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Displaying your company logo in email inboxes helps recipients recognize your brand before opening messages. This guide covers every method for getting your logo to appear in Gmail, Apple Mail, Yahoo, Outlook, and other email clients.

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Choose your approach

MethodWorks inCostRequirements
BIMIGmail, Yahoo, Apple Mail, Fastmail$1,000-1,500/yearDMARC, certificate
Apple Branded MailApple Mail onlyFreeDMARC, Apple Business Connect
Provider profilesVaries by providerFreeAccount with each provider
GravatarThunderbird, Airmail, PostboxFreeGravatar account
BIMI is the most comprehensive solution, working across multiple major email providers with a single setup. Apple Branded Mail is free but limited to Apple Mail users.

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BIMI

Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) is an email standard that displays your verified logo across supporting email clients including Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Apple Mail (iOS 16+), and Fastmail.

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Prerequisites

Before setting up BIMI, you need:
  1. SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configured for your domain
  2. DMARC policy set to quarantine or reject with pct=100
  3. A square logo in SVG Tiny 1.2 P/S format
  4. A certificate (VMC or CMC) from an authorized issuer

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Step 1: Configure email authentication

Your domain must have proper email authentication in place. Check your current DMARC policy: 
dig TXT _dmarc.yourdomain.com
Your DMARC record must include:
  • p=quarantine or p=reject (not p=none)
  • pct=100 (applies to all messages)
Example DMARC record for BIMI: 
v=DMARC1; p=reject; pct=100; rua=mailto:[email protected]
Don’t set your DMARC policy to reject until you’ve verified all legitimate email sources are properly authenticated. Misconfigured DMARC can cause your emails to be rejected.
BIMI requires your logo in a specific format:
RequirementSpecification
FormatSVG Tiny 1.2 P/S
DimensionsSquare (1:1 aspect ratio)
Minimum size96x96 pixels (for Gmail)
BackgroundSolid color (no transparency)
File sizeUnder 32KB recommended
The SVG Tiny P/S format has specific requirements. Use a BIMI logo generator tool to convert your logo to the correct format.

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Step 3: Obtain a certificate

BIMI requires third-party verification through either: Verified Mark Certificate (VMC): Requires a registered trademark. Costs approximately $1,000-1,500/year. Issuers include DigiCert and Entrust. Common Mark Certificate (CMC): For logos without trademarks. Lower cost but fewer email providers support it. Gmail requires VMC.

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Step 4: Host your BIMI files

Upload your logo and certificate to a publicly accessible HTTPS URL: 
https://yourdomain.com/.well-known/bimi/logo.svg
https://yourdomain.com/.well-known/bimi/certificate.pem

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Step 5: Add the BIMI DNS record

Create a TXT record at default._bimi.yourdomain.com: 
v=BIMI1; l=https://yourdomain.com/.well-known/bimi/logo.svg; a=https://yourdomain.com/.well-known/bimi/certificate.pem
If you don’t have a certificate yet, you can omit the a= parameter, but most email providers won’t display your logo.

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BIMI support by provider

ProviderVMC RequiredCMC SupportedNotes
GmailYesNoDisplays in mobile app and opened emails
Yahoo MailYesYesFull inbox support
Apple MailNoYesiOS 16+, macOS Ventura+
FastmailNoYesFull support

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Apple Branded Mail

Apple Branded Mail displays your logo in Apple Mail on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS without requiring a paid certificate. It only works for Apple Mail users.

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Prerequisites

  • Apple Business Connect account (free)
  • DMARC configured with p=quarantine or p=reject
  • Both SPF and DKIM set up (SPF alone won’t work)
  • A commercial email domain

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Setup steps

1

Verify email authentication

Confirm your DMARC is at enforcement level:
dig TXT _dmarc.yourdomain.com
You need p=quarantine or p=reject with pct=100.
2

Create Apple Business Connect account

  1. Go to Apple Business Connect
  2. Sign in with your Apple ID
  3. Add your business with name, country, category, and website
  4. Complete Apple’s verification questions
3

Set up your brand

  1. Add a Place Card with your business logo
  2. The logo must be at least 1024x1024 pixels
  3. Supported formats: PNG, HEIF, or JPEG
4

Configure Branded Mail

  1. Select “Branded Mail” from the sidebar
  2. Choose your brand
  3. Add your email domain or specific email addresses
  4. Copy the DNS TXT record Apple provides
5

Add DNS verification record

Add the TXT record to your domain’s DNS. Contact your IT administrator or DNS provider if needed.
6

Verify and wait for approval

  1. Click “Verify” in Apple Business Connect
  2. Wait for Apple’s review (up to 7 business days)
  3. Domain status will show as “Approved” when complete

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Limitations

  • Apple devices only: Only works in Apple Mail on iOS 18.2+, iPadOS, macOS, and iCloud Mail on web
  • Language restrictions: Currently displays only when device language is English, Portuguese, French, Italian, German, Spanish, or Simplified Chinese
  • Maximum 100 domains: Each brand can have up to 100 domains, subdomains, and email addresses
  • 14-day verification window: Complete DNS verification within 14 days or restart the process

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Provider profile pictures

Some email providers display profile pictures from sender accounts. This is limited to emails sent from accounts within that provider.

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Gmail

  1. Go to Google Account Settings
  2. Select “Personal info”
  3. Click your profile picture and upload a new image
  4. Image appears in Gmail mobile app and opened emails on desktop
Gmail profile pictures only display when sending from a Gmail/Google Workspace account to other Gmail users. For broader coverage, use BIMI.

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Outlook / Microsoft 365

  1. Go to Outlook Profile Settings
  2. Click your profile icon
  3. Upload a profile picture
  4. Image appears in Outlook mobile app and opened emails

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Yahoo Mail

  1. Go to Yahoo Account Settings
  2. Click your profile picture
  3. Upload a new image
  4. Image appears in Yahoo Mail mobile app and opened emails

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Gravatar

Gravatar provides universal avatars that appear in email clients like Thunderbird, Airmail, and Postbox (not Gmail, Apple Mail, or Outlook).
1

Create a Gravatar account

Go to gravatar.com and sign up for a free account.
2

Upload your logo

Add your company logo as your Gravatar image.
3

Verify your sending email addresses

Add and verify each email address you send from. Gravatar is tied to specific email addresses, not domains.

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FAQs

You have two options:
  1. Apple Branded Mail (free): Set up through Apple Business Connect. Requires DMARC authentication and Apple’s approval. Works only in Apple Mail.
  2. BIMI (paid): Set up BIMI with a certificate. Works in Apple Mail (iOS 16+) and other providers like Gmail and Yahoo.
Gmail requires BIMI with a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC). You’ll need:
  1. DMARC at enforcement level (p=quarantine or p=reject)
  2. A trademarked logo
  3. A VMC from DigiCert or Entrust ($1,000-1,500/year)
  4. Your logo in SVG Tiny P/S format
Gmail profile pictures only work when sending from Gmail/Google Workspace accounts.
No. Microsoft has not announced support for BIMI in Outlook or Microsoft 365. The only way to display a logo in Outlook is through your Microsoft account profile picture, which only works when sending from Outlook/Microsoft accounts.
For Apple Mail, yes. Use Apple Branded Mail through Apple Business Connect, which is free and doesn’t require a certificate. For Gmail and Yahoo, BIMI with a certificate is currently the only option for displaying verified logos.
After completing setup:
  • DNS propagation: 24-48 hours
  • Email provider processing: 1-2 weeks
  • Full rollout can take several weeks depending on the provider
For Gmail, yes. Gmail requires a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC), which requires a registered trademark. Yahoo and Apple Mail accept Common Mark Certificates (CMC), which don’t require trademarks.
BIMI is an open standard that works across multiple email providers (Gmail, Yahoo, Apple Mail, Fastmail). It requires a certificate ($1,000-1,500/year for VMC).Apple Branded Mail is Apple’s proprietary system that only works in Apple Mail. It’s free but limited to Apple devices.If budget allows, implement both for maximum coverage.
Common issues:
  • DMARC not enforced: Must be p=quarantine or p=reject with pct=100
  • Certificate not valid: Verify your VMC/CMC is properly issued and accessible
  • Logo format incorrect: Must be SVG Tiny 1.2 P/S format
  • DNS not propagated: Wait 24-48 hours for DNS changes
  • Provider delay: Some providers take weeks to start displaying logos
The logo itself doesn’t affect deliverability, but the required email authentication (DMARC, SPF, DKIM) significantly improves deliverability and reduces spam filtering.