BIMI Lookup — Check Your Domain's Email Brand Logo Configuration

By sadiqbd · June 6, 2026

Email authentication is invisible when it works — and painful when it doesn't

Most people sending marketing or transactional email have heard of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Fewer have heard of BIMI — Brand Indicators for Message Identification — the newer standard that lets email senders display their brand logo directly in recipients' inboxes. But BIMI is increasingly relevant for businesses and brands that care about email deliverability and visual recognition.

A BIMI lookup tool checks whether a domain has BIMI records properly configured, and what logo is specified.

What BIMI Is

BIMI is a DNS-based standard that allows email senders to attach a verified brand logo to their authenticated emails. When a BIMI-compliant email lands in a supporting inbox (Gmail, Apple Mail, Yahoo, and others), the recipient sees the brand's logo in place of the generic sender avatar.

The mechanism:

The sender publishes a BIMI DNS TXT record specifying the URL of their logo (in SVG Tiny P/S format)
The sender (optionally, but required for major providers like Gmail) obtains a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) from an accredited certificate authority, certifying the brand owns the trademark for the logo
The receiving mail server looks up the BIMI record and VMC, verifies authentication, and displays the logo

BIMI only works on emails that pass DMARC authentication at enforcement (p=quarantine or p=reject). Without DMARC, BIMI is ignored.

The BIMI DNS Record Format

BIMI records are published as DNS TXT records under:

default._bimi.[domain]

Example lookup: default._bimi.example.com

The record format:

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

Field	Meaning
`v=BIMI1`	BIMI version
`l=`	URL of the logo (SVG Tiny P/S format)
`a=`	URL of the VMC certificate (optional but required for Gmail/Apple)

The l= field can be empty (l=) if only a VMC is being used, but a logo URL is needed for visual display.

How to Use the BIMI Lookup Tool on sadiqbd.com

Enter the domain name — the domain used in the From address of your emails (e.g. example.com).
Run the lookup — the tool queries DNS for default._bimi.[domain].
Read the result — the BIMI record is displayed with the logo URL and VMC URL, or a "not found" message if no record exists.

What the Lookup Results Tell You

Record found, logo URL present: Your BIMI record is published and a logo is specified. Whether it actually displays depends on DMARC enforcement and (for Gmail/Apple) a valid VMC.

Record found, l= is empty: You have a BIMI record but no logo specified — the a= VMC field alone isn't sufficient for display. The logo URL needs to be populated.

Record not found: No BIMI record exists. This isn't an error — most domains don't have BIMI yet — but it means no brand logo will display in email clients.

SVG logo format issues: BIMI requires logos in SVG Tiny P/S format — a specific SVG profile designed for rendering across email clients. Standard SVG files are often rejected. The logo must also be square (1:1 aspect ratio) and meet specific technical requirements.

BIMI Prerequisites: What You Need First

BIMI is the final layer of an email authentication stack. Before BIMI works:

1. SPF must pass. Your domain's SPF record authorises the sending IP.

2. DKIM must pass. Your emails are signed with a DKIM private key, and the public key is in DNS.

3. DMARC must be at enforcement. Your DMARC policy must be p=quarantine or p=reject — not p=none. This is the most common blocker for BIMI adoption.

4. For Gmail and Apple Mail logo display: a VMC is required. VMCs are issued by DigiCert or Entrust, require trademark registration for the logo, and cost several hundred USD per year. Many organisations implement BIMI without a VMC first (for Yahoo and other clients), then add the VMC for Gmail.

Why BIMI Matters for Email Deliverability

BIMI's primary value proposition is trust and recognition:

Increased open rates. Multiple studies have shown that emails displaying a verified brand logo have higher open rates — visual brand recognition in the inbox reduces the "who is this?" hesitation that leads to ignoring or deleting emails.

Phishing deterrence. A verified logo tells recipients the email is genuinely from the brand. Phishing emails, lacking DMARC authentication, can't display the logo — creating a visible signal of legitimacy for authenticated emails.

DMARC compliance as a side effect. Because BIMI requires strict DMARC, implementing BIMI for its visual benefits forces organisations to fully understand and lock down their email authentication posture.

Real-World Examples

Checking a major brand's BIMI implementation

Lookup: default._bimi.google.com

Expected result: BIMI record present with Google's verified G logo URL and VMC certificate URL. Google is an example of full BIMI implementation with VMC.

Diagnosing why your logo isn't showing in Gmail

You published a BIMI record but your logo isn't appearing in Gmail.

Common causes found via BIMI lookup and related tools:

a= field is empty or missing — Gmail requires a VMC
DMARC policy is p=none — check your DMARC record (use the DMARC Lookup tool)
Logo SVG isn't in Tiny P/S format — the SVG Tiny validator from BIMI Group can check this
SVG isn't hosted at a publicly accessible HTTPS URL

Checking a competitor's email setup

Quickly checking whether a competitor has invested in BIMI is a 10-second lookup — useful for competitive benchmarking of email strategy.

Tips for Implementing BIMI

Fix DMARC first. If you're not at p=reject or p=quarantine yet, that's your starting point — not BIMI. Use the DMARC Lookup and SPF Lookup tools to verify your email authentication foundation.

Start without a VMC. Yahoo and some other clients will display BIMI logos without a VMC. Implement the DNS record and logo first to see the benefit in those clients, then pursue a VMC for Gmail/Apple coverage.

Use an SVG validator. The BIMI Group provides a free SVG validator. Standard SVG files commonly fail Tiny P/S requirements. Investing in correct SVG format upfront saves debugging later.

Use a single selector initially. The default selector is standard. Multiple BIMI selectors (for different brands or regions) are supported by the spec but rarely necessary for initial implementation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a trademark to implement BIMI? To get a VMC (required for Gmail and Apple), yes — you need a registered trademark covering the logo. The trademark must be issued in a jurisdiction accepted by the VMC issuer. Without a trademark, you can still publish BIMI records for Yahoo and other clients, but won't get the VMC-based display in Gmail.

How long does it take for BIMI logos to show after publishing the record? DNS propagation: hours to 48 hours. After that, inbox providers cache BIMI records for varying periods. Gmail may take several days after valid records and VMC are in place before logos begin displaying.

What's the difference between BIMI and email avatars? A sender avatar (like the initials in a Gmail compose window) is set by the sender's Google profile. BIMI is a verified, DNS-authenticated standard that inbox providers actively check. BIMI is harder to fake than a profile-based avatar.

Is BIMI the same as a blue checkmark? Some inbox providers display a verified checkmark badge alongside BIMI logos. This is the inbox provider's visual indicator of DMARC-verified identity, separate from but complementary to the BIMI logo display.

Is the BIMI lookup tool free? Yes — completely free, no sign-up required.

BIMI is a relatively new addition to the email authentication stack, but it's being adopted rapidly by major senders. The lookup tool tells you immediately whether a domain has it configured — and provides a starting diagnostic when troubleshooting why logos aren't displaying.

Try the BIMI Lookup tool free at sadiqbd.com — check any domain's BIMI record instantly.