Is DMARC p=none a deliverability red flag, and how does it impact email security and domain reputation?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 16 Apr 2025
Updated 18 Aug 2025
8 min read
When discussing DMARC policies, the p=none setting often sparks debate. Some argue it's a critical first step, while others view it as a security vulnerability or even a red flag for email deliverability. This confusion is understandable, as DMARC impacts both how your emails reach the inbox and how your domain is protected from abuse.
At its core, DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) is an email authentication protocol designed to give domain owners control over what happens to emails that fail SPF and DKIM authentication and DMARC alignment checks. The p tag in your DMARC record specifies the policy you wish to apply to unauthenticated emails. So, what does p=none truly mean, and what are its implications for your email program?
In this guide, we'll demystify the p=none policy, examining its role in email deliverability and its impact on your email security and domain reputation. Understanding its nuances is crucial for any organization sending email, as it directly influences trust with mailbox providers and recipients.
The p=none policy, also known as monitoring mode, instructs receiving mail servers not to take any specific action (like quarantining or rejecting) on emails that fail DMARC authentication. Instead, they are simply delivered to the recipient's inbox. The primary function of p=none is to gather DMARC reports.
These reports, known as DMARC aggregate reports, provide valuable insights into your email ecosystem. They detail who is sending emails on behalf of your domain, which of those emails are passing or failing DMARC, and from what IP addresses they originate. This data is crucial for identifying legitimate sending sources that might not be properly authenticated, as well as detecting potential spoofing attempts or phishing campaigns leveraging your domain. You can see simple examples of DMARC policies here.
Setting your DMARC policy to p=none is often the recommended starting point for DMARC implementation. It allows you to gain visibility into your email traffic without risking the legitimate delivery of your emails. This monitoring phase is essential for building a complete picture of your domain's email activity before moving to more restrictive DMARC policies like p=quarantine or p=reject. An example DMARC record with p=none might look like this:
One of the most common misconceptions is that a p=none policy itself is a red flag that will negatively impact your email deliverability. This is generally not the case for legitimate senders. Mailbox providers, like Gmail and Yahoo, do not typically penalize domains for having a p=none policy, especially if it's accompanied by proper SPF and DKIM authentication and DMARC alignment.
The key factor for deliverability with DMARC is not the policy itself, but whether your emails are consistently passing authentication and alignment. If your legitimate emails are correctly signed with DKIM and originate from authorized SPF IP addresses, and these align with your DMARC policy, they are much more likely to reach the inbox. A p=none policy allows you to confirm this alignment without blocking any emails inadvertently.
However, while p=none doesn't directly harm deliverability, it also doesn't provide the strongest protection against spoofing, which can indirectly affect your domain's reputation. This subtle distinction is where some of the confusion arises. Having a DMARC record, even with p=none, is still a positive signal to mailbox providers that you are taking steps to secure your domain.
Impact on email security and domain reputation
While p=none isn't a direct deliverability red flag, it does represent a significant gap in your email security posture. A p=none policy tells receiving servers to deliver unauthenticated emails that fail DMARC, even if they are malicious spoofing attempts. This means bad actors can still use your domain to send phishing emails or spam without those emails being blocked or quarantined by your DMARC policy. This is the core security concern. A seemingly harmless setting like p=none can lead to security risks.
The danger here is that if your domain is used for widespread malicious activity due to a lenient DMARC policy, it can severely damage your domain reputation. Even though your legitimate emails might be authenticated, the overall reputation of your domain can suffer. This can lead to your domain (or associated IP addresses) being added to an email blacklist (or blocklist), making it harder for all your emails to reach the inbox, including the legitimate ones. p=none tells mailbox providers not to do anything with messages that fail authentication.
Organizations like Microsoft and Google increasingly prioritize domains with strong DMARC enforcement policies because it demonstrates a commitment to fighting email fraud. While they might not immediately block emails from a p=none domain, the lack of enforcement means that if spoofing occurs, your domain's reputation could still be negatively impacted, potentially leading to more emails landing in the spam folder in the long run. Learn more about DMARC's impact on email reputation.
Security gap with p=none
A p=none policy does not actively prevent spoofed emails from reaching inboxes. It merely reports on them. This leaves your domain vulnerable to phishing and other forms of email fraud, as unauthorized senders can still spoof your domain to deceive recipients.
Transitioning from p=none to enforcement
The goal of DMARC implementation should always be to move towards an enforcement policy, either p=quarantine or p=reject. These policies instruct receiving servers to quarantine (send to spam/junk) or reject (bounce) emails that fail DMARC authentication. This provides active protection against spoofing and significantly enhances your domain's reputation for trustworthiness. The transition from p=none to enforcement should be a systematic process.
Before moving to p=quarantine or p=reject, you must ensure that all legitimate email streams from your domain are properly authenticated and aligned with your DMARC record. This is where the monitoring capabilities of p=none are invaluable. By analyzing your DMARC reports, you can identify any legitimate emails that are currently failing authentication and fix those issues before applying an enforcement policy. This prevents your own valid emails from being inadvertently blocked or sent to spam.
While p=none itself isn't a deliverability problem, it's a stepping stone. Remaining indefinitely at p=none leaves your domain open to abuse, which can ultimately lead to a damaged sender reputation and, consequently, lower inbox placement rates. The long-term goal for optimal email security and deliverability is to achieve and maintain an enforcement policy.
p=none for deliverability
Monitoring: Allows you to gather DMARC reports without impacting email delivery. Crucial for initial setup.
No direct penalty: Mailbox providers typically do not penalize deliverability for legitimate emails with this policy, provided SPF/DKIM are aligned.
Flexibility: Great for complex sending environments where you need to identify all legitimate senders first.
p=reject/quarantine for security
Active protection: Prevents unauthorized use of your domain by blocking or quarantining spoofed emails.
Enhanced reputation: Signals to mailbox providers that you are serious about fighting email fraud, improving trust.
Long-term benefits: Reduces the risk of your domain being blocklisted due to malicious activity.
Conclusion: p=none as a strategic step, not a destination
While p=none is a crucial monitoring step, it should not be the final destination for your DMARC policy. The real power of DMARC lies in its enforcement policies (p=quarantine and p=reject), which actively protect your domain from impersonation and enhance your brand's trustworthiness.
The perception of p=none as a deliverability red flag is largely a misunderstanding. It is not a direct negative signal for deliverability if your legitimate emails are properly authenticated. However, it is a significant security vulnerability, as it leaves your domain open to spoofing, which can indirectly harm your sender reputation over time through association with malicious activity or potential blocklisting (blacklisting).
Ultimately, moving beyond p=none to an enforcement policy is a critical step for comprehensive email security and long-term deliverability success. It shows mailbox providers that you are actively protecting your domain and your recipients, which in turn builds trust and improves your overall email program health. Remember, the implications of using p=none are more about what it doesn't do than what it does.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always start with p=none to gather DMARC reports and identify all legitimate email senders.
Analyze DMARC reports diligently to ensure all your sending sources are properly authenticated with SPF and DKIM.
Gradually move towards p=quarantine once you are confident that all your valid emails pass DMARC alignment.
Aim for p=reject in the long term to fully protect your domain from spoofing and enhance your brand's trust.
Implement DMARC monitoring to continuously track your email authentication status and detect any unauthorized activity.
Common pitfalls
Confusing p=none as a deliverability problem when it's primarily a security and visibility issue.
Staying at p=none indefinitely, leaving your domain vulnerable to impersonation and phishing attacks.
Not monitoring DMARC reports, thus missing insights into legitimate sending errors and malicious spoofing.
Jumping directly to p=quarantine or p=reject without proper preparation, leading to legitimate emails being blocked.
Overlooking the importance of DMARC alignment, which is crucial for DMARC pass rates even with p=none.
Expert tips
Focus on SPF and DKIM alignment; this is the true foundation for DMARC success and reputation.
Understand that p=none is a diagnostic tool, not an enforcement policy; it reveals what needs fixing.
Consider a phased rollout of DMARC enforcement, starting with a small percentage of emails before full implementation.
Don't be swayed by tools that unnecessarily flag p=none as a critical error, as it's often a necessary first step.
Remember that DMARC is part of a larger email security strategy, not a standalone solution.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says a client's tech guy mentioning that p=none causes deliverability issues is incorrect. DMARC p=none is not a problem for deliverability.
2024-06-05 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says p=none allows you to monitor spoofing attempts and should be the starting point before transitioning to quarantine.
Gmail and 
Yahoo, do not typically penalize domains for having a p=none policy, especially if it's accompanied by proper SPF and DKIM authentication and DMARC alignment.
Microsoft and 
Google increasingly prioritize domains with strong DMARC enforcement policies because it demonstrates a commitment to fighting email fraud. While they might not immediately block emails from a p=none domain, the lack of enforcement means that if spoofing occurs, your domain's reputation could still be negatively impacted, potentially leading to more emails landing in the spam folder in the long run. Learn more about DMARC's impact on email reputation.
