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554 Transaction failed

A general refusal. The server decided not to accept the message and gave a reason in the text, most often that it looks like spam or comes from a blocked address.

554 Transaction failed

Permanent: retrying will not help

A general refusal. The server decided not to accept the message and gave a reason in the text, most often that it looks like spam or comes from a blocked address.

Usual causes
  • The sending address or domain is on a blocklist.
  • The message was judged to be spam.
  • The recipient’s server does not accept mail from your address for policy reasons.
What to do
  • Read the text. It usually names the reason or links to a page about it.
  • Check your domain and sending address against blocklists, and your SPF, DKIM and DMARC records.
  • Review the content for things spam filters dislike: short links, all-capital subjects, image-only emails.

Usually the fault of: either.

Common questions.

What does 554 mean?

A general refusal. The server decided not to accept the message and gave a reason in the text, most often that it looks like spam or comes from a blocked address.

Will retrying fix 554?

No. It is a permanent failure, so retrying the same message will not help, and repeated attempts can hurt your sending reputation. Fix the cause first.

How do I fix 554?

Read the text. It usually names the reason or links to a page about it. Check your domain and sending address against blocklists, and your SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. Review the content for things spam filters dislike: short links, all-capital subjects, image-only emails.

Other codes: 250 · 421 · 450 · 451 · 452 · 500 · 501 · 503 · Decode a whole bounce message

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