SMTP Error Encyclopedia · Entry 042

Recipient address rejected: access denied

Generic · Routing · 550 5.4.1

Exact response pattern550 5.4.1 Recipient address rejected: Access denied
PermanentGenericRouting

What it means

The receiving gateway rejects delivery to the addressed route or tenant.

Likely causes

  • Wrong tenant or routing target.
  • Recipient domain not accepted by the gateway.
  • Directory-based edge blocking.

Recommended response

  1. Verify MX records and tenant routing.
  2. Confirm the recipient exists in the destination organization.
Operational rule: Preserve the complete SMTP response, remote hostname, sending IP, envelope sender and timestamp. Never diagnose from the three-digit code alone.

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