Email deliverability checker: inbox, Promotions or Outlook's Other tab?

Paste an email to see if Gmail is likely to file it under Primary or Promotions, and Outlook under Focused or Other. Then check your domain's SPF, DKIM, DMARC and MX records, or read the headers of an email that already landed in the wrong place.

Gmail Promotions tab checker and Outlook Focused inbox test

Will my email go to Promotions? Paste it below, as HTML or plain text, and we read the signals Gmail and Outlook look at: links, images, buttons, layout, wording and footer. It runs on your device; nothing is sent anywhere.

Read in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.

Tip: Ctrl + Enter (or Cmd + Enter) runs the check from the email box.

In short

An email deliverability checker shows whether your email is likely to reach the main inbox. Gmail sorts mail into Primary or Promotions, and Outlook into Focused or Other, based on how much it looks like marketing, your sending setup, and how each reader has treated you before. The parts you control are the content, the layout and SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

  • Fewer links, no hero image and no buttons make an email look like a letter, which helps it reach Primary.
  • Bulk email platforms add headers that push mail towards Promotions and Other. Replies push it back.
  • Missing SPF, DKIM or DMARC is a spam problem first, and a Promotions problem second.

01How does Gmail decide between Primary and Promotions?

Gmail runs every incoming email through a classifier that asks one question: does this look like a message from a person, or like marketing? It does not publish the rules, but the signals are well known from years of testing, and Google's own help pages say the tabs are based on the content of the email and how you interact with similar mail.

Three groups of signals matter most:

  • How the email looks. Newsletter templates with a logo, hero image, columns, product grids, buttons and a long footer look like adverts. A short, plain email with one link looks like a letter.
  • How it was sent. Bulk platforms such as Mailchimp, Kit or Klaviyo add List-Unsubscribe and campaign headers, and often wrap links through their own tracking domains. That is normal and required, but it tells Gmail this is a mass mailing.
  • How people treat you. If a reader opens, replies to, or drags your emails into Primary, Gmail learns to keep you there for that reader. This is the part no checker can see, and it is often the biggest factor.

That is why the checker gives a band, not a number. Two people on the same list can see the same email in different tabs. Our guides on why emails go to Promotions and how to bypass the Promotions tab go through each signal in detail.

02What is Outlook's Focused and Other inbox, and how do I get into Focused?

Outlook splits the inbox into two tabs. Focused holds the mail it thinks matters to you, and Other holds everything else, which in practice means most newsletters and notifications. It is not spam: the mail is delivered, just out of sight.

Outlook leans more on sending headers and personal history than Gmail does. Mail that carries bulk headers (List-Unsubscribe, Precedence: bulk, a known email platform) tends to go to Other unless the reader has opened, replied to or moved your mail before. Each person trains their own Focused inbox.

  1. Get a reply early. Ask a simple question in your welcome email. Replies are the strongest signal you can earn.
  2. Ask readers to move you. In Outlook they can right-click your email and choose Move to Focused, then Always move to Focused.
  3. Keep it plain. The same content rules as Gmail help: one link, few images, words that sound like a person.
  4. Send to people who engage. Mailing people who never open teaches Microsoft that your mail is low value.

03What do SPF, DKIM and DMARC do?

They are three DNS records that prove an email really came from you. Without them, inboxes have no way to tell your mail from a fake, so they treat it with suspicion. Gmail and Yahoo now expect anyone sending in bulk to have all three. The domain check tab above works as an SPF checker, DKIM checker, DMARC checker and MX lookup in one go.

RecordWhat it doesWhat usually goes wrong
SPFLists the servers allowed to send email for your domainTwo SPF records, more than 10 DNS lookups, or a tool missing from the list
DKIMAdds a signature to each email that proves it was not changedNever switched on in the email platform, or signed with the platform's domain instead of yours
DMARCChecks that SPF or DKIM matches your From domain, and says what to do if notMissing, or left at p=none with no report address
MXSays which server receives email for your domainMissing, so replies bounce, or pointing at an old provider

Fixing these will not move you from Promotions to Primary on its own. It is the floor: it keeps you out of spam and gives the content and engagement signals a fair chance. Our SPF, DKIM and DMARC setup guide walks through it step by step.

04How do I read email headers?

Headers are the hidden lines at the top of every email. They record which servers handled it and what checks it passed. You do not need to read them line by line; look for these few:

  • Authentication-Results: shows spf=, dkim= and dmarc= results. You want pass on all three, with header.d or smtp.mailfrom on your own domain.
  • Received: one line per server, newest at the top. Read from the bottom up to follow the route and spot delays.
  • List-Unsubscribe and Precedence: mark the email as bulk mail, which leans it towards Promotions and Other.
  • X-Forefront-Antispam-Report and X-Microsoft-Antispam: Outlook's verdict. SCL 5 or more means junk, and a high BCL means Microsoft sees you as a bulk sender with complaints.

The header analyzer tab does this for you: paste the headers and it lists what passed, what failed and why the email may have landed in spam.

05Common questions

Can this tool tell me exactly where my email will land?
No tool can. Gmail and Outlook decide for each person, using your sender history and how that person has engaged with you before, which nobody outside Google and Microsoft can see. This checker reads the parts you control, the content, the layout and your sending setup, and tells you which way they lean. For a real test, send to a few Gmail and Outlook addresses you own.
Will my emails go to Promotions if I use Mailchimp, Kit or another email platform?
Not automatically, but it makes it more likely. Every bulk platform adds headers that mark the email as a mass mailing, and many of their templates look like adverts. Plain, short emails sent through the same platform often still reach Primary, especially to people who open and reply.
Is landing in the Promotions tab bad?
It is not spam, and some readers do check it. But for coaches, consultants and founders whose emails start conversations, Promotions usually means fewer opens and far fewer replies. If your emails are meant to feel personal, Primary is worth the effort.
Do I still need a separate SPF checker, DKIM checker and DMARC checker?
No. The domain check tab runs an SPF checker with the lookup count, a DKIM checker across common selectors, a DMARC checker with every tag explained, and an MX lookup, all at once, and builds a fixed SPF or DMARC record when one is missing or weak.
Is my email or data stored?
No. The Promotions check and the header analyzer run entirely in your browser, so the email and headers you paste never leave your device. The domain check asks public DNS for your records, which are public anyway, and we store nothing.
Read next

Why your emails go to Promotions

The signals that say marketing, and how to fix each one.

How to land in the Primary inbox

A step-by-step reset for lists stuck in Promotions.

The Primary Inbox prompt

A free prompt that rewrites any email to read like a letter.

Free email spam checker

Score your copy for spam trigger words before you send.