Summary
The bounce message 'Recipient address rejected: Access denied' signifies the receiving server is refusing to accept the email. Common reasons include: the recipient address being invalid or non-existent (often a hard bounce), the recipient's mailbox being full, the user account being disabled, security policies or anti-spam measures blocking the sender (potentially due to spam concerns or not meeting security requirements), issues with the recipient's email server, Directory Based Edge Blocking (DBEB) where the recipient isn't in the organization's directory, or temporary issues like Active Directory lookup failures. In hybrid Office 365 environments, the address may not exist at the Office 365 gateway. It's often treated as a hard bounce, prompting addresses to be added to block lists.
Key findings
- Hard Bounce: Frequently indicates a hard bounce, meaning a permanent delivery failure.
- Recipient Issue: Points to a problem on the recipient's side, such as an invalid address or full mailbox.
- Security Measures: Can be due to the sender being blocked by the recipient's security policies or anti-spam filters.
- DBEB: Directory Based Edge Blocking may be in effect, rejecting addresses not in the directory.
- Hybrid Environments: Hybrid Office 365 implementations can sometimes cause false positives.
- Server Configuration: Misconfigured servers on the recipient side can also lead to the bounce message.
Key considerations
- Verify Address: Double-check the recipient's email address for accuracy.
- Monitor Reputation: Maintain a good sender reputation to avoid being flagged as spam.
- Address Whitelisting: If using DBEB, ensure recipients are added to the directory.
- Recipient Side Issues: If the issues persist it may be due to the recipient side configuration. Contacting them outside of the email may be necessary.
- Blacklisting Checks: Ensure your server is not blacklisted, this will reduce the deliverability rate.
What email marketers say
9 marketer opinions
The bounce message 'Recipient address rejected: Access denied' indicates that the receiving server refused to accept the email. This can be due to several reasons, including the recipient's address being invalid or non-existent (a hard bounce), security policies or anti-spam measures blocking the sender, the recipient's mailbox being full, the recipient's server having configuration issues, or directory-based edge blocking (DBEB). In hybrid Office 365 environments, it may indicate the address doesn't exist at the Office 365 gateway. The message often leads to adding the address to a block list.
Key opinions
- Hard Bounce: The bounce message often indicates a hard bounce, meaning the email address is permanently invalid.
- Security Policies: Receiving servers might reject the email due to security policies, anti-spam measures, or sender restrictions.
- Address Doesn't Exist: The recipient address may not exist at the specified domain, especially in hybrid Office 365 setups.
- Block Listing: A common practice is to add addresses generating this bounce to a block list to prevent future bounces.
Key considerations
- Invalid Address: Verify the recipient's email address for typos or inaccuracies.
- Sender Reputation: Ensure your sending domain and IP address are not blacklisted and have a good reputation.
- Server Configuration: Check your email server's configuration to ensure it complies with the recipient's server's security requirements.
- Hybrid Environments: Be aware that hybrid Office 365 setups can sometimes generate false positives for this bounce message.
- DBEB: Consider that Directory Based Edge Blocking could be the reason for the bounce.
Marketer view
Email marketer from EmailAcademy explains that 'Recipient address rejected: Access denied' can indicate that the receiving server has blocked the sender's domain or IP address due to spam concerns, or because the email does not meet the server's security requirements.
6 Aug 2022 - EmailAcademy
Marketer view
Email marketer from Web Hosting Talk forum explains that this error message can be due to many reasons. It can be the recipient's server being down or not configured correctly or it may be a problem with the sender's email configuration.
17 Nov 2023 - Web Hosting Talk
What the experts say
6 expert opinions
The bounce message 'Recipient address rejected: Access denied' suggests the receiving server is refusing to accept the email. Experts indicate this could be due to several reasons including: the recipient being unknown or considered a spam source, the user's mailbox being full, security or policy settings on the recipient's server rejecting the email, failure to look up the user in Active Directory (potentially a temporary issue), the user forwarding mail to an address that's rejecting it, or the user having left the company resulting in an invalid email address.
Key opinions
- Multiple Causes: The bounce can stem from various issues on either the sending or receiving end.
- Recipient-Side Rejection: The receiving server is actively refusing the email, not just failing to deliver it.
- Permanent or Temporary: The cause can be permanent (invalid user) or temporary (Active Directory lookup failure).
- Security/Policy: The email can be rejected due to security or policy issues.
Key considerations
- Verify Recipient: Confirm the recipient's email address is correct and active.
- Check Forwarding: If possible, determine if the recipient is forwarding their email and if the forwarded address is rejecting it.
- Monitor for Trends: If the bounce is suspected to be temporary, monitor subsequent attempts to see if the issue resolves itself.
- Investigate Active Directory: If Active Directory issues are suspected, investigate the recipient's status in the directory.
- Contact Recipient (Carefully): If appropriate, and without being intrusive, consider contacting the recipient through an alternative channel to confirm their email address.
- Spam Filtering: It may be that you are being blocked by a spam filter, this needs to be investigated
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says they have always treated 'recipient rejected - invalid user'.
12 May 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks suggests the bounce might be caused by a failure to look up the user in Active Directory, implying it could be a temporary issue. They also mention it can be caused if the user is forwarding mail and the forwarded address rejects it.
10 May 2022 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
The bounce message 'Recipient address rejected: Access denied' typically points to issues on the recipient's side. It's generally categorized as a hard bounce, indicating a permanent delivery failure, often due to an invalid or non-existent email address. It can also arise from Directory Based Edge Blocking (DBEB), where messages are blocked if the recipient isn't in the organization's directory. Other potential causes include a full mailbox, a disabled user account, or general problems with the recipient's email server configuration or recipient domain.
Key findings
- Hard Bounce Category: Generally classified as a hard bounce, implying a permanent issue.
- Invalid Recipient: Often linked to an invalid or non-existent recipient email address.
- DBEB Implementation: May result from Directory Based Edge Blocking (DBEB) policies.
- Server/Account Issues: Can stem from issues with the recipient's email server configuration or account status (full, disabled).
Key considerations
- Address Validation: Ensure the recipient's email address is valid and correctly entered.
- DBEB Awareness: Be aware of DBEB practices at the recipient's organization, which might require prior whitelisting.
- Recipient Server Issues: Consider that the problem may be related to the recipient side email configuration and may not be something the sender can solve.
- Monitor Bounce Types: Pay attention to bounce codes and messages to categorize and handle bounces appropriately.
Technical article
Documentation from Postmark goes into detail about the different types of SMTP bounce codes which include the reason 'Recipient address rejected: Access denied', this is a permanent hard bounce due to a number of reasons from recipient doesn't exist to it being rejected for policy reasons.
31 Mar 2023 - PostMark
Technical article
Documentation from Exclaimer indicates that 'Recipient address rejected: Access denied' is generally categorised as a hard bounce, meaning the delivery failed due to a permanent issue. This is commonly due to the recipient's email address being invalid or non-existent.
27 Sep 2024 - Exclaimer
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