If you have noticed Gmail displaying sender addresses like "via (Interchangeable ID).d.bnc.salesforce.com" when receiving emails sent through Salesforce, you are witnessing a security feature implemented by Gmail to protect users from email spoofing and phishing attempts.
This "via" label appears because Gmail detected that the email was sent through a third-party mail service—in this case, Salesforce's email servers—rather than directly from the sender's personal email server. Gmail shows the full email address of the actual sending service to alert recipients that the email originated from an external source on behalf of the sender.
Gmail's rationale is to protect users by providing transparency about the true origin of the email. Many services that send emails on behalf of others do not verify that the sender's displayed name matches the actual sending address, which could be exploited for impersonation or phishing. By showing this information, Gmail helps users identify potentially misleading messages.
Salesforce can send emails that appear to come from your email address by setting the "From" field in the email header to your address. This is a common practice known as "email spoofing," which is not inherently malicious but requires proper authentication to avoid deliverability issues or spam filtering.
Salesforce offers mechanisms like DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and SPF (Sender Policy Framework) to authenticate your domain and authorize Salesforce to send emails on your behalf. When properly configured, these protocols verify that Salesforce's mail servers are permitted to send emails using your domain, helping prevent Gmail from flagging them as suspicious.
To minimize or remove the "via d.bnc.salesforce.com" label in Gmail, you can take the following steps:
Set up DKIM Signing in Salesforce: Creating and enabling a DKIM key in Salesforce helps authenticate your emails cryptographically, signaling to Gmail that Salesforce is authorized to send emails on your domain's behalf.
Configure SPF Records: Add Salesforce's mail servers to your domain's SPF DNS records. This tells Gmail that Salesforce is a legitimate sender for your domain.
Use Email Relay: Instead of sending emails directly through Salesforce's servers, configure Salesforce to relay emails through your own SMTP server. This can remove the Salesforce domain from the sender address and improve deliverability, but requires an SMTP server that allows unauthenticated sending or proper credentials configured in Salesforce.
Review Email Deliverability Settings in Salesforce: Disabling certain Salesforce email deliverability options may help remove the Salesforce domain from the sender envelope, but this should be done carefully to avoid impacting email sending functionality.
Always authenticate your domain with SPF and DKIM when sending emails through Salesforce to improve trust and deliverability.
Test your email sending setup using tools like Mailtrap or similar services to ensure your emails are not marked as spam.
Comply with anti-spam policies to maintain your sender reputation.
Understand that the "via" label is a Gmail security feature, not a Salesforce bug, designed to protect email recipients.
By following these guidelines, you can maintain professional email communication through Salesforce while ensuring your emails reach Gmail inboxes without unnecessary warnings or confusion caused by the "via d.bnc.salesforce.com" label.
If you want assistance with setting up DKIM, SPF, or email relay in Salesforce, feel free to contact us or consult Salesforce's official documentation.