Summary
When deploying DMARC, the choice of policy-p=none, p=quarantine, or p=reject-depends on your current stage of implementation and your confidence in your email authentication. Starting with p=none is universally recommended for initial monitoring, allowing organizations to collect DMARC reports and understand their email ecosystem without impacting delivery. This discovery phase is crucial for identifying all legitimate sending sources and any authentication gaps.
Key findings
- P=none for Discovery: The p=none policy is recommended for initial DMARC deployment, serving as a monitoring phase to collect reports and gather insights into email sending practices without affecting mail delivery or blocking any messages.
- P=quarantine for Controlled Mitigation: The p=quarantine policy offers a softer enforcement, directing unauthenticated emails to the recipient's spam or junk folder. This is a crucial intermediate step to test the DMARC setup before full enforcement.
- P=reject for Full Enforcement: The p=reject policy provides the strongest protection against email spoofing by completely blocking unauthenticated emails from reaching the inbox. This policy should only be implemented after rigorous testing and verification of all legitimate sending sources.
- Gradual Progression: Experts across the industry consistently advise a gradual progression from p=none to p=quarantine and then to p=reject. This phased approach minimizes disruption and allows for continuous adjustment and verification.
- Authentication Alignment: The primary goal regardless of the policy is to achieve DMARC-aligned DKIM and SPF authentication. DMARC feedback helps identify authentication failures that need to be addressed.
Key considerations
- Phased Deployment: Implement DMARC policies in a phased manner, starting with p=none for observation, then moving to p=quarantine, and finally to p=reject only after extensive validation.
- Data Analysis: Commit to analyzing DMARC feedback reports from the p=none phase to identify all legitimate sending sources and fix any authentication failures before advancing to stricter policies.
- Legitimate Mail Flow: Ensure that all legitimate email from your domain is correctly authenticated with SPF and DKIM and passes DMARC checks before transitioning to p=quarantine or p=reject to avoid blocking valid messages.
- Resource Commitment: Be prepared for the potential cost and maintenance involved with DMARC deployment, especially with p=quarantine or p=reject policies, and have the resources to act on the insights provided by DMARC reports.
- Avoid Undesired Blocks: Never deploy p=reject without absolute confidence that no legitimate mail will be blocked, as this policy outright prevents unauthenticated emails from reaching recipients.
What email marketers say
11 marketer opinions
Building upon this initial understanding, the phased implementation of DMARC policies allows for increasing levels of enforcement against unauthenticated email. P=none provides essential visibility and data collection without any enforcement, serving as the critical discovery phase to identify all legitimate sending sources and pinpoint authentication gaps. Once confident in the identified sending sources and after addressing any authentication issues, the recommended progression is to p=quarantine. This policy offers controlled mitigation, directing emails that fail DMARC authentication to spam or junk folders, acting as a valuable testing ground to ensure legitimate mail flows are unaffected. Finally, p=reject represents the strongest policy, outright blocking unauthenticated emails, providing the highest level of protection against spoofing and phishing. This ultimate enforcement should only be deployed after meticulous monitoring and thorough validation confirm that all legitimate emails consistently pass DMARC authentication checks.
Key opinions
- Phased Deployment is Paramount: A cautious, multi-month phased approach is consistently recommended, moving from observation (p=none) to soft enforcement (p=quarantine) and then to full blocking (p=reject).
- P=none for Actionable Intelligence: This policy is not merely passive; it's crucial for gathering actionable intelligence on email streams, identifying all sending sources, and pinpointing authentication failures that need immediate attention.
- P=quarantine as a Safe Transition: Serving as an intermediate testing phase, p=quarantine allows senders to observe the impact of DMARC enforcement by directing failing emails to spam, providing a safety net before implementing stricter blocking.
- P=reject for Ultimate Protection: While offering the highest level of protection against spoofing and phishing, p=reject must be implemented with absolute certainty that no legitimate email will be inadvertently blocked.
- Prerequisite for Stricter Policies: Before moving to p=quarantine or p=reject, it is imperative to ensure that all legitimate email from the domain is correctly authenticated and consistently passes DMARC checks.
Key considerations
- Commitment to Remediation: Deploying DMARC, especially p=none, is only beneficial if there is a commitment to actively analyze reports and fix underlying email authentication issues. Without this, the feedback reports are of little use.
- Thorough Testing is Non-Negotiable: Moving to p=reject demands extensive testing and validation to prevent legitimate emails from being blocked, as this policy offers no grace for unauthenticated but valid mail.
- Potential for Complexity and Cost: Implementing and maintaining DMARC with p=quarantine or p=reject can be resource-intensive, potentially involving service fees for report analysis and ongoing effort to manage authentication.
- Goal is Authentication Alignment: The overarching objective of DMARC deployment is to achieve robust DKIM and SPF authentication alignment across all legitimate sending sources for your domain.
- Consider Not Publishing DMARC Without Intent to Act: If there's no intention or capacity to address authentication failures identified by DMARC reports, some experts suggest it might be better not to publish a DMARC record at all, as the feedback would be ignored.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks explains the nuances of DMARC deployment and policy selection. He notes that while not having DMARC can lead to reputation damage for phishing targets, deploying DMARC, especially with p=quarantine or p=reject policies, can be expensive, painful to maintain, and may marginally reduce deliverability. He clarifies that aiming for DMARC-aligned DKIM and SPF authentication is a good goal, and using DMARC p=none is a good tool for that. He advises that if you are paying a service to analyze DMARC feedback reports and are committed to fixing authentication failures, then setting p=none with feedback on everything is beneficial. However, if there's no intent to fix authentication issues, he suggests not publishing DMARC at all, as feedback reports become a
12 Sep 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from Fortra explains that p=none provides crucial visibility into email authentication without taking any enforcement action, making it ideal for the discovery phase. P=quarantine offers controlled mitigation by directing failing emails to spam or junk folders, while p=reject provides full enforcement, blocking unauthenticated emails outright, stressing the importance of a phased approach.
20 Feb 2025 - Fortra
What the experts say
2 expert opinions
To effectively manage DMARC policies, a strategic approach involves progressing through p=none, p=quarantine, and p=reject based on your confidence in authentication. P=none serves as the crucial starting point for data collection and monitoring, allowing you to understand your email traffic without any deliverability impact. Once confident that legitimate email streams are properly authenticated and pass DMARC checks, p=quarantine offers a measured step, directing unauthenticated messages to spam folders. The strongest policy, p=reject, which completely blocks non-compliant emails, should only be implemented when there's absolute certainty that all valid email from your domain is consistently authenticated and will pass DMARC, ensuring no legitimate mail is inadvertently blocked.
Key opinions
- P=none for Initial Insight: The p=none policy is the recommended first step, primarily used for monitoring email streams and gathering data on authentication without affecting deliverability.
- P=quarantine for Gradual Enforcement: This policy serves as the next logical step, directing unauthenticated emails to spam folders. It should be implemented after initial data analysis confirms legitimate mail passes DMARC.
- P=reject for Maximum Protection: P=reject is the strongest policy, directly blocking unauthenticated emails. Its deployment requires complete confidence that all legitimate mail from your domain successfully passes DMARC authentication.
- Strategic Phased Approach: Experts consistently advise a strategic, phased approach, moving sequentially from p=none to p=quarantine, and then to p=reject, based on increasing levels of confidence in authentication.
Key considerations
- Prioritize Data Collection: Always begin with the p=none policy to gather comprehensive data and identify all legitimate sending sources and any existing authentication issues without impacting email delivery.
- Validate Legitimate Mail: Before advancing to p=quarantine or p=reject, rigorously confirm that all legitimate emails originating from your domain are correctly authenticated and consistently pass DMARC checks.
- Avoid Premature Rejection: Never implement the p=reject policy until you possess absolute certainty in your DMARC setup, as it will outright block any unauthenticated, even legitimate, emails.
- Iterative Progression: DMARC policy deployment is an iterative process, necessitating continuous monitoring, analysis, and adjustments at each stage of progression.
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that DMARC p=none should be used for initial monitoring to gather data without impacting delivery. P=quarantine is the next step, directing failed emails to spam folders, suitable after confirming legitimate mail passes DMARC. P=reject is the strongest policy, blocking failed emails, and should only be deployed when very confident all legitimate mail is correctly authenticated and passes DMARC, to prevent unauthorized domain use.
1 Aug 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that DMARC p=none is the recommended starting point to collect data and understand email streams without affecting deliverability. P=quarantine can be implemented once the sender is comfortable with the data, moving failed messages to spam. The strongest policy, p=reject, should only be used when a sender is completely confident that all legitimate email from their domain is correctly authenticated and will pass DMARC.
20 Feb 2022 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
The strategic application of DMARC policies-p=none, p=quarantine, and p=reject-is fundamental for robust email security. Begin with p=none to initiate essential monitoring and data collection, which is vital for understanding email traffic without any immediate impact on deliverability. Progress to p=quarantine, a measured step that directs unauthenticated emails to spam or junk folders, providing a controlled environment for testing DMARC's enforcement. The final stage, p=reject, offers the strongest defense by outright blocking unauthorized messages, but this policy should only be implemented once exhaustive analysis confirms that all legitimate mail streams are consistently authenticated and pass DMARC checks, preventing unintended blocking of valid communications.
Key findings
- Initial Monitoring with P=none: This policy is exclusively for collecting DMARC reports and observing email traffic. It causes no impact on email delivery, making it ideal for the initial discovery phase to map all legitimate sending sources.
- Gradual Enforcement with P=quarantine: Moving to p=quarantine enables a soft enforcement, directing unauthenticated emails to spam or junk folders. This allows organizations to evaluate the impact of DMARC without outright blocking messages.
- Strict Protection with P=reject: P=reject provides the highest level of DMARC enforcement by blocking unauthenticated emails. It is intended for full protection against spoofing, but only after complete assurance that legitimate mail will not be affected.
- Systematic Policy Progression: Industry experts consistently advocate for a systematic progression from p=none to p=quarantine and finally to p=reject, ensuring a secure and controlled DMARC deployment journey.
- Pre-requisite for Stronger Policies: Before transitioning to p=quarantine or p=reject, it is crucial to thoroughly verify that all legitimate email from your domain is properly authenticated and consistently passes DMARC.
Key considerations
- Diligence in Observation: Utilize the p=none policy extensively to gather comprehensive DMARC reports, identifying every legitimate sending source and any authentication gaps before proceeding to enforcement.
- Careful Transition Planning: Plan the transition from p=none to p=quarantine and then to p=reject meticulously. Each step requires validation to ensure that legitimate email is not misclassified or blocked.
- Absolute Confidence for P=reject: Never implement p=reject unless you have absolute confidence that all legitimate email from your domain is correctly authenticated and will pass DMARC checks, preventing any valid messages from being blocked.
- Continuous Monitoring: DMARC deployment is an ongoing process. Even after reaching p=reject, continuous monitoring of DMARC reports is essential to detect new sending sources or authentication issues.
- Verification of All Senders: Actively identify and authenticate all third-party senders, such as marketing platforms or transactional email services, to ensure they comply with your DMARC policy before moving to stricter enforcement.
Technical article
Documentation from M3AAWG explains that DMARC p=none should be used for initial monitoring and data collection, p=quarantine for a gradual rollout to manage suspicious emails by sending them to spam folders, and p=reject for full enforcement to block unauthorized emails only after thorough analysis and ensuring legitimate mail passes authentication.
5 Mar 2024 - M3AAWG
Technical article
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help advises starting with p=none to gather DMARC reports without affecting mail delivery. Once comfortable with the data, transition to p=quarantine for a soft rejection, where unauthenticated emails are sent to spam. Finally, apply p=reject for complete blocking of unauthenticated messages after verifying that all legitimate sending sources are correctly authenticated.
16 Jul 2022 - Google Workspace Admin Help
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