What it reads
The TXT record at _dmarc.yourdomain: the policy, the subdomain policy, how much failing mail the policy covers (pct), and the test-mode tag from the 2026 standard.
Check 4 of 54 · Email authentication
DMARC policy, explained.
The master switch: what inboxes do with mail that fails, and whether subdomains are covered. The most important email check.
Engine 1.57.0, read 25 October 2026
Free checkScoredReliability: Definitive
Can someone send email as you?
What the check does, and where it stops.
Why it matters
DMARC at none only watches. Until it is set to quarantine or reject, anyone can send email that appears to come from you. It also caps your score: a domain that can be impersonated cannot score above 69. Quarantine cannot score above 89, and nor can reject in test mode, on part of your mail, or with subdomains at none.
What a failure looks like
A failure is a finding in your result. The check is scored, so it can lower your score, and the Full Report gives every finding its severity and a fix. If the check cannot finish, it is recorded as unknown: it carries no penalty, and it is never a pass.
Where its limits are
None once the DNS lookup completes.
ReliabilityDefinitive: reads a published value
Check 4 is one of 16 in Email authentication. See it in its row on the scanner page, beside the rest of Email authentication.
Run this check on any domain. Free, with no account.
The DMARC checker runs it on its own. It reads your instruction to inboxes about mail that fails, and whether its reports reach anyone.
See how your domain does.
The free check includes this one and takes about 30 seconds. No account. Nothing to install.