553 5.1.2: recipient domain not found
Gmail could not find the domain in the recipient address, so it has nowhere to deliver the message and rejected it.
- Gmail
- Provider
- Permanent (5xx)
- Class
- Sources checked
- Author
At a glance
- Code
- 553 5.1.2
- 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
553 5.1.2 We weren't able to find the recipient domain.
What it means
Gmail could not find the domain after the @ in the recipient's address. You usually see this when sending from Gmail or Workspace, or through Google's SMTP servers, to an address whose domain is mistyped, has expired, or does not resolve in DNS. Google's reply asks you to check for spelling errors and to make sure you did not type any spaces, periods or other punctuation after the address. It is permanent: retries change nothing until the address is corrected or the domain's DNS is fixed.
Common causes
- A typo in the domain part of the address, such as gmial.com.
- Punctuation or a space typed after the address.
- A domain that has expired or been deleted.
- A DNS problem on the recipient's domain.
How to fix it
- 01Check the spelling of the domain and remove anything typed after the address.
- 02Look up the domain's MX records to see whether it can receive mail.
- 03If the domain is real but fails, tell the recipient another way so their admin can fix its DNS.
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
- 553 5.1.3Recipient address is not valid.Gmail rejected the recipient address because it is not written in a form the SMTP standard allows, so nothing can be sent to it.
- 553Mailbox name not allowed.The server refused the address because the mailbox name is not allowed there, most often because it is written incorrectly.
- 5.1.2Recipient domain cannot receive mail.The part of the address after the @ names a domain that does not exist or cannot accept mail, so the message cannot be delivered there.
Further reading
All 108 Gmail codesEvery code in the wikiPaste your own bounce