Bounce with 5.4.1: 'recipient address rejected, access denied'
5.4.1 points to a routing or access issue at the recipient. The address may exist, but a rule or connector blocks it.
support/email-aflevering/ndr-code-541steps: 4
Try this first
- Ask the recipient to check whether your address is blocked
- Check transport rules in their Exchange Online tenant
- Send a test from a different domain to rule out a sender issue
- On hybrid setups: check connector routing between on-prem and cloud
When to bring us in
5.4.1 can't be fixed on the sending side if the recipient denies access, they have to look.
See also
- Our emails land in spam for some recipientsAlmost always an SPF, DKIM, or DMARC setting that is wrong or missing, or a sender name that mimics a well-known brand.
- Someone reports receiving phishing emails "from us"Read: spoofing. Someone is abusing your sender name, not necessarily your actual mailbox.
- An email bounces (NDR): delivery failedThe NDR text usually states the exact reason. Reading it is step one.
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