What is BIMI and How to Set It Up

This guide walks through what you need before you start, the DNS record itself, and what to expect after publishing.

If anything in this article is unclear, reach out to support and we'll help you get set up.

What you'll need before you start

BIMI has prerequisites that sit outside of DNS. Get these in place first or the logo won't render even with a valid record.

A DMARC policy at enforcement

Your domain's DMARC record must be set to either p=quarantine or p=reject, with pct=100. Most mailbox providers also expect your domain to have been at enforcement for at least 30 days before they'll pull and display the logo.

If your DMARC is still at p=none, BIMI will not work. Move to p=quarantine first, watch your aggregate reports for a couple of weeks, then tighten if needed.

A logo in SVG Tiny-PS format

BIMI does not accept regular SVG files. It requires the SVG Tiny Portable/Secure profile (often written as SVG Tiny-PS or SVG P/S), a stripped-down variant of SVG Tiny 1.2.

The key constraints:

• The root <svg> element must include the attribute baseProfile="tiny-ps".
• No scripts, no external references, no animation, no embedded raster images.
• File size capped at 32 KB.
• Square aspect ratio (1:1), centered, with a solid background.

Several free converters exist (BIMI Group maintains a list at bimigroup.org), or your designer can export directly from Illustrator with the Tiny 1.2 profile and then hand-edit the baseProfile attribute.

A certificate (for Gmail and Apple Mail)

Gmail and Apple Mail require the logo to be backed by either a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) or a Common Mark Certificate (CMC), issued by an authorized Mark Verifying Authority (currently DigiCert or Entrust).

• VMC: requires a registered trademark on your logo.
• CMC: lighter-weight option for logos that aren't trademarked. Fewer mailbox providers honor it than VMC.

Other providers (Yahoo, Fastmail) will display the logo without a certificate, but Gmail/Apple coverage is the reason most senders pursue one.

A place to host the SVG

The logo file needs to be served over HTTPS at a stable URL. Your own domain is ideal — e.g., https://yourbrand.com/bimi/logo.svg.

Steps to publish the BIMI record

1. Log in to your DNS provider

Sign in wherever your domain's DNS is managed (Cloudflare, Route 53, GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.) and find the section for adding a new DNS record.

2. Create a new TXT record

BIMI is a TXT record, not a custom record type. In the record-type dropdown, choose TXT.

3. Set the Host / Name field

Use default._bimi as the host. Your DNS provider will automatically append the rest of your domain, so the full record will resolve to:

default._bimi.yourdomain.com 

The default selector is what mailbox providers look up first. You can publish additional selectors later if you need different logos for different sending streams, but most senders only need one.

4. Set the Value field

The value is a string with two required tags, separated by a semicolon:

v=BIMI1; l=https://yourbrand.com/bimi/logo.svg 

• v=BIMI1 — the version tag. Always exactly this.
• l= — the location of your hosted SVG, including the full https:// URL. Lowercase L.

If you have a VMC or CMC, add the a= tag pointing to the certificate:

v=BIMI1; l=https://yourbrand.com/bimi/logo.svg; a=https://yourbrand.com/bimi/vmc.pem 

5. Save the record

Save / publish the record in your DNS provider's interface.

6. Verify the record

Use a BIMI checker to confirm the record is published and the SVG passes validation. Two reliable options:

• MX Toolbox BIMI lookup: https://mxtoolbox.com/bimi.aspx
• BIMI Group's inspector: linked from bimigroup.org

These tools will flag any syntax issues, SVG profile problems, or missing certificate references.

How long until the logo shows up?

Expect a range, not a fixed timeline:

• DNS propagation typically takes 24 to 48 hours.
• Mailbox providers cache BIMI lookups, so logo display often lags DNS by several days to a few weeks.
• If you've just moved DMARC to enforcement, the 30-day enforcement window starts from that change — not from when you publish the BIMI record.

Send a test message to a Gmail or Yahoo address after a week. If the logo still isn't appearing after 30 days at DMARC enforcement, run the record through a BIMI checker again to look for issues.

Common reasons the logo doesn't appear

• DMARC is still at p=none, or pct is below 100.
• The SVG was exported as standard SVG, not Tiny-PS (missing baseProfile="tiny-ps").
• The SVG URL isn't HTTPS, or returns a redirect.
• The mailbox provider requires a VMC and the record doesn't include an a= tag.
• The receiving inbox isn't a BIMI-supporting provider — Outlook.com, for instance, doesn't render BIMI logos as of this writing.
• DMARC has been at enforcement for less than 30 days.

If you've checked all of the above and the logo still isn't displaying, support can help you dig into the DNS, SVG, and certificate setup.

Quick reference