Gmail sender rules
Google publishes rules for anyone who sends email to personal Gmail accounts. These are addresses that end in @gmail.com or @googlemail.com. The rules started on 1 February 2024. Some apply to every sender. Others apply only to bulk senders. Here is a plain summary of what Google asks, and what can happen if you don't follow it.
Last checked 10 November 2026
The rules in detail
Who the rules apply to
Effective 1 February 2024
The rules apply to all mail sent to personal Gmail accounts. Google says they don't apply to mail sent to Google Workspace accounts. Senders on Google Workspace must still follow them when they write to personal Gmail accounts. Google calls you a bulk sender if you send close to 5,000 messages or more to personal Gmail accounts in 24 hours. Google counts all mail from the same primary domain. So mail from example.com and news.example.com is added together. If you reach this level once, you stay a bulk sender. The status does not expire.
Rules for all senders
Effective 1 February 2024
Set up SPF or DKIM for your sending domain. Make sure your sending domain or IP has valid forward and reverse DNS (PTR) records. Use a TLS connection to send email. Keep the spam rate reported in Postmaster Tools below 0.3%. Format messages according to RFC 5322. Don't put a Gmail address in the From: header unless the mail really comes from Gmail.
Extra rules for bulk senders
Effective 1 February 2024
Set up both SPF and DKIM. Publish a DMARC record. The policy can be p=none. For direct mail, the domain in the From: header must align with the SPF domain or the DKIM domain. One of the two is enough. Forwarded and mailing list mail does not need to align. Marketing and subscribed messages must support one-click unsubscribe (RFC 8058). They must also show a clear unsubscribe link in the body. A mailto link alone, or a link to a web page, does not meet this rule. Remove people who unsubscribe within 48 hours. Google recommends aligning DMARC with both SPF and DKIM. It says full alignment will likely become a requirement later.
Effective dates and enforcement
Effective 1 February 2024
The rules took effect on 1 February 2024. Senders that already had an unsubscribe link had until 1 June 2024 to add one-click unsubscribe. From June 2024, bulk senders with a spam rate above 0.3% cannot get delivery help from Google. Google says that from November 2025 it is ramping up enforcement on mail that does not meet the rules. Such mail can see temporary and permanent rejections. Enforcement is gradual, and it moves faster for new domains.
What happens if you don't comply
Effective 1 February 2024
Your mail may be rate limited, sent to spam or rejected. Google says mail that is not authenticated may be rejected with a 5.7.26 error. Missing alignment, authentication, PTR records, TLS or correct format can lead to temporary or permanent failure codes, or to the spam folder. Some problems don't block mail directly but cost you support. If your spam rate is above 0.3%, you have no DMARC record, you lack one-click unsubscribe, or you don't honour unsubscribes within 48 hours, Google won't help with delivery issues.
Checklist
Effective 1 February 2024
Check your domain's SPF and DKIM records, and fix any that fail. Publish a DMARC record. Start with p=none if you are not sure. Check that your From: domain aligns with SPF or DKIM. Make sure your sending IP has a valid PTR record and that you send over TLS. For marketing mail, add List-Unsubscribe and List-Unsubscribe-Post headers and a visible unsubscribe link. Remove people who unsubscribe within 48 hours. Watch your spam rate in Postmaster Tools and keep it below 0.3%.
Questions
I send fewer than 5,000 emails a day. Do I need DMARC?
Google requires DMARC only for bulk senders. It still recommends SPF, DKIM and DMARC for every domain.
Can I lose bulk sender status if I send less?
No. Google says bulk sender status does not expire, even if your sending changes.
Do transactional emails need one-click unsubscribe?
No. Google asks for it on marketing and subscribed messages. Password resets and order confirmations are examples of mail that does not need it.
Sources
These are Gmail's own pages. If they differ from our summary, the provider's page is right.
This is our summary, not the provider's official text. Rules can change; always check the linked source.
How we keep this up to date
We read each provider's own public pages and write a plain summary. Every rule links to its source, and each page shows the date we last checked it. When a provider changes a rule, we update the page and add an entry to the changes log.
Last updated 10.11.2026 19:01 IL (10.11.2026 17:01 UTC)