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FAQs - What is a DMARC policy and how does it affect the sending of my emails?

❗️ Important
Since February 1, 2024, domain authentication is mandatory as part of Gmail and Yahoo's requirements for email senders. On May 5, 2025, Microsoft announced it would adopt similar standards. To learn more, check our dedicated article Comply with Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft's requirements for email senders.

In this article, we'll explain what a DMARC policy is and how to set one up for your domain.

What is a DMARC policy?

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) is an email authentication protocol that adds an extra layer of protection. It tells receiving mail servers how to handle emails that look suspicious, based on the DMARC policy you've set:

  • none 
    Take no action on the email and deliver the email to the intended recipient. This policy is recommended for those unfamiliar with DMARC setup and is the one provided by Brevo.
  • quarantine
    Mark the email as spam and send it to the recipient's spam folder. This allows recipients to review the spam email and identify legitimate emails.
  • reject
    Reject the email. With this policy, emails usually return soft bounces.

Authenticating your domain with DMARC protects it from unauthorized use, such as phishing or spoofing. 

❗️ Important
Following Microsoft's announcement on May 5, 2025, if your domain is not authenticated with DMARC, all emails sent to Microsoft recipients (@outlook.com, @hotmail.com, and @live.com) will be marked as spam or rejected by Microsoft. 

How to set up a DMARC policy?

DMARC is a complex protocol, which is why Brevo only provides the values to authenticate your domain with a DMARC p=none policy:

v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:rua@dmarc.brevo.com

➡️ To learn more about how to authenticate your domain with a DMARC p=none policy, check our dedicated article Authenticate your domain with Brevo (Brevo code, DKIM, DMARC).

❗️ Important
If you wish to use a protocol other than p=none, we highly recommend that you get help from a professional or refer to trusted online resources, such as MxToolBox, to implement it.

Can I have multiple DMARC records on my domain?

To comply with Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft's requirements for email senders, your domain should have a single DMARC record with a rua tag. Having more than one DMARC record can interfere with domain authentication.

To learn more, check our dedicated section in the article Troubleshooting issues with domain authentication (Brevo code, DKIM, DMARC).

How to add a rua tag to a DMARC record?

If your domain already has a DMARC record but lacks a rua tag, you’ll need to update the existing record by adding Brevo's rua tag at the end.

To learn more, check our dedicated section in the article Troubleshooting issues with domain authentication (Brevo code, DKIM, DMARC).

⏭️ What's next? 

🤔 Have a question?

If you have a question, feel free to contact our support team by creating a ticket from your account. If you don't have an account yet, you can contact us here.

If you’re looking for help with a project using Brevo, we can match you with the right certified Brevo Agency partner.

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