BIMI: Display Your Brand Logo in Email Inboxes
BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) lets you show your brand logo next to your emails in supporting email clients. This guide covers what BIMI is, why it matters, and how to set it up.
What is BIMI?
BIMI is an email specification that allows domain owners to display their brand logo next to authenticated emails in supporting email clients. When you send an email from a BIMI-enabled domain, recipients see your logo in their inbox instead of a generic avatar or initials.
Benefits of BIMI
Your logo appears in the inbox before recipients even open your email, reinforcing brand recognition.
The verified logo signals to recipients that the email is legitimately from your organization.
Studies show BIMI can increase open rates by 10% or more as recipients recognize and trust branded emails.
BIMI requires strong email authentication, making it harder for attackers to impersonate your brand.
Prerequisites
BIMI requires a strong email authentication foundation. You must have these in place first.
- SPF Record - Publish an SPF record authorizing your sending IPs
- DKIM Signing - Sign all outgoing emails with DKIM
- DMARC Policy (p=quarantine or p=reject) - A DMARC policy of "none" is not sufficient for BIMI
Use our domain scanner to check if your domain meets these requirements.
How to Implement BIMI
Step 1: Prepare Your Logo
Your logo must meet specific requirements:
- SVG Tiny 1.2 format (not regular SVG)
- Square dimensions (equal width and height)
- Centered design with no padding
- Solid background (transparent not recommended)
- File size under 32KB
- No external references or scripts
Don't have a BIMI-compliant SVG? Use our free tool to convert your logo.
Open BIMI SVG Generator<!-- Example BIMI-compliant SVG structure -->
<svg version="1.2" baseProfile="tiny-ps"
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
viewBox="0 0 100 100">
<title>Your Company Logo</title>
<!-- Your logo paths here -->
</svg>Step 2: Host Your Logo
Upload your SVG logo to a publicly accessible HTTPS URL. The URL should be stable and not change.
https://example.com/brand/logo.svgStep 3: Add the BIMI DNS Record
Add a TXT record to your domain's DNS:
Host: default._bimi
Type: TXT
Value: v=BIMI1; l=https://example.com/brand/logo.svgStep 4: (Optional) Get a VMC Certificate
For Gmail and some other providers, you need a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) from a certificate authority. This requires:
- A registered trademark for your logo
- Purchase from DigiCert or Entrust (currently ~$1,500/year)
- Verification of your organization
With a VMC, your BIMI record includes the certificate:
v=BIMI1; l=https://example.com/brand/logo.svg; a=https://example.com/brand/vmc.pemEmail Client Support
| Email Client | BIMI Support | VMC Required |
|---|---|---|
| Gmail | Supported | Yes |
| Yahoo Mail | Supported | No |
| Apple Mail | Supported (iOS 16+) | Yes |
| Fastmail | Supported | No |
| Microsoft Outlook | Pilot program | TBD |
Summary
- 1.Ensure you have SPF, DKIM, and DMARC (p=quarantine or reject) configured
- 2.Create a BIMI-compliant SVG logo and host it at an HTTPS URL
- 3.Add the BIMI TXT record at default._bimi.yourdomain.com
- 4.For Gmail display, obtain a VMC certificate from DigiCert or Entrust
Resources
Check Your BIMI Setup
Use our scanner to verify your domain has BIMI configured correctly, along with the required SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
Scan Your Domain