5.2.2 Microsoft bounce: submission quota exceeded
What 5.2.2 means
Your account exceeded its message or recipient submission quota in Exchange Online, so it cannot send more until the quota resets.
Message text
Submission quota exceeded
Common causes of 5.2.2
- Sender exceeded the recipient rate limit or the message rate limit in the sending limits
How to fix 5.2.2
- Stop sending from that account and retry after the quota window resets.
- If you did not expect this volume, treat the account as compromised and reset its credentials.
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How to read 5.2.2
The second part, 5.2.2, is an enhanced status code (RFC 3463 §2) written class.subject.detail. Class 5 is a Permanent failure (5xx): the command was rejected and the sender should not repeat it unchanged (RFC 5321 §4.2.1; RFC 3463 §2).. Subject 2 is mailbox: a problem with the recipient mailbox, such as full, disabled or unknown. The detail number refines the subject, and providers may define details of their own, which is why one code can read differently at Gmail, Microsoft and Yahoo.
Do not keep resending the same message: a permanent failure repeats until the cause is fixed. Correct the cause, then send a new message.
Official source: learn.microsoft.com. Last verified 2026-10-20.
Related guides
- How to create an SPF record (syntax and examples)
- How DKIM works and how to publish a DKIM record
- How to set up a DMARC record, from p=none to p=reject
Related codes
- 5.2.2 SMTP: mailbox full
- 552 5.2.2 Gmail: inbox full and inactive
- 5.2.3 SMTP: message too large
- 5.2.121 Microsoft: per-sender hourly limit
- 5.2.122 Microsoft: recipient hourly receive cap
- 550 5.2.1 Gmail: recipient mailbox inactive
FAQ
What does 5.2.2 mean?
Your account exceeded its message or recipient submission quota in Exchange Online, so it cannot send more until the quota resets. This is a permanent failure.
How do I fix 5.2.2?
Stop sending from that account and retry after the quota window resets. If you did not expect this volume, treat the account as compromised and reset its credentials.
Is 5.2.2 permanent, and should I retry?
5.2.2 is a permanent failure, so retrying the same message will fail again. Fix the cause first, then send a new message.