What Is Bing Webmaster Tools Verification?
Verification is how you prove to Microsoft that you own or control a website, so that Bing Webmaster Tools will show you that site's search data and let you change how Bing crawls it.
Bing's help puts it plainly: “you must prove that you own the site (or appropriate sections of the site) to add it to your Webmaster Tools account” (Add and Verify site). Until a site is verified you cannot use its reports, which Bing lists as including Search performance, URL inspection, Site explorer, Sitemaps, IndexNow, URL submission and Backlinks (Bing, Webmaster tools & features). Verification is separate from Google: a site verified in Google Search Console is not verified in Bing until you import it or verify it again. If you have not set up Search Console yet, start with our guide to verifying a site in Google Search Console, because a verified Search Console property makes the Bing step close to automatic.
Bing's help does not describe verification as a ranking factor. It gives you access to data and controls; it does not change how Bing ranks your pages.
Percent share of search engine referrals measured by Statcounter, September 2026
Source: Statcounter Global Stats, Search engine market share, September 2026 (worldwide, United States and United Kingdom; all platforms, desktop and mobile).
Statcounter’s figures come from page views on websites that use its tracking code, not from the search engines’ own data, and are not Microsoft figures.
How to Verify a Site in Bing Webmaster Tools at a Glance
| Step | Action | Expected result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sign in to Bing Webmaster Tools with a Microsoft, Google or Facebook account | An empty or existing Bing Webmaster Tools account |
| 2 | Decide whether to verify the whole domain or one section | You know which URL to add |
| 3 | Import the site from Google Search Console (fastest route) | The site is added and automatically verified |
| 4 | Or add the site manually by URL | Bing shows the verification options |
| 5 | Use DNS auto verification if your DNS provider supports Domain Connect | Verified within seconds, Bing says, in most cases |
| 6 | Otherwise verify with the XML file, the meta tag or a CNAME record | A green checkmark and a success message |
| 7 | Add colleagues or agencies through User management | More than one administrator on the account |
Time: a few minutes for an import; up to an hour for a manual method, longer if someone else controls DNS (our estimate). Tools: a web browser and, for manual methods, access to your web server, CMS or DNS host. Cost: none; Bing calls the account free. Skill level: beginner for the import and meta tag; intermediate for DNS.
What You Need Before Starting
- A Microsoft, Google or Facebook account to sign in with. Bing's checklist says you can also create a new Microsoft account during sign-up.
- For the import route: a Google Search Console account in which the site is already verified.
- For the XML file: permission to upload a file to the root directory of the site.
- For the meta tag: permission to edit the
<head>of the homepage, directly or through your CMS. - For DNS methods: a login to the company that hosts your domain's DNS, or a colleague who has one.
- The exact address your site uses, including
https://and whether it useswww.
Step 1: Sign In to Bing Webmaster Tools
Open Bing Webmaster Tools and sign in or sign up. Bing's Getting started checklist says you can “sign up using an existing Microsoft, Google or Facebook account”, or create a new Microsoft account by choosing Microsoft and then “Create one”.
Why it matters: the sites you add sit in the Bing Webmaster Tools account you sign in with. For a company site, we recommend an account the company controls rather than one tied to a single employee's personal email, and adding a second administrator in Step 7.
Expected result: you are signed in to a Bing Webmaster Tools account, where Bing says you can then add sites. How to verify: you can reach the option to add a site. Common mistake: creating a second Bing account for a site a colleague has already verified. Ask them to add you as a user instead (Step 7).
Step 2: Choose Whether to Verify the Whole Domain or One Section
Decide what the property should cover before you add it. Bing says you can create “a property that includes an entire domain (example.com) or a property that is limited to a single branch (example.com/clothing/)” (Add and Verify site).
How to decide (our recommendation): most companies should verify the whole domain, so that every section shows up in one set of reports. A branch property suits a team that manages only part of a larger site, such as a newsroom under /news/. You can also limit what a colleague sees later through the access scope in User management, which may be a better choice than splitting the site into several properties.
Expected result: a single URL to enter. How to verify: load that URL in a browser and confirm it is the live, final address with no redirect. Common mistake: entering a URL that redirects (for example, http:// when the site lives at https://www.). Use the address the site actually resolves to (our advice; Bing's help does not cover redirects here).
Step 3: Import the Site From Google Search Console
Choose the option to import your sites from Google Search Console if the site is already verified there. This is the quickest route because Bing reuses Google's verification.
What happens, in Bing's words (Add and Verify site): Bing Webmaster Tools “needs permission to access information from your Search Console account”; it then displays “the list of verified sites present in your Google Search Console account along with the Sitemaps and their corresponding role in each site”; you select sites and click Import; and the selected sites “will be added and get automatically verified”. The import also brings across settings such as user details and permission levels.
- Limits: “A maximum of 100 websites can be imported in one go”; repeat the import for more. The limit of 1,000 sites per Bing Webmaster Tools account still applies.
- Ongoing link: Bing “will periodically validate the site ownership status by accessing your Search Console account”, and during that check “any new sitemap found on your Search Console account will also be imported automatically”.
- Disconnecting: linked Search Console accounts are listed under the Profile section, with a Disconnect option beside each one.
Expected result: the imported sites appear in your site list without a verification prompt. How to verify: select the site and confirm its reports open. Common mistake: expecting every Search Console property to appear. Bing says the list can be shorter because some sites are “already present in your Bing Webmaster Tools account with either equal or higher permission levels”, and because some URLs “may have been normalized and grouped together”.
Step 4: Or Add the Site Manually by URL
Add the site by hand if it is not in Search Console, or if you do not want to give Bing access to your Google account. Bing says you can “add sites manually by entering the URL in the input box and clicking add”; existing users add a further site from the dropdown in the left navigation panel (Add and Verify site).
Expected result: Bing shows the ownership verification options. Bing says that if your DNS provider supports the Domain Connect protocol you will see DNS auto verification; otherwise “by default you will see the other three options”: XML file, meta tag and CNAME. How to verify: the verification screen names your site. Common mistake: mistyping the protocol or host, which leads to a property that can never verify because the file or tag is on a different address.
Step 5: Verify With DNS Auto Verification (Domain Connect)
Choose DNS auto verification if Bing offers it. Bing says it “supports Domain Connect standard to automatically detect the DNS provider and take over the CNAME insertion task”: you sign in to your DNS account when prompted and the CNAME record is added for you.
Availability: Bing says the option “will only be visible for DNS providers who have adopted Domain Connect and partnered with Bing”. If you do not see it, your provider is not one of them; use Step 6.
Expected result: Bing says that after a successful sign-in to the DNS provider, the site “will get verified in Bing Webmaster Tools within few seconds”, though “in certain cases, it may take longer” for the provider to send the ownership signal. How to verify: the green checkmark described below under How to Verify It Worked. Common mistake: signing in to the domain registrar when DNS is hosted elsewhere (for example at a CDN). Sign in where the DNS records are actually managed.
Step 6: Or Verify With the XML File, Meta Tag or CNAME Record
Pick one of the three remaining methods and follow the on-screen instructions; each proves control of a different layer of the site (Add and Verify site).
XML file authentication
Download BingSiteAuth.xml, which Bing says “contains your customized ownership verification code”, and “upload the file to the root directory of the registered site”. Before clicking verify, open https://yourdomain/BingSiteAuth.xml in a browser and confirm it loads. Suited to sites where you can place files on the server.
Meta tag authentication
Copy the <meta /> tag Bing displays and paste it “at the end of the <head> section” of your site's default page (the homepage). Bing adds: “Make sure the <head> section is followed by a <body> tag.” On a CMS, use its setting for custom head code or verification tags. Suited to sites where you can edit templates but not upload files.
Add CNAME record to DNS
Sign in to your domain hosting account and create the CNAME record using the verification code Bing provides (“series of numbers and letters”). Copy the code exactly as Bing shows it on screen rather than retyping it. Suited to sites where you control DNS but not the web server.
Expected result: after you click verify, a green checkmark and a success message. How to verify: for the file or tag, view the live page or file from a logged-out browser first; for DNS, check that the record is published before clicking verify. Common mistake: placing the meta tag on an inner page, or uploading the file to a subfolder. Bing looks for them on the default page and in the root directory.
Step 7: Add Other Users Through User Management
Add at least one more administrator once the site is verified, so access does not depend on one person. Bing's user help says “It is always a good idea to have multiple Administrators for corporate accounts”, in case an administrator changes job or leaves.
| Role | What Bing says it allows |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Control of all features and functions, including adding and delegating control to new users |
| Read/Write | Access and control of almost all features, but cannot add other users |
| Read only | Sees all features and reports; cannot change settings or add users |
Process: the new user signs up for Bing Webmaster Tools first, using a Microsoft, Facebook or Gmail account. Then, in User management, enter their email, choose a role in the Select role menu, set the Access scope (the URL path they may see) and click Add.
Expected result: the user appears in the list of users and permissions. How to verify: ask the user to sign in and confirm they see the site. Common mistake: giving an outside agency Read/Write when it only needs reports. Bing notes that Administrator and Read/Write users “can also block crawling and indexation of your website.”
How to Verify It Worked
- Success message: Bing's checklist says that if verification works “you will see a green checkmark and a message saying that your domain is successfully added”. A red cross means it failed; read the error, fix it and try again.
- Site list: the site appears in the site selector and opens without a verification prompt.
- Data: reports fill in after Bing has collected data. Bing says this “usually takes 48 hours”, and its features page says reports “are generated only after 48 hours of collecting and processing the necessary data” (features).
- URL inspection: once data is available, inspect your homepage with URL inspection to see Bing's indexed version.
What to do next: submit your sitemap in the Sitemaps tool (see how to submit a sitemap to Google and Bing), and consider setting up IndexNow so Bing hears about changed pages quickly. For a side-by-side view of what each tool reports, see Google Search Console vs Bing Webmaster Tools.
How to Choose a Verification Method
| Situation | Recommended method | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Site already verified in Google Search Console | Import from Search Console | Automatic verification; sitemaps and roles come across |
| Many sites to add | Import from Search Console | Up to 100 sites per import |
| DNS provider supports Domain Connect | DNS auto verification | Bing adds the CNAME for you |
| You can upload files to the server | XML file | Independent of templates and DNS |
| Hosted CMS with a head-code or verification setting | Meta tag | No server or DNS access needed |
| You control DNS but not the website | CNAME record | Works without touching the site |
| You do not want Bing linked to your Google account | Any manual method | The import requires granting Bing access to Search Console |
Common Problems and Fixes
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Import lists fewer sites than Search Console | Sites already in your Bing account, or URLs normalised together | Bing documents both causes; add any missing site manually |
| No DNS auto verification option | DNS provider has not adopted Domain Connect with Bing | Use the CNAME, XML file or meta tag method |
| Meta tag not found | Tag on the wrong page, outside <head>, or stripped by the CMS | Place it in the homepage <head>; view source of the live page to confirm |
| XML file not found | Uploaded to a subfolder, renamed, or blocked by the server | Upload BingSiteAuth.xml unchanged to the root and open it in a browser |
| CNAME not detected | Record not yet published, or created at the wrong DNS host | Confirm the record exists at the DNS host that serves the domain, then retry |
| Reports are empty | Site added less than about 48 hours ago | Wait; Bing says data usually takes 48 hours |
| Cannot add more sites | Account limit of 1,000 sites | Remove unused sites or use another account |
| A colleague cannot see the site | They were not added, or their access scope excludes the section | Add them in User management with the right role and scope |
What Not to Do
- Do not verify a company site only under a personal account. Consequence: access is lost when that person leaves. Correction: use a company-controlled account and add several administrators.
- Do not delete a site to “reset” it. Consequence: Bing says you “will have to reverify the site in case you want to add it again.” Correction: fix settings in place.
- Do not remove the verification file, tag or record after success. Consequence: Bing's help does not say how often it rechecks manual methods, so removing them risks losing verification. Correction: leave them in place (our recommendation).
- Do not disconnect Search Console casually. Consequence: Bing validates imported sites through that connection, and its features page says that if you disconnect the account access “you will need to reverify the previously imported sites, either manually or by importing from Google Search Console again” (Webmaster tools & features). Correction: set up a manual method before disconnecting (our recommendation).
- Do not hand out Read/Write by default. Consequence: Read/Write users can block crawling and indexing. Correction: give Read only unless the person needs to change settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bing Webmaster Tools free?
Yes. Bing's getting started checklist describes opening a free Bing Webmaster Tools account, and Bing publishes no paid tier.
Do I need a Microsoft account to use Bing Webmaster Tools?
No. Bing says you can sign up with an existing Microsoft, Google or Facebook account, or create a new Microsoft account during sign-up.
Does importing from Google Search Console verify the site automatically?
Yes. Bing says sites you select and import from a verified Search Console account are added and automatically verified, and that Bing periodically revalidates ownership through that connection.
How long does Bing Webmaster Tools verification take?
Bing says imported sites are verified on successful completion of the import, and that DNS auto verification usually completes within a few seconds but can take longer with some providers. Report data usually takes about 48 hours to appear after a site is added.
Can I verify only one section of my site in Bing?
Yes. Bing says a property can cover an entire domain such as example.com or a single branch such as example.com/clothing/. You can also limit what individual users see with the access scope setting.
How many sites can one Bing Webmaster Tools account hold?
Bing states a limit of 1,000 sites per account, and up to 100 sites per import from Search Console.
Does verifying my site in Bing improve rankings?
Bing's help does not describe verification as a ranking factor. Verification gives you access to reports and controls such as sitemaps, URL inspection and IndexNow; it does not change how Bing ranks pages.
Can I verify my site without editing its HTML?
Yes. You can import the site from Google Search Console, use DNS auto verification if your DNS provider supports Domain Connect, add a CNAME record, or upload the BingSiteAuth.xml file, none of which needs template changes.
Who can block my site from Bing inside Bing Webmaster Tools?
Bing says users with the Administrator or Read/Write role can block crawling and indexation of the website. Read only users cannot change settings.
Sources and Methodology
This guide is built from Bing Webmaster Tools help pages, read on October 8, 2026 through the help centre's own content feed because the pages load with JavaScript. We did not create an account or verify a site for this guide; menu and button names are given only where Bing's help names them, and other controls are described generically. Time estimates are ours. Bing changes its interface from time to time, so the screens you see may differ from the descriptions here.
- official Bing Webmaster Tools Help, Add and Verify site. Import from Search Console, limits, the four verification methods. Read October 8, 2026.
- official Bing Webmaster Tools Help, Getting started checklist. Sign-up accounts, success and failure indicators, reverification after deletion. Read October 8, 2026.
- official Bing Webmaster Tools Help, How to add users to your site in Webmaster Tools. Roles, access scope, multiple administrators. Read October 8, 2026.
- official Bing Webmaster Tools Help, Webmaster tools & features. Report list, 48-hour data delay, reverification after disconnecting Search Console. Read October 8, 2026.
- official Bing Webmaster Tools Help, URL Inspection. Read October 8, 2026.
- vendor research Statcounter Global Stats, Search engine market share, September 2026 figures for worldwide, United States and United Kingdom, all platforms, desktop and mobile. Read October 10, 2026.