Who counts as a bulk sender?

Google defines a bulk sender as one that sends close to 5,000 or more messages a day to personal Gmail accounts, counted across the primary domain and its subdomains. Once a domain reaches that, it is classified as a bulk sender permanently. Yahoo says only "a significant volume" and gives no number.

When did the new Google and Yahoo sender requirements start?

February 2024, when both providers began enforcing them. Google says that from November 2025 it ramped up enforcement, so mail that fails the requirements can now get temporary and permanent rejections.

What are Yahoo's sender requirements?

Much the same as Gmail's: SPF and DKIM, a DMARC record of at least p=none that aligns with one of them, valid reverse DNS, a spam complaint rate below 0.3%, and an easy unsubscribe honoured within two days. Yahoo accepts a mailto unsubscribe link as well as RFC 8058 one-click, and gives no volume threshold for bulk senders.

How do I send bulk emails in Gmail?

Not from a normal Gmail inbox at any real volume. Personal Gmail allows 500 messages a day and Google Workspace 2,000 per user, so bulk mail goes through an email platform that sends on your domain. That platform's mail still has to meet these requirements, which is what this checker tests.

Is DMARC p=none enough for Gmail and Yahoo?

Yes, for the requirement. Both accept a DMARC record with p=none. It enforces nothing, though: spoofed mail using your domain is still delivered. Most senders start at p=none with a rua= reporting address, read the reports, then move to quarantine or reject.

Why does the checker say DKIM wasn't found when I have it set up?

DKIM keys are published under a selector name, and DNS has no way to list them. The checker tries about 40 selectors that providers use by fixed name. If your platform generates a selector unique to your account, as Amazon SES, Postmark and HubSpot do, look it up in the DKIM checker with that selector.

Can this tool check one-click unsubscribe?

No. One-click unsubscribe is a pair of headers on each marketing message, not a DNS record, so no DNS lookup can see it. Check a message you've sent: it needs List-Unsubscribe with an HTTPS URL and List-Unsubscribe-Post: List-Unsubscribe=One-Click, plus a visible unsubscribe link in the body.

Does passing every check guarantee inbox delivery?

No. The requirements make your mail eligible; placement still depends on reputation, engagement and complaints. Sending to invalid addresses and spam traps damages that reputation quickly, so verifying your list is the other half of staying in good standing.

Gmail and Yahoo bulk sender requirements checker

The Gmail and Yahoo bulk sender requirements are: pass SPF and DKIM, publish DMARC (p=none is enough), align the From domain, have valid reverse DNS, offer one-click unsubscribe and keep spam complaints under 0.3%. Enter your domain and this checker tests everything DNS can show, then lists the items you can only check on a sent message.

SimpleAPI

Sample result

acme.example passes the DNS checks Gmail and Yahoo require of bulk senders.

Domain: acme.example
SPF: Pass, ~all
DKIM: Pass, selector google

What this means for you

Your domain is set up; still add one-click unsubscribe and keep spam complaints low.

Next step:Run the full deliverability audit

SPF, DKIM, DMARC, PTR and MX from live DNS
DKIM found on common provider selectors
Each check says who requires it
Unsubscribe and spam rate listed as manual

SPF
DKIM
DMARC

By SimpleVerifier Team · Last updated October 17, 2026

How do I check if my domain meets Gmail's bulk sender requirements?

Enter the domain in your From address, for example yourcompany.com. If you send from a subdomain such as mail.yourcompany.com, check that.
Press Check requirements. SPF, DMARC and MX are looked up directly, DKIM is tried on about 40 selectors that providers commonly use, and any IPs named in your SPF record get a reverse DNS check.
Fix anything marked Fail first. Each check links to the tool that helps fix it.
Work through the Manual items using a message you have actually sent: alignment and one-click unsubscribe live in message headers, and spam rate lives in Google Postmaster Tools.

Example

You enter: The From domain acme.example.
You get: SPF passes (ends in ~all), DKIM is found on the google selector, and DMARC passes at p=quarantine, so the DNS checks Gmail and Yahoo require pass. One-click unsubscribe and spam rate are listed as manual items to check on a sent message.
Limits: One domain per check and 10 checks a minute per connection. DKIM is tried on about 40 common selectors.

What are the Gmail and Yahoo bulk sender requirements?

Bulk senders must authenticate with both SPF and DKIM, publish DMARC with at least p=none, align the From domain with the SPF or DKIM domain, support one-click unsubscribe on marketing mail and honour it within two days, keep the user-reported spam rate below 0.3%, and send from IPs with valid forward and reverse DNS. The rules come from Google's Email sender guidelines and Yahoo's Sender Requirements, both enforced since February 2024. Google also requires TLS.

Google defines a bulk sender as one sending close to 5,000 or more messages a day to personal Gmail accounts, counted across the whole primary domain, and the classification is permanent once reached. Yahoo gives no number. If you send marketing or cold email at any real volume, build to these rules whether or not you have crossed the line yet. Our side-by-side summary is in Gmail and Yahoo bulk sender requirements, explained.

Which bulk sender requirements can a DNS check confirm?

DNS confirms SPF, DMARC, MX and, when the selector is known, DKIM; it cannot confirm alignment, one-click unsubscribe or spam rate. SPF, DMARC and MX are single public records, so the checker reads them exactly. DKIM is harder: keys live at selector._domainkey.yourdomain.com, and selectors can't be listed from DNS. The checker tries the selectors that Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Mailchimp, SendGrid and other providers publish under fixed names. Platforms that give each account its own selector, such as Amazon SES, Postmark and HubSpot, won't be found this way, which is why a missing key is marked Check rather than Fail. Confirm yours with the DKIM checker and your selector.

Reverse DNS belongs to the sending IP, not the domain. When your SPF record names IPs directly with ip4:, those are checked for forward-confirmed reverse DNS: a PTR record whose hostname resolves back to the same IP. When SPF only uses include:, the IPs belong to your sending platform, which normally manages PTR for you; to check one, take the IP from a received message's headers and run it through the reverse DNS lookup.

Three requirements are never visible in DNS. Alignment depends on the domains a message was actually signed and sent with. One-click unsubscribe means two headers on every marketing message, List-Unsubscribe with an HTTPS URL and List-Unsubscribe-Post: List-Unsubscribe=One-Click as defined in RFC 8058; Gmail's FAQ says a mailto link alone does not meet its requirement, while Yahoo accepts one. Spam rate is measured by the providers and shown in Google Postmaster Tools.

Does meeting the bulk sender requirements get you into the inbox?

No. Passing the checklist is the floor: these rules decide whether your mail is eligible for the inbox, not whether it gets there. Gmail and Yahoo both weigh how recipients react, and the quickest way to look like the senders these rules were written for is to send to addresses that don't exist. Neither provider publishes a bounce threshold, but platforms do: Brevo can suspend above 2% hard bounces and HubSpot at 5% in a month. See bounce rate limits by platform.

When mail that fails the rules is refused, Gmail says so in the bounce. 550 5.7.26 means the message wasn't authenticated, and 421 4.7.28 or 550 5.7.28 points at an unusual rate of unsolicited mail. Paste any bounce into the bounce message analyzer to see which requirement it refers to.

How do Gmail's and Yahoo's sender requirements differ?

The two rule sets are close. These are the differences that change what you build:

	Gmail	Yahoo
Who is a bulk sender	Close to 5,000+ messages a day to personal Gmail accounts	"A significant volume", no number
SPF, DKIM and DMARC `p=none`	Required	Required
Unsubscribe	RFC 8058 one-click headers; mailto alone not enough	One-click or a mailto link
Honour unsubscribes	Within two days	Within two days
Spam complaint rate	Below 0.3%, aim below 0.1%	Below 0.3%
TLS for transmission	Required	Not listed as a requirement

Microsoft's Outlook.com rules for senders of 5,000+ a day are covered by the Microsoft sender requirements checker.

Who uses this tool, and for what?

Cold emailers: Check every new sending domain before it goes into Instantly or Smartlead. A missing DMARC record or a DKIM key on the wrong selector is cheaper to find here than in a week of 5.7.26 bounces.
Agencies: Run a client's domain through the checklist at onboarding, then hand them the Fail items with the fix linked, such as the DMARC generator for a missing policy.
Marketers: Confirm the domain your newsletter platform sends on is authenticated, then use the Manual items to check that campaigns carry one-click unsubscribe headers.
IT admins: Audit SPF, DMARC and MX after a migration, and check forward-confirmed reverse DNS on any IPs your own servers send from.

What can’t this tool tell you?

DKIM is found only on about 40 common selectors. A platform that generates a unique selector per account shows as Check, not Pass, until you test that selector.
It reads DNS, not your mail. Alignment, one-click unsubscribe, TLS and spam rate depend on real messages and are listed as Manual items.
Reverse DNS is tested only for IPs written into your SPF record with ip4:. IPs behind include: belong to your sending platform and aren't looked up.
Results reflect DNS at the moment you check. A record you just changed may still be cached by receivers for the length of its TTL.

Common questions

What are the Gmail and Yahoo bulk sender requirements?: Authenticate with SPF and DKIM, publish a DMARC record with at least p=none, align the From domain with SPF or DKIM, have valid forward and reverse DNS on sending IPs, support RFC 8058 one-click unsubscribe on marketing mail and honour it within two days, and keep spam complaints below 0.3%. Google also requires TLS and asks bulk senders to aim below 0.1% spam.
Who counts as a bulk sender?: Google defines a bulk sender as one that sends close to 5,000 or more messages a day to personal Gmail accounts, counted across the primary domain and its subdomains. Once a domain reaches that, it is classified as a bulk sender permanently. Yahoo says only "a significant volume" and gives no number.
When did the new Google and Yahoo sender requirements start?: February 2024, when both providers began enforcing them. Google says that from November 2025 it ramped up enforcement, so mail that fails the requirements can now get temporary and permanent rejections.
What are Yahoo's sender requirements?: Much the same as Gmail's: SPF and DKIM, a DMARC record of at least p=none that aligns with one of them, valid reverse DNS, a spam complaint rate below 0.3%, and an easy unsubscribe honoured within two days. Yahoo accepts a mailto unsubscribe link as well as RFC 8058 one-click, and gives no volume threshold for bulk senders.
How do I send bulk emails in Gmail?: Not from a normal Gmail inbox at any real volume. Personal Gmail allows 500 messages a day and Google Workspace 2,000 per user, so bulk mail goes through an email platform that sends on your domain. That platform's mail still has to meet these requirements, which is what this checker tests.
Is DMARC p=none enough for Gmail and Yahoo?: Yes, for the requirement. Both accept a DMARC record with p=none. It enforces nothing, though: spoofed mail using your domain is still delivered. Most senders start at p=none with a rua= reporting address, read the reports, then move to quarantine or reject.
Why does the checker say DKIM wasn't found when I have it set up?: DKIM keys are published under a selector name, and DNS has no way to list them. The checker tries about 40 selectors that providers use by fixed name. If your platform generates a selector unique to your account, as Amazon SES, Postmark and HubSpot do, look it up in the DKIM checker with that selector.
Can this tool check one-click unsubscribe?: No. One-click unsubscribe is a pair of headers on each marketing message, not a DNS record, so no DNS lookup can see it. Check a message you've sent: it needs List-Unsubscribe with an HTTPS URL and List-Unsubscribe-Post: List-Unsubscribe=One-Click, plus a visible unsubscribe link in the body.
Does passing every check guarantee inbox delivery?: No. The requirements make your mail eligible; placement still depends on reputation, engagement and complaints. Sending to invalid addresses and spam traps damages that reputation quickly, so verifying your list is the other half of staying in good standing.

Sources

Authentication and capacity are half of deliverability.

The other half is who you send to. Every hard bounce counts against the domain and inboxes you are sending from, and nothing in DNS can tell you which addresses on your list are dead.

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Hard bounces removed before a send, not discovered after
Catch-all, disposable and role detection on every row

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