Fix bounced or rejected emails

For a number of reasons, recipients’ email servers can reject emails that you send. Gmail returns a message reflecting the response provided by the recipient’s server.

Below, find common error messages that you might encounter. Understand why your message bounced and how to fix the problem. 

Interpret common bounce replies

"The email account that you tried to reach" does not exist

Why your message bounced

Your recipient's address might not work or exist anymore. Or, you might’ve entered it with a typo.

What you can do

  1. Check for these common mistakes in the address you're emailing:
    • Quotation marks
    • Dots at the end of the address
    • Spaces before or after an address
    • Spelling errors
  2. Search your contacts for a different address that the same person uses.

If you got this error while emailing someone at your work, school, or other organization, contact your administrator.

"Message flagged as spam" or "Message temporarily rejected"

Why your message bounced

  • Your message text or links look suspicious.
  • You added a large group of recipients to Cc or Bcc.

What you can do

  1. Remove links to websites asking for personal information.
  2. If you're emailing a large group, create a group with Google Groups, then email that group.
    Find out how to create a group.
"Recipient server did not accept our requests"

Why your message bounced

You'll get this error message if Gmail can’t connect to your recipient’s email server.

What you can do

The problem usually goes away quickly without you doing anything. Try sending the email again later.

If you continue to get the error:

  1. Check if there are any mistakes in the recipient's email address.
  2. Contact the customer support team of your recipient's email provider.

If you got this error while emailing someone at your work, school, or other organization, contact your administrator.

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