Knowledge Base

Overview

By following this article, you will add a Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) record to your Domain Name System (DNS), so that email clients can display the logo in your Verified Mark Certificate (VMC). A BIMI record is a text (TXT) record that points to your logo file and your VMC file. This article covers the prerequisites, the steps to add the BIMI TXT record (including the record name, value, and Time to Live (TTL) setting), and how to verify that the record is published.

What is a BIMI record?

A Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) record is a text (TXT) record in your Domain Name System (DNS). It tells email clients where to find your logo and your Verified Mark Certificate (VMC), so that they can display your logo next to your email messages. You must create a separate BIMI record for every domain or subdomain where you want your logo to display.

Prerequisites

Before you create a Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) record, make sure you have:

• An issued Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) for your domain.
• The web address (Uniform Resource Locator, or URL) of your logo file. The logo must be hosted on a public HTTPS server.
• The URL of your VMC file. The VMC file must be hosted on a public HTTPS server.
• Access to your Domain Name System (DNS) provider's management portal.

Steps to add a BIMI TXT record

Complete these steps for each domain or subdomain where you want your logo to display.

• Sign in to your Domain Name System (DNS) provider's management portal.
• Create a new record, and set the record type to TXT.
• In the Host (or Name) field, enter default._bimi.[yourdomain.com].
• In the Value field, enter v=BIMI1; l=[URL of your logo]; a=[URL of your VMC file].
• Set the Time to Live (TTL) to 1 hour. Some providers use seconds; if so, enter 3600.
• Save the record.

The Value field in the Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) record uses these tags:

Tag	Meaning
v=BIMI1	The BIMI version.
l=	The web address (Uniform Resource Locator, or URL) of your logo file.
a=	The URL of your Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) file.

Note: A new Domain Name System (DNS) record can take up to 48 hours to fully propagate.

How to verify success

After the Domain Name System (DNS) record propagates, confirm that your Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) record is published and correctly formatted. Check your domain with one of these tools:

• MXToolbox BIMI Lookup(opens in new window)
• BIMI Inspector by BIMI Group(opens in new window) . This tool checks the record format only. It does not check your logo or your Verified Mark Certificate (VMC).

If the tool does not find the record, wait up to 48 hours for propagation, and then check again.

Similar questions

• How do I add a BIMI record to my DNS?
• What DNS TXT record do I need for my VMC logo?
• How do I set up a BIMI TXT record for a subdomain?
• What value do I enter in the BIMI DNS record?