Answers · Email delivery · As of 6 October 2026

What is DMARC, and do I need it?

Short answerDMARC is a record in your domain's DNS. It tells recipients how to check whether an email genuinely comes from you1. It is mandatory for Gmail and Outlook from 5,000 emails per day23. It is advisable for every domain that sends offers or invoices.

How DMARC works

DMARC builds on two older checks, SPF and DKIM. An email passes DMARC if at least one of the two checks passes. It fails if both fail1.

DMARC is set up as a TXT record in DNS1.

Who needs DMARC

Gmail requires SPF, DKIM and DMARC from senders with more than 5,000 messages a day2. Outlook requires the same and has been sorting emails without these records into the junk folder since 5 May 20253.

How many domains have no DMARC

67.9% of domains worldwide have no effective DMARC protection4. Third parties can then more easily send emails under this name.

What the record reports back

With DMARC, you receive reports from recipients. They usually arrive once a day and contain the previous day's results1. This shows you who is sending on your behalf.

More detail (in German): What Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook require from senders

Sources

  1. Microsoft Learn: Set up DMARC: learn.microsoft.com
  2. Google: Email sender guidelines, Frequently asked questions: support.google.com
  3. Microsoft: Outlook requirements for high-volume senders: techcommunity.microsoft.com
  4. dmarcdkim.com: DMARC adoption: dmarcdkim.com

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