Why are Google Workspace emails with broken DKIM records suddenly landing in spam?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 23 May 2025
Updated 18 Aug 2025
8 min read
Many of us rely on Google Workspace for our daily email communications, expecting smooth, reliable delivery. So, it can be quite alarming when perfectly legitimate emails, especially those related to crucial customer support tickets, suddenly start landing in the spam folder. I recently encountered this exact scenario where a significant number of incoming support tickets from various customers using Google Workspace domains began showing up in our spam inbox, each bearing a clear warning that Gmail couldn’t verify the sender.
Upon investigation, the common thread was broken DKIM records. This raises an important question: why would properly configured Google Workspace emails suddenly start encountering such issues? While Google and Yahoo’s new sender requirements have certainly heightened the emphasis on email authentication, this specific problem points to underlying issues with DKIM setup itself.
Email authentication protocols like DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) are fundamental to ensuring that emails reach their intended recipients rather than ending up in spam. DKIM adds a digital signature to your outgoing emails, which receiving mail servers can then verify against a public key published in your domain's DNS records. This signature confirms that the email has not been tampered with during transit and genuinely originates from your domain.
For email service providers like Gmail, a valid DKIM signature is a crucial trust signal. It helps them differentiate legitimate emails from spam, phishing attempts, and spoofed messages. Without proper DKIM authentication, your emails are immediately viewed with suspicion, regardless of their content or your sender reputation.
The effectiveness of DKIM is further amplified when combined with SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance). While SPF specifies authorized sending servers, DKIM verifies the message integrity. DMARC then instructs receiving servers on how to handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks, adding a layer of policy and reporting. For a more comprehensive look, you can read our simple guide to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM.
The importance of email authentication
In today’s email landscape, robust email authentication is non-negotiable. Major providers like Microsoft and Yahoo, alongside Gmail, are increasingly strict, prioritizing authenticated mail to combat spam and phishing. Without it, even legitimate emails are at high risk of being blocked or sent to the junk folder.
Common culprits behind broken DKIM records
The term “broken” DKIM record often refers to a situation where the public key published in DNS does not match the private key used by the sending server to sign the email, or the DNS record itself is missing or incorrect. This typically doesn't happen out of the blue. Common culprits include recent changes to your DNS settings, such as migrating domain hosts or inadvertently deleting records. Even minor typos in the DKIM TXT record can render it invalid, leading to authentication failures.
Another factor could be issues during the initial setup or a recent modification of your Google Workspace environment. While Google typically handles DKIM key rotation automatically, manual configurations or conflicts with third-party sending services can sometimes interfere with this process. It's also possible that older, legacy Google Workspace accounts might have specific quirks that become more apparent as email authentication standards tighten.
The critical element of a DKIM record is the TXT record that contains the public key. This record needs to be accurately published in your domain's DNS. If this record is missing, malformed, or points to an outdated key, the DKIM authentication process will fail, leading to emails being flagged. It’s a common pitfall that even a single character error can invalidate the entire record.
Why Gmail flags emails with authentication failures
When DKIM authentication fails, email service providers, particularly Gmail, interpret this as a strong indicator of a potentially illegitimate email. Even if the content is harmless and intended, the lack of proper cryptographic verification signals that something is amiss. This immediately triggers spam filters, diverting the email away from the recipient’s inbox.
A broken DKIM signature damages your sender reputation. Google (via Google Workspace) explicitly requires proper authentication. When your DKIM fails, it sends a negative signal about your domain’s trustworthiness, potentially leading to a lower sender score. This can affect all future emails, not just those with the immediate DKIM issue. You might find other emails from your domain that previously landed in the inbox suddenly start being classified as spam or get placed on an email blocklist (or blacklist).
The yellow warning banner prominently displayed in Gmail when DKIM fails is a direct consequence of this. It’s Gmail’s way of telling the recipient that it cannot verify the email’s origin, making it a high-risk message. This visual cue significantly increases the likelihood of an email being ignored or, worse, manually marked as spam by the recipient, further degrading your sender reputation. For more on this, you can look into what causes a sudden drop in Gmail email deliverability.
Authenticated emails
Receiving servers verify DKIM signatures against public keys in DNS, confirming sender identity and message integrity.
Trustworthy: Emails are perceived as legitimate and are more likely to reach the inbox.
High Deliverability: Reduced risk of landing in spam or being blocked.
Better Reputation: Positive impact on your domain and IP sender reputation.
Unauthenticated emails
Lack of a valid DKIM signature means the email’s origin and integrity cannot be verified.
Suspicious: Automatically flagged by Gmail’s spam filters.
Low Deliverability: High chance of landing in the spam folder, or even being rejected.
Damaged Reputation: Negatively impacts your domain’s sender score.
Practical steps to restore deliverability
If you suspect your Google Workspace emails are hitting spam due to broken DKIM records, the first step is to verify your existing DKIM setup. Access your Google Workspace Admin console and navigate to the Email authentication section to check the status of your DKIM record. You can often find instructions there to generate a new DKIM record and update it in your domain’s DNS settings if it’s missing or incorrect.
Regularly monitoring your DMARC reports can provide invaluable insights into your email authentication performance. These reports detail whether your emails are passing SPF and DKIM checks, and if not, why. This proactive approach allows you to catch and rectify DKIM issues before they severely impact your deliverability. For guidance on how to interpret these, consult our guide to troubleshooting DMARC reports.
Ensure that any third-party services or applications sending emails on behalf of your Google Workspace domain are also properly configured for DKIM. Sometimes, the core Google Workspace DKIM is fine, but emails sent through marketing platforms or CRM systems might use a different sending pathway that requires its own DKIM setup. Each sending source needs to be properly authenticated to ensure consistent deliverability across all your email streams.
DKIM troubleshooting checklist
Verify DNS records: Use a DNS lookup tool to check if your DKIM TXT record is correctly published.
Check Google Workspace settings: Confirm DKIM is enabled and keys are active in the Admin console.
Review DMARC reports: Analyze aggregate reports for DKIM authentication failures.
Test deliverability: Send test emails to various providers to confirm deliverability.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Ensure DNS changes are carefully reviewed, especially those affecting TXT records for email authentication.
Regularly monitor DMARC aggregate reports to identify DKIM or SPF alignment issues early on.
Always re-verify your DKIM setup if you migrate your domain, email service, or make significant DNS modifications.
Common pitfalls
Accidentally deleting or modifying DKIM TXT records during routine DNS cleanup or updates.
Failing to update DKIM records when switching email sending services or third-party email providers.
Ignoring authentication warnings or yellow banners in Gmail, as they often signal underlying DKIM issues.
Expert tips
Consider a DMARC policy of p=quarantine or p=reject for domains that are not actively sending email to prevent impersonation attempts.
If using Google Groups, be aware of potential DKIM alignment challenges, as Google has shown increased strictness for these cases.
Email authentication failures can often be traced back to human error or lack of routine monitoring, rather than mysterious system changes.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says: We noticed a sudden increase in support tickets landing in our spam folder on Google, specifically from Google Workspace domains. Many of these emails showed warnings about unverified senders, indicating missing DKIM records.
March 14, 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says: It's a good idea for everyone to routinely check their personal email authentication, as issues can sometimes go unnoticed for a while.
March 14, 2024 - Email Geeks
Ensuring smooth email deliverability
While the sudden surge of Google Workspace emails landing in spam due to broken DKIM records might seem like an unexpected shift, it underscores the ongoing evolution of email deliverability standards. The issue often stems from existing misconfigurations or unaddressed DNS problems that become critical as email providers (including Gmail) enforce stricter authentication policies.
Prioritizing the accuracy and health of your DKIM records, alongside SPF and DMARC, is paramount for maintaining excellent email deliverability. Regular checks, prompt troubleshooting, and staying informed about authentication requirements will ensure your Google Workspace emails consistently reach the inbox, where they belong.
Gmail, a valid DKIM signature is a crucial trust signal. It helps them differentiate legitimate emails from spam, phishing attempts, and spoofed messages. Without proper DKIM authentication, your emails are immediately viewed with suspicion, regardless of their content or your sender reputation.
Microsoft and 
Yahoo, alongside 
Gmail, are increasingly strict, prioritizing authenticated mail to combat spam and phishing. Without it, even legitimate emails are at high risk of being blocked or sent to the junk folder.
Google Workspace) explicitly requires proper authentication. When your DKIM fails, it sends a negative signal about your domain’s trustworthiness, potentially leading to a lower sender score. This can affect all future emails, not just those with the immediate DKIM issue. You might find other emails from your domain that previously landed in the inbox suddenly start being classified as spam or get placed on an email blocklist (or blacklist).
