How do I update or change a BIMI logo for Yahoo and what are the size recommendations?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 4 Jul 2025
Updated 15 Aug 2025
8 min read
Displaying your brand logo next to your emails in recipients' inboxes, especially on platforms like Yahoo, is crucial for brand recognition and trust. This is achieved through Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI). BIMI leverages your existing email authentication, such as DMARC, to display a verified logo.
If you need to update or change your BIMI logo for Yahoo Mail, it involves more than just swapping out an image. You'll need to ensure your new logo meets specific technical requirements and that your DNS records are correctly updated. Sometimes, an old logo might be displaying not because of your BIMI setup, but due to internal caching or other factors on Yahoo's side, which requires careful troubleshooting.
Understanding the precise steps and the underlying technical specifications is key to a smooth transition and ensuring your brand's updated visual identity appears consistently in inboxes. This guide will walk you through the process, from preparing your logo to updating your DNS and addressing potential display issues.
Understanding Yahoo's BIMI requirements
Before you can even think about updating your BIMI logo, your domain must meet foundational email authentication requirements. Yahoo, like other major mailbox providers, relies heavily on DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) to verify sender identity and prevent phishing. Your DMARC policy must be at enforcement, meaning either p=quarantine or p=reject. A policy of p=none is not sufficient for BIMI to display. We have a detailed guide on how to implement BIMI, which includes setting up your DMARC record correctly.
Beyond DMARC, your logo itself must be authenticated through a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC). A VMC digitally certifies that your organization owns the trademark for the logo you wish to display. This certificate is crucial for Yahoo, which explicitly requires a VMC for BIMI logo display.
Once these prerequisites are in place, Yahoo's systems will periodically check your domain's BIMI DNS record. If your domain is not DMARC compliant or lacks a VMC, Yahoo might display a generic icon, or sometimes an old logo they've internally sourced, rather than your desired BIMI logo.
BIMI prerequisites for Yahoo
DMARC Policy: Your DMARC record must be at p=quarantine or p=reject. A p=none policy is not sufficient for BIMI enablement with Yahoo.
Trademarked Logo: Your logo must be a registered trademark to be eligible for a VMC.
Preparing your BIMI-ready SVG logo
The core of your BIMI logo is an SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) file. For Yahoo, and BIMI in general, this isn't just any SVG. It must conform to the SVG Tiny 1.2 profile. This specific profile ensures compatibility and proper rendering across various email clients and devices. A common pitfall I've seen is converting a PNG or JPG into an SVG wrapper, which won't work correctly. The SVG must be a true vector graphic.
Regarding size, while SVG is scalable, it's best to prepare your logo with certain dimensions in mind. Most recommendations suggest a square aspect ratio. A minimum of 400x400 pixels is a good starting point, though many sources recommend up to 1024x1024 pixels for optimal display. The file size of the SVG should also be kept small, ideally under 32KB. The logo should be centered within the square canvas with some clear space around it, and it should look good even when cropped into a circle, as some email clients display logos in a circular format. For more in-depth guidance on preparing your logo, refer to our article on BIMI SVG dimensions and creation.
When updating your logo, ensure it has a solid background. Transparency can lead to unpredictable rendering issues across different email clients, including Yahoo. Once your new SVG file is ready, host it on a secure (HTTPS) server. This server should be reliable and publicly accessible, as Yahoo's systems will fetch the logo from this URL.
Old logo file
Format: Potentially an older SVG profile or even a raster image (PNG, JPG) wrapped in an SVG.
Compliance: May not meet current BIMI SVG Tiny 1.2 requirements.
Background: Transparent or inconsistent background.
Rendering: Inconsistent display across email clients, potential for artifacts.
Compliance: Fully adheres to BIMI technical requirements for optimal display.
Background: Solid, non-transparent background for consistent rendering.
Rendering: Ensures consistent and high-quality logo display in Yahoo Mail and other clients.
Updating your BIMI DNS record
Once your new, compliant SVG logo is hosted on a secure server, the next critical step is to update your domain's BIMI DNS TXT record. This record tells mailbox providers where to find your BIMI logo and VMC. You'll need to access your domain's DNS settings, usually through your domain registrar or DNS hosting provider.
The BIMI record is typically a TXT record located at default._bimi.<yourdomain.com>. If you're updating your logo, you will modify the l= tag to point to the new HTTPS URL of your SVG logo file. If you also updated your VMC, you'd modify the a= tag to reflect the new VMC URL.
After updating the DNS record, you need to account for DNS propagation. This process can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, or even up to 48 hours in some cases, for the changes to fully update across the internet. Yahoo's systems will then pick up the new record during their regular checks. We have an article that covers how long it takes for a BIMI logo to update in Yahoo's cache.
Example BIMI DNS TXT record with updated logo and VMC URLsTXT
Even after correctly updating your BIMI DNS record and ensuring your SVG is compliant, you might encounter situations where your new logo doesn't display immediately or the wrong one appears. Yahoo's system has its own logic for displaying logos, and in some cases, it may retain a previously cached image or one it has internally associated with your domain.
If your logo isn't showing up, or the old one persists, the first step is to double-check all your BIMI requirements: DMARC at enforcement, correct SVG format and hosting, and proper DNS record syntax. Tools are available to validate your BIMI record and SVG file. If everything on your end checks out, it might be a caching issue or an internal decision by Yahoo. We delve deeper into this in our article on troubleshooting BIMI logo display in Yahoo.
In some cases, especially if Yahoo was previously displaying a logo for your domain that was not BIMI-authenticated (e.g., from an old profile or an internally sourced image), you might need to directly contact Yahoo's sender support to request that they clear their cache or stop using the old image and rely solely on your BIMI record. This is a last resort but can be necessary for certain legacy situations. For troubleshooting when the wrong logo is displaying in Yahoo, a dedicated guide is available.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Ensure your DMARC policy is set to quarantine or reject before implementing BIMI.
Always use a true vector SVG file for your logo, avoiding raster images wrapped in SVG.
Host your SVG logo on a secure HTTPS server that is publicly accessible and reliable.
Design your logo to look good within a square and when cropped to a circle, with sufficient padding.
Verify your BIMI DNS TXT record and SVG file using online validation tools after any changes.
Common pitfalls
Not having a DMARC policy at enforcement (p=none) will prevent BIMI from working.
Using a PNG or JPEG image embedded within an SVG file, rather than a pure vector graphic.
Hosting your SVG logo on an insecure (HTTP) server or one that is not consistently available.
Neglecting to account for DNS propagation time after updating your BIMI TXT record.
Assuming Yahoo will automatically pick up your logo without proper BIMI compliance, especially if a legacy image exists.
Expert tips
BIMI requires DMARC to be at enforcement for the logo to appear.
Yahoo may display its own logo if BIMI is not fully set up.
For BIMI logos, a 400x400 pixel size is a good recommendation, though SVG is scalable.
Ensure your SVG is a true vector image to avoid rendering problems.
The logo should be designed to look good when cropped into a circle.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says if it's a true BIMI setup, simply updating the logo file and its hosted URL should allow Yahoo to update the display within a day or two.
2020-03-26 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says a domain does not qualify for BIMI if its DMARC policy is at p=none; it needs to be at enforcement. An old or internally sourced image might be displaying instead.
2020-03-26 - Email Geeks
Summary of BIMI logo management
Updating or changing your BIMI logo for Yahoo Mail is a multi-step process that requires attention to detail across email authentication, graphic design, and DNS management. By ensuring your DMARC policy is enforced and your logo meets the specific SVG Tiny 1.2 format, you pave the way for successful BIMI implementation.
Remember that proper logo preparation, including adhering to size recommendations like a 400x400 pixel base and keeping the file size under 32KB, is crucial for optimal display. Once your new logo is hosted securely, updating your BIMI DNS record is the final technical step.
While most updates propagate smoothly, be prepared to troubleshoot if your logo doesn't appear as expected, understanding that Yahoo's caching and internal processes can sometimes cause delays. Staying proactive with your email security and branding efforts ensures your brand always looks its best in the inbox.
