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DMARC checker: check your DMARC record and policy.
Enter your domain to find its DMARC record, read the policy and see whether anyone gets the reports. Each problem comes with the record to publish. Free, no signup.
Opens at the DMARC result, inside the full report for your domain: MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, 9 blacklists and domain age, graded 0 to 100.
The basics
What a DMARC record does
A DMARC record tells receivers what to do with mail that fails SPF and DKIM for your domain (nothing, spam folder or reject) and where to send reports about who sends as you. Gmail asks bulk senders for a DMARC record, and p=none is accepted.
What this check looks at
- There is exactly one v=DMARC1 TXT record at _dmarc.yourdomain.com. Receivers ignore every record when there are two.
- The policy: p=none (monitor only), p=quarantine (spam folder) or p=reject, and the share of mail it covers (pct).
- Whether reports go anywhere: a rua= address that receives the daily aggregate reports.
Problems and fixes
What the checker can find, and the fix it gives you.
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| No DMARC record | Add a TXT record at _dmarc.yourdomain.com: "v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com". Move to p=quarantine once reports look clean. |
| Two DMARC records | Keep exactly one v=DMARC1 record. |
| No valid p= policy | Add p=none, p=quarantine or p=reject. |
| p=none and no reports | Add rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com to get reports, then move to p=quarantine. |
| p=none with reports | Move to p=quarantine once the reports show all your senders pass. |
Example records
- Start hereTXT
_dmarcv=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com - Once reports are cleanTXT
_dmarcv=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com
The honest part
What this check can't tell you.
This check reads the record. It doesn't read your DMARC reports, so it can't tell you which of your senders fail; the rua address is how you find out.
More free checks
Check the rest of your setup.
- Full domain check MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, 9 blacklists and domain age in one report, graded 0 to 100.
- MX lookup Free MX lookup: see your domain's MX records in priority order, which provider receives your mail, and whether its mail servers are on 6 IP blacklists. No signup.
- SPF checker Free SPF checker: look up your SPF record, count its DNS lookups against the limit of 10 and get the exact fix for each problem. No signup.
- DKIM checker Free DKIM checker: we look for your DKIM key on 23 common selectors (Google, Microsoft 365, Zoho and more) or your own. No signup.
- Blacklist check Free blacklist check: your domain on Spamhaus DBL, SURBL, URIBL, and your mail servers on 6 IP lists including Spamhaus ZEN. Results in seconds, no signup.
Questions
Ballast is cold email software with every feature on every plan. Connect unlimited mailboxes, send sequences at a pace your domains survive, and handle replies in one inbox, priced by the emails you send.
Which DMARC policy should I use for cold email?
Start with p=none and a rua= address so you receive reports. Once the reports show every service that sends as you passes, move to p=quarantine. Gmail accepts p=none for bulk senders.
What is rua in a DMARC record?
rua= is the address that receives aggregate reports: daily summaries from receivers of who sent mail as your domain and whether it passed SPF and DKIM.
Do I need DMARC to send cold email?
Gmail asks senders of about 5,000 or more messages a day to its users for SPF, DKIM and DMARC, and Outlook.com asks the same of domains sending 5,000 or more a day to its users. A p=none record costs nothing and keeps you inside both rules.
Ballast runs this check every night.
For every domain you send from, with sending that pauses before a problem costs you the inbox. Every feature on every plan, from $19 a month.