v=DMARC1
Marks the line as a DMARC record. It must come first.
Free DMARC record lookup
DMARC Checker
Type your business domain. We read its DMARC record, explain its policy in plain words, and give you the exact record to add or change.
- Free, no sign-up
- Nothing you type is stored
- Also checks the other records
What a DMARC record does
Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) is a text record that ties your SPF and DKIM checks to the From address people see. A message passes DMARC when SPF or DKIM passes for the same domain that is in the From line.
The record sits at the name _dmarc in your domain's DNS. It tells mailbox providers what to do with mail that fails (nothing yet, send it to spam, or refuse it) and where to send daily reports about who is sending email as your domain.
An example DMARC record to start with
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourbusiness.com
p=none
The policy. none changes nothing about delivery; quarantine sends failing mail to spam; reject refuses it.
rua=mailto:...
Where the daily summary reports go. Use a mailbox you check, or a report service's address.
Common DMARC mistakes the checker finds
Record at the wrong name
DMARC is only read at _dmarc.yourbusiness.com. A DMARC line added at the domain itself, or as part of the SPF record, is never seen.
Jumping straight to reject
p=reject before you know every service that sends as you can block your own invoices or newsletters. Start at p=none, read the reports, then tighten.
No reports
Without rua=, mailbox providers have nowhere to send reports, so you cannot see what passes or fails. Add an address you read.
SPF and DKIM not set up first
DMARC builds on the other two. If neither passes for your domain, even your real email fails DMARC. Check both tiles before tightening the policy.
Questions
How do I check my DMARC record?
Type your domain in the box above and press Check it. The DMARC tile shows the record we found at _dmarc, what its policy does, and the safe next step. Nothing you type is stored.
Do I need DMARC?
Since February 2024, Gmail and Yahoo ask bulk senders (Gmail counts 5,000 or more messages a day to its users) to publish a DMARC record, and p=none is enough to meet that rule. Smaller senders are not required to, but it is a short record and it starts the reports.
When should I move from p=none to quarantine or reject?
When the reports show your real email passing for a few weeks, move to p=quarantine, then to p=reject. Each step makes faked email from your domain less likely to reach anyone.
What are DMARC reports?
Daily summaries, sent by mailbox providers to the address in rua=, listing the servers that sent email as your domain and whether each passed SPF, DKIM and DMARC. They are files meant for a reader tool, not for reading by eye.
Based on: IETF, “RFC 7489: Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC)” (2015); Google, “Email sender guidelines” (2024); Yahoo, “Sender Best Practices” (2024)
Check the other records
Email gets through best with all three set up. The same check covers them, and each has its own page: SPF Checker, DKIM Checker, or all three together in the SPF, DKIM and DMARC Checker.