Summary
Experts, marketers, and documentation widely agree that a DMARC policy of 'p=none' is a valid and recommended initial approach for implementing DMARC. This policy does not negatively impact email deliverability or result in penalties from Gmail Postmaster Tools. Instead, it functions as a monitoring phase, providing valuable insights into email authentication practices, potential unauthorized use of domains, and enabling identification of legitimate sending sources. The collected data helps in addressing authentication issues, configuring SPF and DKIM correctly, and making informed decisions before enforcing stricter DMARC policies (quarantine or reject). It's a gentlest approach that doesn't block emails while providing valuable information.
Key findings
- Validity: A DMARC policy of p=none is a valid configuration.
- No Penalties: Gmail Postmaster Tools does not penalize domains using a p=none policy.
- Monitoring Focus: The primary purpose of p=none is monitoring and reporting on email authentication.
- Insight Generation: It provides insights into email sending sources, authentication status, and potential abuse.
- No Blocking: Legitimate emails are not inadvertently blocked with p=none.
- Discovery Phase: It is useful in the discovery phase to understand who is sending emails on your behalf.
Key considerations
- Initial Setup: Use p=none as the initial step when setting up DMARC.
- Vigorous Monitoring: Vigorously monitor aggregate reports to understand authentication practices.
- Authentication Fixes: Address identified authentication issues before transitioning to stricter policies.
- SPF/DKIM Configuration: Use the insights from reports to properly configure SPF and DKIM records.
- Future Policies: Plan to implement stricter DMARC policies (quarantine or reject) in the future based on gathered data.
- Lack of Initial Protection: Be aware that p=none doesn't actively protect against spoofing; protection comes with stricter policies.
What email marketers say
8 marketer opinions
The consensus from email marketers and experts is that a DMARC policy of 'p=none' is a valid and recommended initial step for implementing DMARC. It does not negatively impact email deliverability or cause penalties from Gmail Postmaster Tools. Instead, it serves as a monitoring phase, providing valuable insights into email authentication practices and potential unauthorized use of your domain. This allows you to identify legitimate sending sources and address authentication issues before enforcing stricter DMARC policies.
Key opinions
- Validity: A DMARC policy of p=none is a valid setting.
- No Penalty: Gmail Postmaster Tools does not penalize domains using a p=none policy.
- Monitoring: The primary purpose of p=none is for monitoring email authentication.
- Insight: It provides insights into sending sources and authentication status.
- No Blocking: p=none ensures that legitimate emails are not inadvertently blocked.
- Discovery: It helps discover who is sending emails on behalf of your domain.
Key considerations
- Initial Step: Use p=none as an initial step before implementing stricter policies.
- Monitoring: Vigorously monitor aggregate reports to understand authentication practices.
- Authentication Issues: Address any identified authentication issues before moving to quarantine or reject policies.
- SPF/DKIM: Ensure SPF and DKIM are properly configured before tightening DMARC policies.
- Lack of Protection: Be aware that p=none does not provide actual protection against email spoofing until you move to a stricter policy.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that a DMARC policy of p=none is a perfectly valid DMARC policy, especially for domains who are just getting started with DMARC. p=none plus vigorous monitoring of your aggregate reports is the best way to audit your own authentication practices.
6 Jan 2025 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from Reddit states that a DMARC policy of p=none is useful for the discovery phase. It allows you to discover who is sending as you and what percentage of your emails are authenticating without telling any receiver to reject the emails.
25 Nov 2021 - Reddit
What the experts say
2 expert opinions
Experts agree that a DMARC policy set to 'p=none' is a valid initial step for implementing DMARC and does not negatively impact email deliverability or lead to penalties. Its primary function is to facilitate monitoring and data collection related to email authentication practices. By analyzing DMARC reports, senders can identify legitimate sending sources, detect unauthorized domain usage, and address authentication issues before transitioning to stricter DMARC policies.
Key opinions
- No Deliverability Harm: A DMARC policy of p=none does not inherently harm email deliverability.
- Monitoring Tool: The p=none policy is primarily used as a tool for monitoring and gathering data about email authentication.
- No Penalties: Using p=none does not result in penalties to your email sending reputation.
- Identifies Issues: It allows senders to identify unauthorized use of their domain and authentication issues.
- Necessary First Step: It's a necessary first step before implementing stricter DMARC policies.
Key considerations
- Adjust Authentication: Use data from reports generated by p=none to adjust authentication practices.
- Informed Decisions: Use the information from the monitoring to make informed decisions on implementing stronger DMARC policies.
- Implement Stricter Policies: Plan to implement stronger DMARC policies (quarantine or reject) in the future based on collected data.
- Analyze Reports: Carefully analyze DMARC reports to understand how emails are being handled.
Expert view
Expert from WtotheWise, Laura Atkins explains that a DMARC policy of p=none does not inherently harm email deliverability. Instead, it's a method for gathering data about email authentication. By monitoring the reports generated with p=none, senders can identify any unauthorized use of their domain, allowing them to adjust their authentication practices. This information allows for a more informed decision to implement stronger DMARC policies like quarantine or reject in the future.
28 Dec 2021 - WWordtotheWise
Expert view
Expert from Spamresource.com explains that the p=none policy in DMARC doesn't directly penalize your email sending reputation or affect deliverability. Its main function is for monitoring and gathering reports, allowing you to understand how your emails are being handled without impacting mail flow. It's a necessary first step to identify legitimate sending sources and potential authentication issues before implementing stricter policies.
16 Jun 2024 - Spamresource.com
What the documentation says
3 technical articles
Official documentation from Google, DMARC.org, and Microsoft consistently states that a DMARC policy with 'p=none' is a valid and recommended practice, especially during initial DMARC deployment. It allows for the collection of reports on email authentication results without impacting email delivery by rejecting or quarantining messages. This approach is valuable for monitoring email streams, identifying authentication issues, gaining visibility into email handling, and correctly configuring SPF and DKIM before moving to stricter policies.
Key findings
- Valid Policy: A DMARC policy with p=none is a valid setting.
- No Impact on Delivery: Setting p=none does not reject or quarantine emails.
- Monitoring: It allows you to receive reports on email authentication results.
- Visibility: It provides visibility into how emails are being handled.
- Assessment: It enables assessment of email authentication status during initial deployment.
Key considerations
- Initial Deployment: Use p=none during initial DMARC deployment.
- Reporting: Utilize the reports generated to identify authentication issues.
- Stricter Policies: Plan to enforce stricter policies after gathering sufficient data and addressing issues.
- SPF/DKIM Configuration: Use insights from reports to correctly configure SPF and DKIM records.
Technical article
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that the 'none' policy allows messages that fail authentication to be delivered as usual. The domain owner requests reports on such failures. This stage is useful for gaining visibility before moving to stricter policies.
8 Nov 2024 - DMARC.org
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft advises that during initial DMARC deployment, using p=none is best practice to assess authentication status and identify potential issues without disrupting mail flow. Aggregated reports provide necessary insight to correctly configure SPF and DKIM.
3 Apr 2022 - Microsoft
Does a DMARC policy of 'none' negatively impact email reputation?
How accurate is the spam data shown in the new Google Postmaster Tools and how can I get data to appear?
Does implementing DMARC improve email deliverability and is DMARC p=none policy useful?
Do DMARC rejections negatively impact IP or domain reputation at Gmail and Yahoo?
How do DMARC quarantine and reject policies affect sender reputation and email delivery?
How should I enforce DMARC policies for a bulk sender with p=none?
