5.7.501: sending account banned for spam abuse
Microsoft 365 banned the sending account after detecting spam from it; Microsoft support has to restore its ability to send.
- Microsoft
- Provider
- Permanent (5xx)
- Class
- Sources checked
- Author
At a glance
- Code
- 5.7.501
- 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
5.7.501 Access denied, spam abuse detected
What it means
Microsoft lists 5.7.501 for a sending account that was banned because of detected spam activity. Unlike a temporary deferral, the account stays blocked until someone acts. Microsoft's guidance is to make sure the account's issues, usually a compromise, are resolved, reset its credentials, and then contact Microsoft Support through your regular channel to have sending restored. Its table also links the code to the 4.7.500 to 4.7.699 throttling article, but the remedy it gives is the support route.
Common causes
- The account was compromised and used to send spam.
- The account, or an application using it, sent mail that Microsoft classified as spam.
How to fix it
- 01Secure the account: reset its password and remove anything an attacker added, such as forwarding or inbox rules.
- 02Confirm the spam has stopped across the tenant.
- 03Contact Microsoft Support through your regular channel to restore sending.
Sources
What this page rests on, checked on 20 Oct 2026. The explanation is ours; the reply text is the server's.
- Email nondelivery reports and SMTP errors in Exchange Onlinelearn.microsoft.com
Related codes
- 5.7.502–503Banned sender account.Microsoft 365 banned the sending account for detected spam activity; codes 5.7.502 and 5.7.503 carry the same description.
- 550 5.1.8Account blocked for sending spam.Microsoft 365 has blocked this user from sending because the account sent spam or exceeded its sending limits, usually after a compromise.
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