432: password transition needed
A temporary reply to a login attempt: the user has to move to the authentication method that was requested, which is usually done by logging in once with the PLAIN method.
- Standard
- Provider
- Temporary (4xx)
- Class
- Sources checked
- Author
At a glance
- Code
- 432
- Provider
- Standard SMTP codes
- Temporary or permanent
- TemporaryThe sending server keeps the message and tries again later.
- Who has to act
- The sender. The fix is on the sending side: your domain, your server or your list.
- What the server says
432 A password transition is needed
What it means
RFC 4954, the SMTP authentication standard, defines 432 with enhanced code 4.7.12 for a user who has to make a transition to the authentication mechanism the client selected. The RFC says this is typically done by logging in once with PLAIN, after which the selected mechanism should work in later sessions. As a 4xx reply it is temporary: no mail is lost and the client can try again. PLAIN carries the password in base64, which anyone can decode, so that one login belongs on a connection protected by TLS. The registry also lists reply 422 for the same enhanced code.
Common causes
- A server that can only set up the requested mechanism after it has seen the password once through PLAIN.
- A newly created or migrated account that has no stored credentials yet for the mechanism the client chose.
How to fix it
- 01Switch the client to the plain password method over TLS for one login, then switch back.
- 02Retry later with the original mechanism once that login has succeeded.
- 03If it keeps happening, ask the server's administrator to check the account's credential setup.
Sources
What this page rests on, checked on 20 Oct 2026. The explanation is ours; the reply text is the server's.
Related codes
- 432 4.7.12Password transition needed.A temporary login reply: the user has to move to the authentication method that was requested, which is usually done by logging in once with the PLAIN method.
- 535Authentication credentials invalid.The server rejected the login because the username, password or token is wrong or not sufficient for this account, so no mail is sent.
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