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Google and Yahoo sender requirements checklist
The authentication and list rules Gmail and Yahoo started enforcing in February 2024, and how to check your domain against each.
In October 2023 Google and Yahoo announced new requirements for anyone sending to their users, enforced from February 2024 and tightened over time. Microsoft announced similar rules for high-volume senders to Outlook.com, Hotmail and Live addresses, enforced from May 2025.
All senders to Gmail
- Set up SPF or DKIM for your sending domain.
- Valid forward and reverse DNS (PTR) for sending IPs.
- Use TLS for transmitting email.
- Keep the spam rate reported in Google Postmaster Tools below 0.3% (Google recommends under 0.1%).
- Format messages according to RFC 5322; do not impersonate Gmail From addresses.
Bulk senders (about 5,000+ messages a day to Gmail)
| Requirement | How to check |
|---|---|
| SPF and DKIM | SPF checker, DKIM checker |
DMARC record, at least p=none | DMARC checker |
| From domain aligned with SPF or DKIM | dmarc=pass in Authentication-Results |
| One-click unsubscribe (RFC 8058 List-Unsubscribe-Post) for marketing mail, honoured within 2 days | Check headers of a sent campaign |
| Spam rate under 0.3% | Google Postmaster Tools |
Yahoo's requirements for bulk senders are essentially the same: SPF and DKIM, a valid DMARC record, alignment, easy one-click unsubscribe honoured within 2 days, and a low complaint rate.
What happens if you don't comply
Non-compliant mail is increasingly rate-limited, sent to spam, or rejected with SMTP errors that point to the sender guidelines. Once you are classed as a bulk sender, Google treats you as one permanently.
Quick audit
- Run the domain health check on every domain you send from.
- Register the domain in Google Postmaster Tools and Yahoo's Sender Hub.
- Send a campaign to a Gmail test address; confirm SPF, DKIM and DMARC pass, and that List-Unsubscribe and List-Unsubscribe-Post headers are present.
- Turn on daily monitoring so a DNS change doesn't quietly put you out of compliance.
Frequently asked questions
Do the rules apply to Google Workspace recipients?
Google's bulk sender requirements apply to mail sent to personal Gmail accounts; the 5,000/day count covers messages to personal Gmail addresses.
Is p=none enough?
Yes, for the requirement. It does not protect you from spoofing, so plan to move to enforcement.
Related tools
Domain health check
All records, one score
Open tool →SPF checker
Lookups, includes, syntax
Open tool →DMARC checker
Policy, reporting, alignment
Open tool →Get alerted when it changes
Free daily monitoring re-checks SPF, DKIM, DMARC, MX, BIMI and MTA-STS and emails you when something changes or fails.
Set up free monitoring