How do mailbox providers display BIMI?
Still have a question, spotted an error, or have a better explanation or a source we should cite?
When your BIMI setup passes all the checks, here's where providers actually show your logo. Gmail displays it as the sender's avatar in the inbox list and again in the email detail view. On desktop or mobile, it's that circular image next to your sender name. Yahoo Mail shows it in both the inbox and message view, and it doesn't require the extra verification layer called a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC). Apple Mail can show a BIMI logo on macOS Ventura 13, iOS 16, iPadOS 16 or later, when the mail provider supports BIMI, is verified by Apple, and verifies evidence such as a VMC.
But The real question isn't just where it shows up. it's whether your setup will actually trigger display in the first place. That requires three things. DMARC alignment (your SPF or DKIM signature matches your sender domain), DMARC enforcement set to quarantine or reject, and a properly formatted SVG logo, a hosted file your DNS record links to in the l= tag. Once those pieces align, the mailbox provider fetches your logo and caches it. You can check if everything's configured correctly with BIMI setup or whether you need a VMC.
If you've got all the prerequisites in place but the logo still isn't showing, check what DMARC alignment actually means for your domain with DMARC alignment basics.
The most useful email questions, once a month
One email a month. New questions worth reading, real deliverability changes (Gmail and Outlook updates, etc.), and any tool or report that landed since the last issue. No fluff, no upsell.
Contributors
Who worked on this answer
Every name links to their profile. Every company links to their site. Real people, real accountability.
