Why am I not receiving Microsoft SNDS authorization emails or experiencing delays?

Key findings

• System incidents: Delays in SNDS authorization emails are frequently attributed to temporary internal issues or outages within Microsoft's systems.
• Significant delays: Authorization emails, when they do arrive, can take anywhere from a few hours to over 20 hours to be delivered, indicating a backlog or processing delay rather than outright rejection.
• Communication challenges: Direct communication with the SNDS support team can be slow, sometimes resulting in a lack of immediate updates or resolution during an ongoing issue.
• Resolution confirmation: Once a systemic issue is resolved, a large volume of pending authorization emails may be delivered simultaneously.

Key considerations

• Check deliverability: Before assuming a Microsoft issue, ensure your own email infrastructure is healthy. This includes proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configurations, and that your IPs are not on any significant blocklists.
• Patience and follow-up: Given the potential for significant delays, allow ample time (up to 24 hours) for authorization emails to arrive before initiating further troubleshooting or contact.
• Monitor industry channels: Keep an eye on mail operator mailing lists (like Mailop) or community forums, as issues with SNDS are often widely discussed if they are systemic. Checking resources like the Data Axle blog can also provide insights.
• Contact support: If delays persist after thorough internal checks, contact Microsoft's SNDS support. Provide them with as much detail as possible, including the IP addresses, domains, and timestamps of your authorization requests.

Key opinions

• Widespread issue: Many marketers report experiencing the same problem simultaneously, suggesting a shared, systemic cause rather than isolated incidents for individual senders.
• Lack of transparency: A common complaint is the lack of immediate communication or status updates from Microsoft regarding ongoing issues affecting SNDS authorizations.
• Impact on operations: Delays in SNDS authorization can impede the onboarding of new IPs or domains, affecting warming processes and overall deliverability monitoring.
• Eventual resolution: Despite the frustration, the issues are typically resolved, resulting in the delivery of pending authorization emails, albeit after significant delays.

Key considerations

• Proactive monitoring: Regularly check your SNDS accounts and logs for any anomalies in authorization email delivery. Consistent monitoring is key.
• External factors: Consider if the delays align with any known Microsoft service disruptions or if your emails are encountering issues like SMTP 550 errors, which could prevent these critical emails from arriving.
• Community engagement: Participate in email deliverability communities or forums (like Email Geeks) to identify if others are experiencing similar issues, confirming if it's a shared problem.
• Alternative verification: While awaiting SNDS authorization, focus on other aspects of deliverability, such as ensuring strong authentication and maintaining good sender reputation, as suggested by SendLayer.

Key opinions

• Mailop community: Discussions on mail operator mailing lists often serve as the first indicator of a widespread issue with Microsoft services, including SNDS.
• Microsoft's awareness: If enough reports accumulate, Microsoft staff, such as those active in the Mailop community, become aware and may escalate the issue internally for a fix.
• Event-driven fixes: Resolutions often come as a direct result of these escalations, leading to a sudden influx of previously delayed emails once the underlying problem is addressed.
• Predictability: Such incidents, while frustrating, are typically temporary system glitches rather than indicative of a sender's poor reputation.

Key considerations

• Stay informed: Subscribe to industry mailing lists and forums where deliverability experts share real-time insights into ISP issues. This allows for quicker diagnosis of systemic problems.
• Review authentication: Even during Microsoft-side issues, ensuring your own DKIM and SPF records are correctly configured and aligned is paramount. Sometimes, subtle authentication flaws can contribute to delays.
• Patience is key: Recognize that some issues are beyond individual sender control and require Microsoft's internal resolution. Continuously resubmitting requests may not expedite the process.
• Understand context: As noted by SendGrid's support, knowing what SNDS is and if you need it is the first step to leveraging it effectively for your deliverability strategy.

Key findings

• Reputation dependence: Microsoft heavily relies on sender reputation and authentication signals (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to determine inbox placement. Issues with these can affect any email, including SNDS authorizations.
• Internal blocklists: Microsoft manages its own internal blocklists, which can reject emails from IP addresses or IP networks, potentially including the very SNDS authorization emails if the sender (Microsoft's system) faces an issue.
• SMTP errors: Unauthorized or unverified messages may result in specific SMTP errors (e.g., 550 5.7.X), rather than just being sent to spam. This can indicate a hard bounce, meaning the authorization email might not even reach its destination.
• SNDS purpose: SNDS is designed to provide data on sending IP reputation and spam complaints, indicating its core function as a feedback loop for senders, which requires successful email delivery for data authorization.

Key considerations

• Sender compliance: Ensure your sending practices comply with Microsoft's guidelines, including proper authentication and low complaint rates. This helps prevent your own infrastructure from causing issues.
• DNS configuration: A hidden SPF DNS timeout can cause emails to fail at Microsoft. Regularly check your SPF record against Microsoft's requirements.
• Monitor blocklists: Even if the issue is with Microsoft's internal systems, understanding their reliance on external blocklists (like Spamhaus) can provide context for potential general deliverability issues. Creoline's help center provides more detail on this.
• Review bounce codes: If you receive bounce messages for your SNDS authorization requests, analyze the SMTP error codes. These codes provide specific reasons for non-delivery, which can help diagnose whether the issue is on your end or Microsoft's.