Gmail and Google Workspace · permanent error
550 5.2.1: recipient account is inactive
The Gmail account you wrote to is disabled or inactive, so it cannot receive mail, and Gmail rejected your message permanently.
- Gmail
- Provider
- Permanent (5xx)
- Class
- Sources checked
- Author
At a glance
- Code
- 550 5.2.1
- Provider
- Gmail and Google Workspace
- Temporary or permanent
- PermanentRefused for good: the message comes back to the sender, and resending it gets the same answer.
- Who has to act
- The sender. The fix is on the sending side: your domain, your server or your list.
- What the server says
550 5.2.1 The email account that you tried to reach is inactive.
What it means
The address belongs to an account that exists but cannot receive mail, because it has been disabled or has stopped being used. Google links this reply to its help page for disabled users. For a sender it works much like an unknown user: the message will not be delivered, and continuing to mail inactive accounts is a sign of a stale list. Remove the address unless the person tells you, through another channel, that the account is back in use.
Common causes
- The account was disabled or suspended, by Google or by a Workspace admin.
- The account has gone unused for a long time.
- An old address on your list that its owner abandoned.
How to fix it
- 01Remove the address from your lists.
- 02If you need to reach the person, ask for a current address through another channel.
- 03Review your list for other addresses that have not engaged for a long time, and remove them before they bounce too.
Sources
What this page rests on, checked on 20 Oct 2026. The explanation is ours; the reply text is the server's.
- Gmail SMTP errors and codes (Google Workspace Admin Help)knowledge.workspace.google.com
Related codes
- 550 5.1.1Recipient address does not exist.There is no Gmail or Google Workspace account at the address you wrote to, so Gmail rejected the message permanently.
- 550Mailbox unavailable.The receiving server permanently refused the message for this recipient: the mailbox does not exist, cannot be reached, or the server rejected the message by policy.
- 5.2.1Mailbox disabled.The recipient's mailbox exists but has been switched off and is refusing messages, for a while or for good depending on the class of the code.
Further reading
All 108 Gmail codesEvery code in the wikiPaste your own bounce