup fails.

That’s why a BIMI checker becomes essential. It helps you verify whether your domain is actually configured correctly, highlights what’s missing, and shows you exactly where the setup is failing.

In this post, you’ll learn how BIMI works, how to test your setup, interpret results, and fix what’s blocking your logo.

What is a BIMI checker?

A BIMI checker is a tool used to verify whether a domain has a properly configured BIMI record.

It answers a simple question: Can your domain actually display a logo in the inbox?

What does a BIMI checker do?

A BIMI checker looks up and validates three critical layers:

1. BIMI record presence and syntax: Checks whether a BIMI TXT record exists at the correct location and whether it follows the required format (including the logo URL and optional VMC reference).

2. Logo accessibility and format: Verifies that your SVG logo is publicly accessible over HTTPS and meets BIMI’s strict formatting requirements.

3. Authentication foundation (DMARC, SPF, DKIM): Validates that your domain meets the real requirement: DMARC at enforcement, with SPF and DKIM properly aligned and passing.

If any one of the above layers breaks, your logo doesn’t show.

Mailbox providers like Gmail or Yahoo decide whether to display your logo based on their own policies, support levels, and trust signals. 

What is BIMI?

BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) is an email authentication standard that allows organizations to display their official brand logo next to their emails in the inbox. It’s the logo you see in providers like Gmail and Yahoo Mail when a sender is properly authenticated and verified.

Here’s how it works:

1. You publish a BIMI record: A TXT record in your DNS points to your logo file (SVG format) and optionally a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC).
2. Mailbox providers check your domain: When you send an email, providers look up your BIMI record.
3. Authentication is verified first: They check whether your domain passes DMARC at enforcement, along with SPF and DKIM alignment.
4. Then your logo is displayed: If everything passes, and the provider supports BIMI, your logo appears next to your message in the inbox.

Why BIMI matters

BIMI doesn’t improve deliverability directly, but it improves recognition and trust. It adds a visual identity to your emails, right inside the inbox. Visual verification can increase buying intent by as much as 32%. 

That means:

• Your brand stands out instantly 
• Recipients recognize you faster and are 44% more likely to remember your brand
• Trust is established before the email is even opened

5 benefits of using a BIMI checker

Most BIMI issues aren’t obvious. Your DNS record is live. Emails send. Everything looks fine.

But BIMI still fails validation.

A BIMI checker helps you catch that early.

1. Confirms your BIMI record is actually valid: Even when a record is present, issues like incorrect syntax, wrong DNS location, or a broken logo URL can prevent it from working.
2. Identifies authentication gaps: No DMARC enforcement? Misaligned SPF or DKIM? Your logo won’t display. The checker surfaces these issues immediately.
3. Catches logo formatting problems early: SVG requirements are strict. A small mistake can break BIMI completely.
4. Validates readiness before VMC investment: Before you invest in a Verified Mark Certificate, you need to know your setup is ready.
5. Helps you monitor ongoing BIMI health: DNS changes, ESP updates, or configuration drift can break BIMI over time.

Technical requirements for BIMI

Most BIMI setups fail at this stage. The record is added. The logo is ready, but the setup still fails. 

Because BIMI only works when your authentication and assets are configured correctly.

DMARC at enforcement

For BIMI to work, your DMARC policy must be set to:

• p=quarantine or
• p=reject

If your policy is p=none, BIMI will not display.

This is because DMARC enforcement tells mailbox providers your domain is protected against spoofing. Without that signal, your logo cannot be trusted, so it isn’t shown.

Valid SPF and DKIM

DMARC depends on SPF and DKIM and they must be aligned.

That means:

• The domain in your “From” address must match
• The domain used in SPF and/or DKIM signing

Common issue: You send via an ESP, but DKIM is signed with their domain, not yours.

As a result, DMARC fails → BIMI fails → no logo

SVG logo in the correct format

Your logo isn’t just an image. It must meet strict BIMI requirements:

• SVG Tiny P/S format
• Square dimensions
• Hosted on a public HTTPS URL

Common failures:

• Standard SVG (not Tiny P/S)
• Logo not square
• Hosted over HTTP
• File blocked or inaccessible

Miss any one of these, and BIMI won’t pass validation.

No fallback. No warning.

Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) 

Not always mandatory, but often necessary.

• Gmail typically requires a VMC for logo display
• Yahoo Mail may display logos without it

A VMC is a certificate that proves: You legally own the logo you’re trying to display.

The takeaway:

BIMI is a dependency chain. 

• DMARC not enforced → BIMI fails
• SPF/DKIM misaligned → validation fails
• Logo format incorrect → rendering fails

A BIMI checker surfaces exactly where that chain is blocking the logo display and where it needs a fix.

What a BIMI checker actually tells you

You run a BIMI check. You get results. Now what? 

A simple pass/fail isn’t enough unless you understand what’s being evaluated and why it matters. A BIMI checker breaks your setup into key components so you can see exactly where things stand and what might be preventing your logo from appearing in the inbox.

BIMI record check

This is the surface-level validation:

• Is a BIMI TXT record present?
• Is it published at the correct DNS location?
• Does the syntax follow the required format?
• Is the logo URL valid and reachable?

This confirms whether BIMI is configured correctly but not whether it will actually work.

Because a record’s presence alone doesn’t guarantee functionality.

A BIMI record ≠ a working BIMI setup.

Authentication foundation check

BIMI depends on strong email authentication, so the next step is verifying the foundation:

• Is DMARC set to enforcement (p=quarantine or p=reject)?
• Are SPF and DKIM passing?
• Is domain alignment correctly configured?

For example:

• BIMI record → Present ✅
• DMARC → p=none ❌

Even with a valid BIMI record, lack of DMARC enforcement means BIMI won’t display.

SPF and DKIM verification

This layer confirms whether your sending setup is trustworthy:

• SPF verifies that your sending sources are authorized
• DKIM confirms your messages are signed and intact

Since BIMI builds on these protocols, any failure here directly impacts whether your logo can appear.

Turning results into action

The real value of a BIMI check is understanding what to fix next.

In practice, this means:

• Identifying gaps in authentication
• Fixing DNS configuration issues
• Coordinating with your DNS or IT team
• Validating changes after updates

Understanding these signals is key to moving from “configured” to “working” and ultimately getting your brand to show up where it matters.

How to use a BIMI record checker

Running a BIMI check is easy. Interpreting it correctly is what matters.

Here’s the right way to approach it:

1. Run your first BIMI check

Start with your domain.

Enter it into the BIMI checker and run the scan. No setup. No configuration.

Within seconds, you’ll see whether your BIMI record is available in DNS, and whether your domain meets the requirements behind it.

2. Understand your results

You’ll typically see a mix of:

• Pass (green) → Working as expected
• Warning (orange) → Needs attention
• Fail (red) → Blocking BIMI

Not all issues are equal. Some are cosmetic, while others completely block your logo.

3. Check these components

Focus on the core layers:

• BIMI record presence and syntax
• DMARC policy level (none vs quarantine/reject)
• SPF and DKIM alignment
• SVG logo accessibility and format
• VMC presence (if required for your provider)

This gives you a complete picture of where the breakdown is.

4. Take action based on priority

Don’t try to fix everything at once. Work in sequence:

1. Start with authentication (DMARC → SPF → DKIM)
2. Then fix BIMI record errors
3. Then resolve logo or VMC issues

If you skip the foundation, nothing else will work.

5. Re-check after making changes

DNS changes don’t apply instantly.

After making fixes, wait for propagation and run the check again.

Remember, BIMI isn’t a one-time setup. It’s something you validate, fix, and verify, until everything aligns.

6. Run checks across all sending domains

Most teams forget this.

You may have:

• Primary domain
• Subdomains
• ESP-specific sending domains

Each one needs to be checked separately. Because BIMI is domain-specific.

Reading your BIMI checker results

BIMI results aren’t binary, and you won’t just see “working” or “not working.”

You’ll see a mix. Some things pass. Some fail. Some sit in between.

What a full pass means

A complete pass looks like this:

• BIMI record → Present and valid ✅
• DMARC → At enforcement (quarantine or reject) ✅
• SPF and DKIM → Passing and aligned ✅
• Logo → Accessible and correctly formatted ✅

Only when all of these pass together, your setup is eligible for logo display.

What a partial pass looks like

This is the most common scenario.

Example:

• BIMI record → Present ✅
• DMARC → p=none ❌

At first glance, it looks fine. But the setup still fails validation.

Another example:

• DMARC → Enforced ✅
• BIMI record → Present ✅
• Logo → Invalid ❌

Same outcome. No logo.

Why one failure breaks everything

BIMI is not modular. Each component depends on the one below it.

• SPF/DKIM → enable DMARC
• DMARC → enables BIMI
• BIMI → enables logo display

Break one layer, and everything above it fails.

How to interpret warnings

Warnings usually mean:

• Something is technically valid
• But not ideal or future-proof

Examples:

• DMARC at quarantine but not reject
• Logo passes but isn’t fully compliant
• Minor alignment inconsistencies

These won’t always block BIMI, but can affect consistency across providers.

What to fix first

Don’t fix randomly, follow the dependency chain:

1. DMARC enforcement
2. SPF and DKIM alignment
3. BIMI record syntax
4. Logo formatting
5. VMC (if required)

Start at the bottom and work your way up.

Most common BIMI roadblocks (and how to fix them)

BIMI doesn’t fail loudly. It fails silently.

Most BIMI issues aren’t complex. They’re just hidden.

Your emails are sent. The record is in place. But BIMI still doesn’t show up in the inbox.

Here’s where things usually break.

Missing or weak DMARC enforcement

This is the number one common blocker. Your DMARC policy is set to p=none, which means monitoring—not enforcement. As a result, BIMI won’t work.

Fix: Move DMARC to enforcement:

• Start with p=quarantine
• Then move to p=reject once confident

Before enforcing, review DMARC reports and fix any misaligned senders.

No BIMI record found

No record = nothing to display. Even when everything else is configured correctly.

Fix: Create and publish a BIMI TXT record at: default._bimi.yourdomain.com

Basic structure:

• v=BIMI1;
• l=https://yourdomain.com/logo.svg
• a=https://yourdomain.com/vmc.pem (if applicable)

Even small syntax errors can break validation. So test after publishing.

SPF or DKIM alignment issues

Authentication may pass, but still alignment fails. Common scenario:

• You send through an ESP
• DKIM is signed with their domain, not yours

The result? DMARC fails → BIMI fails

Fix:

• Ensure DKIM is signed with your domain
• Confirm SPF includes your sending sources
• Align your “From” domain with authentication domains

My company logo doesn’t appear

This is where multiple issues overlap.

Check:

• Is DMARC at enforcement?
• Is your SVG in the correct format?
• Is the logo hosted over HTTPS and publicly accessible?
• Does your inbox provider require a VMC?

If any of these fail, BIMI won’t display correctly.

My emails aren’t being delivered

This one gets confused with BIMI. However, BIMI does not affect email deliverability.

If emails aren’t reaching inboxes, the issue is in:

• Authentication failures
• Poor sender reputation
• Spam-triggering content
• Blocklist listings

Fix: Focus on deliverability fundamentals first. BIMI comes after.

Mailora helps you track performance with detailed analytics. You can view daily metrics, breakdowns, and historical trends so that you can optimize your email strategy accordingly.

Source: Mailora

Your BIMI implementation checklist

If you want your logo to show in the inbox, use this checklist to make sure nothing is missed:

Make BIMI visibility measurable

BIMI is the visual layer of email trust but adding a record doesn’t guarantee your logo will appear. It only works when your authentication, DNS, and logo setup are correctly aligned.

That’s why BIMI needs to be tested.

That’s where Mailora helps.

Mailora’s BIMI checker gives you clear visibility into your entire setup, so you can see exactly where things stand, before it impacts your visibility. 

Run your first BIMI check with Mailora and see what’s stopping your logo from showing up in the inbox.

FAQs

1. What is a BIMI checker?

A BIMI checker is a diagnostic tool that verifies whether your domain is correctly configured to display a logo in supported inboxes. It checks your BIMI DNS record, logo setup, and underlying authentication (DMARC, SPF, DKIM). It helps identify what’s working and what’s blocking BIMI.

2. How do I check my BIMI record?

You can check your BIMI record by entering your domain into a BIMI checker tool. The tool looks up your DNS for a BIMI TXT record, validates its syntax, checks logo accessibility, and confirms whether your authentication setup supports BIMI.

3. Why is my BIMI logo not showing in Gmail?

The most common reasons are:

• DMARC is not set to enforcement (quarantine or reject)
• Your SVG logo does not meet BIMI format requirements
• The logo is not hosted on a public HTTPS URL
• You don’t have a valid Verified Mark Certificate (VMC)

Even when you have added a BIMI record, any of these issues can prevent your logo from appearing.

4. What DMARC policy is required for BIMI?

BIMI requires DMARC to be at enforcement.

That means:

• p=quarantine or
• p=reject

A policy set to p=none is not sufficient for BIMI to work.

5. Does BIMI improve email deliverability?

No.

BIMI does not directly impact deliverability or inbox placement. It improves brand visibility and trust in the inbox. Deliverability depends on authentication, sender reputation, and sending behavior.

6. How long does BIMI take to work?

BIMI is not always instant.

After publishing your record and meeting all requirements:

• DNS changes may take time to propagate
• Mailbox providers may take time to recognize and display the logo

Even with a correct setup, visibility can take time to appear consistently.