# BIMI Setup — Show Your Logo in Gmail (and Beyond)

> BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) shows your verified logo next to your messages in Gmail, Yahoo, Apple Mail. Recipients see brand trust at glance — open rates measurably rise. This guide walks the prerequisites + the setup.

- Canonical URL: https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/bimi-setup-show-your-logo-in-gmail
- Author: Lena Hart, Email Deliverability Editor
- Category: DNS & Domain Setup — SPF, DKIM, DMARC, BIMI, domain verification, MX records, Return-Path
- Content type: tutorial · Difficulty: advanced
- Tags: Acellemail
- Published: 2026-03-01 · Last updated: 2026-08-15
- Reading time: 7 min
- Publisher: AcelleMail Knowledge Base, https://acellesend.com/kb

---

## What BIMI does + why it matters

BIMI shows your verified brand logo next to your messages in supporting inboxes. Recipients see your logo (not the generic envelope icon) before they open. The effect:

- **Open rate lift of 7-15%** measured across multiple senders (Yahoo published case study; matches our customer reports)
- **Trust signal** — receivers learn "this is the real brand" at glance
- **Phishing resistance** — fake-brand emails can't display the real logo

Supported clients (as of 2026): Gmail (US/EU), Yahoo, Apple Mail (iOS 16+, macOS Sequoia+), Fastmail. Microsoft / Outlook implementation is in pilot.

## The 4 prerequisites

| Prerequisite | Required state |
|---|---|
| **DMARC at p=quarantine or p=reject** | Not p=none. Receivers won't show BIMI if your DMARC is in monitor-only mode. |
| **SVG-formatted logo** | SVG Tiny PS profile (a specific BIMI variant). Most agency logos need re-exporting. |
| **DNS record for BIMI** | TXT record at `default._bimi.yourdomain.com` |
| **VMC (Verified Mark Certificate)** | Required for Gmail; optional for Yahoo / Apple. ~$1500/yr per domain from Entrust or DigiCert. See [BIMI with VMC cost walkthrough](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/bimi-with-vmc-cost-walkthrough). |

If you don't have all 4, BIMI won't display. Start with DMARC enforcement → SVG export → DNS record → VMC (if going to Gmail).

## Step 1: Confirm DMARC enforcement

Open your sending-server detail and verify DMARC chip is Green:
### The auth chips on the sending-server detail

Open Settings → Sending servers → click your active server. The toolbar shows the live SPF / DKIM / DMARC chip status:

![Sending server detail with auth chips](https://acellesend.com/plugins/acelle/landing/images/help/kb/spam-folder/02-sending-server-config.png)

- **Green chips on all three** = receiving servers can confirm you're authorized to send from this domain.
- **Any chip red** = receiving servers immediately downgrade reputation. Click *Verify domain* in the toolbar to walk through the DNS-fix wizard.

Your DMARC policy must be `p=quarantine` or `p=reject` (NOT `p=none`). Check with:

```bash
dig TXT _dmarc.yourdomain.com +short
# Look for: v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=...
#       or: v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=...
```

If still on p=none, see [DMARC enforcement migration](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/dmarc-enforcement-migration) for the staged progression.

## Step 2: Export your logo as BIMI-compatible SVG

BIMI requires SVG Tiny 1.2 Portable Secure (SVG Tiny PS). Standard SVG won't work — Gmail/Yahoo will reject.

**Constraints:**

- Aspect ratio: 1:1 (square)
- No scripts (no `<script>` tags)
- No external font references (embed paths instead)
- No `<image>` elements with external URLs (embed inline base64 if needed)
- Single XML element root
- Total file size <32KB

Most agency-exported logos need rework. Either:

1. Ask your designer to re-export as SVG Tiny PS (most adobe-illustrator users handle this with the right preset)
2. Use a BIMI logo conversion service (Entrust + DigiCert both offer paid prep services)
3. Self-validate via the [BIMI Inspector](https://bimigroup.org/bimi-generator/) — free online tool

Host the SVG at a publicly-accessible URL on your domain, e.g. `https://yourdomain.com/bimi/logo.svg`.

## Step 3: Publish the BIMI DNS record

At your DNS host, add:

```
Type:  TXT
Name:  default._bimi.yourdomain.com
Value: v=BIMI1; l=https://yourdomain.com/bimi/logo.svg; a=https://yourdomain.com/bimi/vmc.pem
TTL:   3600
```

Two parameters:

- `l=` — the URL of your SVG logo (Step 2)
- `a=` — the URL of your VMC certificate (Step 4; OPTIONAL for non-Gmail)

If skipping VMC (Yahoo / Apple only): omit the `a=` parameter:

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

## Step 4: Get a VMC (for Gmail support)

VMC = Verified Mark Certificate. Issued by Entrust (~$1500/yr) or DigiCert (~$1500/yr). Required for:

- Gmail (US/EU)
- Yahoo (recommended; not strictly required)
- Apple Mail (recommended; not strictly required)

Process: trademark verification (your logo must be a registered trademark in your jurisdiction). 4-8 weeks from application to issued certificate.

After issuance:

1. Host the VMC at `https://yourdomain.com/bimi/vmc.pem` (or any URL on your domain)
2. Add the `a=` parameter to your BIMI DNS record

## Step 5: Verify in Gmail

Send a test email to a Gmail address you control. After ~30 seconds (Gmail's BIMI lookup cache), open the message — your logo should appear in the sender column.

If not appearing:

1. Check DMARC pass at receiver (open "Show original" → look for "DMARC: PASS")
2. Verify BIMI DNS record is published: `dig TXT default._bimi.yourdomain.com +short`
3. Verify SVG is publicly accessible: `curl -I https://yourdomain.com/bimi/logo.svg`
4. Verify VMC is publicly accessible (if going Gmail): `curl -I https://yourdomain.com/bimi/vmc.pem`
5. Wait 1-2 hours — Gmail's BIMI cache takes time to refresh on first publish

## Common UI signals + fixes

| Symptom | Likely cause | UI fix |
|---|---|---|
| BIMI DNS record published but logo not showing | DMARC still at p=none | DMARC must be quarantine/reject |
| Some Gmail recipients see logo, others don't | Cache propagation in progress | Wait 24-48h; verify your test recipient's Gmail account isn't cached |
| Logo appears in Yahoo/Apple but not Gmail | Missing VMC | Apply for VMC via Entrust or DigiCert |
| SVG file 404s | Hosted at wrong path | Confirm public access: `curl -I https://yourdomain.com/bimi/logo.svg` returns 200 |
| SVG file accessible but Gmail says "BIMI logo invalid" | Not SVG Tiny PS format | Re-export with the BIMI-compatible profile; validate via bimigroup.org |
| Logo appears for some campaigns but not others | Different sending domains used per campaign — check BIMI record on each | Each unique From: domain needs its own BIMI record |

## Cost-benefit math

| Cost | Benefit |
|---|---|
| VMC: $1500/yr | 10% open rate lift on Gmail (largest share of B2C email) |
| DesignerSVG rework: 2-4 hours | One-time cost |
| DNS record setup: 30 min | One-time cost |
| Trademark application (if not yet registered): $250-$2000 | Required for VMC anyway; useful for brand protection |
| Ongoing maintenance: minimal | Just renewal of VMC each year |

For a list of >100k subscribers, BIMI typically pays back within 3-6 months from incremental open rate alone.

<details>
<summary><strong>Advanced: multi-subdomain BIMI, fallback patterns, and BIMI without VMC limits</strong></summary>

**Per-subdomain BIMI:**

If you send marketing from `mail.brand.com` and transactional from `txn.brand.com`, each subdomain needs its own BIMI record:

```
TXT default._bimi.mail.brand.com    "v=BIMI1; l=https://yourdomain.com/bimi/marketing-logo.svg"
TXT default._bimi.txn.brand.com     "v=BIMI1; l=https://yourdomain.com/bimi/txn-logo.svg"
```

Different logos per subdomain if branding requires (e.g. marketing logo vs corporate logo).

**Selector-based BIMI** for fine-grained control:

```
TXT selector._bimi.brand.com  "v=BIMI1; l=https://.../variant-a.svg"
```

In your AcelleMail email headers, set:

```
BIMI-Selector: selector
```

Receivers query the matching DNS record. Allows A/B testing different BIMI logos.

**BIMI without VMC** — supports Yahoo + Apple Mail; NOT Gmail. Some senders skip VMC initially to get partial adoption + revisit Gmail-VMC after measuring impact:

```
TXT default._bimi.brand.com  "v=BIMI1; l=https://yourdomain.com/bimi/logo.svg"
```

Result: Yahoo + Apple display the logo; Gmail shows the default initial-letter circle.

**SVG accessibility checklist:**

```
✅ Single root <svg> element
✅ viewBox attribute set (e.g. viewBox="0 0 64 64")
✅ Aspect ratio 1:1
✅ <title> element for accessibility
✅ No scripting
✅ No external resources
✅ <32KB total
```

**Multi-region BIMI** — Gmail caches the DNS lookup per-domain globally; can't serve different logos per region from one BIMI record. If you need per-region logos, use selector-based BIMI (above) with per-region selector values in email headers.

**Performance impact** — BIMI lookup adds ~50-100ms latency at receive time. Gmail caches aggressively after the first lookup. For high-volume senders this is invisible.

</details>

## Related articles

- [BIMI with VMC cost walkthrough](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/bimi-with-vmc-cost-walkthrough)
- [DMARC enforcement migration](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/dmarc-enforcement-migration)
- [How to set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/how-to-set-up-spf-dkim-and-dmarc-records)
- [Complete DNS setup for email sending](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/complete-dns-setup-for-email-sending)

---

## Related articles

- [BIMI with VMC — Cost, Process, and Whether It's Worth It](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/bimi-with-vmc-cost-walkthrough): VMC (Verified Mark Certificate) costs $1,500/yr per domain and takes 4-8 weeks to obtain. This guide walks the cost math, the trademark requirements, the alternative paths, and a decision framework for whether VMC is right for your sending program.
- [Return-Path vs Envelope-Sender — What Each Does in AcelleMail](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/return-path-and-envelope-sender-explained): The "From" address recipients see isn't the address that handles bounces. That's the envelope-sender (also called the return-path or MAIL FROM). This guide separates the three sender concepts and shows where AcelleMail configures each.
- [My Domain Shows "Pending" — DNS Propagation Explained](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/dns-propagation-explained): You published your SPF/DKIM/DMARC records but AcelleMail still shows the domain as Pending. That's almost always normal DNS propagation. Here's what's happening and exactly what to do.
- [How to Set Up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Records — The Basics](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/how-to-set-up-spf-dkim-and-dmarc-records): New to email sending? These are the 3 DNS records you absolutely need before sending a single campaign. This guide is the basics — what each does, what to publish, how AcelleMail verifies them.
- [Custom Tracking Domain for Click URLs — AcelleMail Setup](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/custom-tracking-domain-for-click-urls): By default every link in your emails routes through acellemail.com's tracking redirect. Replace with click.yourdomain.com — same redirect mechanics, your own brand. This guide walks the setup + the CNAME + the link-report verification.