What Is BIMI? How to Get Your Brand Logo in Email Inboxes

What is BIMI? It stands for Brand Indicators for Message Identification, and it is the standard that puts your brand logo right next to your emails in your recipients' inboxes. If you have ever noticed a company logo appear beside an email in Gmail or Apple Mail, that is BIMI at work.

For businesses that send emails to customers, prospects, or partners, BIMI adds a visible layer of trust. Instead of a blank avatar or a generic initial, your recipients see your actual logo. It tells them at a glance that the email is genuinely from you.

Setting up a BIMI record requires a few steps and some prerequisites. This guide covers how it works, what you need, and how to get started.

How BIMI Works

BIMI is a DNS record you add to your domain. DNS is the system that translates domain names into information that email servers can read. Your BIMI record tells receiving email servers where to find your brand logo.

When someone receives an email from your domain, their email provider checks your DNS for a BIMI record. If it finds one, and your email passes authentication checks, the provider displays your logo next to the message in the recipient's inbox.

You publish a BIMI record in your domain's DNS settings
The record points to a hosted image of your logo in SVG format
Receiving email providers look up your BIMI record when your email arrives
If your email passes security checks, your logo is displayed to the recipient

What Is BIMI's Real Benefit for Your Business?

The most obvious benefit is brand recognition. Your logo appearing in the inbox makes your emails stand out among dozens of plain messages. Recipients are more likely to open an email when they see a familiar, trusted brand beside it.

BIMI also acts as a signal of email security maturity. Because it requires strong email authentication to work, having a BIMI record tells the world that your domain is properly secured against spoofing and impersonation.

Increased email open rates -- your logo catches the eye in a crowded inbox
Stronger brand recall across every email you send
A visible trust signal that your business takes email security seriously
Protection against impersonators who cannot display your logo

Prerequisites: What You Need Before Setting Up BIMI

BIMI does not work on its own. It sits on top of other email authentication protocols. Think of it as the final layer in a stack. You need the foundation in place before adding the logo on top.

The three protocols you need are SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. SPF verifies which servers are allowed to send email on your behalf. DKIM adds a digital signature to each email so recipients can verify it was not altered. DMARC ties SPF and DKIM together and tells receiving servers what to do with emails that fail those checks.

DMARC Must Be at Enforcement

This is the most common blocker. Your DMARC policy must be set to either "quarantine" or "reject" for BIMI to work. A policy of "none" -- which only monitors without taking action -- is not enough.

If your DMARC policy is still set to "none", you will need to move it to enforcement first. This means making sure all your legitimate email sources pass SPF and DKIM checks before tightening the policy. You can learn more in our guides on [DMARC](/learn/what-is-dmarc), [SPF](/learn/what-is-spf), and [DKIM](/learn/what-is-dkim).

Your Logo in SVG Tiny PS Format

BIMI requires your logo as an SVG file in a specific format called SVG Tiny Portable/Secure (SVG Tiny PS). This is a simplified version of the standard SVG image format. A regular SVG file from your designer will likely need to be converted.

The logo must be square, centred, and work well at small sizes. It needs to be hosted on a publicly accessible URL over HTTPS.

What Is a VMC and Do You Need One?

A VMC -- Verified Mark Certificate -- is a digital certificate that proves you legally own the logo you are displaying. Think of it like an SSL certificate, but for your brand logo instead of your website.

Gmail requires a VMC before it will display your logo. Apple Mail also uses VMCs. Yahoo and other providers may display your logo without one, but having a VMC gives you the widest coverage.

VMCs are issued by certificate authorities like DigiCert and Entrust. To get one, your logo typically needs to be a registered trademark. The certificate authority verifies your ownership before issuing the VMC.

A VMC proves you are the legal owner of the logo
Gmail and Apple Mail require a VMC to show your logo
Your logo usually needs to be a registered trademark to qualify
VMCs are issued by trusted certificate authorities

Which Email Providers Support BIMI?

BIMI support has been growing steadily. The major providers that currently display BIMI logos include Gmail, Apple Mail, and Yahoo Mail. These three cover the vast majority of consumer and business email inboxes worldwide.

Microsoft Outlook does not yet support BIMI, though it has been exploring the standard. As adoption increases, more providers are expected to follow. Setting up your BIMI record now means you are ready as support expands.

BIMI Setup: Step by Step

Here is a simplified overview of the BIMI setup process. Each step builds on the one before it.

Step 1: Get Your Email Authentication Right

Make sure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are all properly configured and passing. Your DMARC policy must be at "quarantine" or "reject". If you are unsure where you stand, enter your domain above to check your current setup.

Step 2: Prepare Your Logo

Convert your logo to SVG Tiny PS format. Make sure it is square, looks good at small sizes, and represents your brand clearly. Host the file on a publicly accessible HTTPS URL.

Step 3: Obtain a VMC (Recommended)

If your logo is a registered trademark, apply for a Verified Mark Certificate through a supported certificate authority. This step is required for Gmail and Apple Mail.

Step 4: Publish Your BIMI Record

Add a DNS TXT record at default._bimi.yourdomain.com. The record contains the URL to your logo and, if you have one, the URL to your VMC. Once published, email providers will start looking for it when processing your emails.

Check your domain now

Enter your domain to see your current email security status.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is BIMI in simple terms?

BIMI is an email standard that displays your brand logo next to your emails in recipients' inboxes. It works with email providers like Gmail, Apple Mail, and Yahoo Mail. To use BIMI, your domain must have proper email authentication in place with SPF, DKIM, and a DMARC policy set to quarantine or reject.

Does BIMI cost money to set up?

The BIMI DNS record itself is free to publish. However, Gmail and Apple Mail require a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC), which involves an annual fee from a certificate authority like DigiCert or Entrust. Your logo also typically needs to be a registered trademark to qualify for a VMC, which adds to the requirements.

Can I use BIMI without DMARC?

No. BIMI requires DMARC to be in place with a policy of quarantine or reject. A DMARC policy of none is not sufficient because it provides no enforcement. You also need SPF and DKIM configured correctly, since DMARC depends on at least one of those protocols passing with alignment for emails to be authenticated.

Which email providers show BIMI logos?

Gmail, Apple Mail, and Yahoo Mail currently support BIMI and will display your brand logo in the inbox. Microsoft Outlook does not yet support BIMI, though it has been exploring the standard. As BIMI gains wider adoption across the industry, more email providers are expected to add support in the future.

How long does it take for BIMI to start working?

After publishing your BIMI record, it can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days for email providers to pick it up and start displaying your logo. DNS changes need time to propagate globally. The speed also depends on how quickly each individual email provider checks for and caches BIMI records for your domain.

BIMI is one of the strongest ways to make your brand visible and trusted in your recipients' email inboxes. By displaying your verified logo next to every email, you build recognition and stand out from the noise.

Getting to BIMI readiness means having your email authentication foundations -- SPF, DKIM, and DMARC -- fully in place and enforced. For many businesses, that is the real challenge. The logo display is the reward at the end.

readyDMARC offers BIMI setup as an add-on to our managed email security service. We handle everything from getting your authentication to enforcement, preparing your logo, and publishing your BIMI record. Enter your domain above to check your readiness, see our full service options, or book a call to discuss getting your brand logo into inboxes.

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