Microsoft (Outlook.com and Microsoft 365) · permanent error
550 5.2.240: HVE account not set up correctly
The account used to submit the message is not configured correctly for High Volume Email, so the submission was rejected.
- Microsoft
- Provider
- Permanent (5xx)
- Class
- Sources checked
- Author
At a glance
- Code
- 550 5.2.240
- 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 5.2.240 The email account is not set up properly for the HVE service.
What it means
Only accounts set up for HVE can submit through the HVE service. When an application authenticates with an account that is not configured correctly for it, Exchange Online rejects the submission with 550 5.2.240 and tells the user to contact their administrator. The admin should check the sending account's configuration against Microsoft's steps for configuring an application or device to send with HVE.
Common causes
- The application uses a regular mailbox or an incompletely configured HVE account.
- The HVE account was changed or removed after the application was set up.
How to fix it
- 01Admins: confirm the account exists as an HVE account in the Exchange admin center.
- 02Check its configuration against Microsoft's guide to configuring applications and devices to send with HVE.
- 03Update the application's credentials and endpoint (smtp.hve.mx.microsoft) if they are wrong.
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
- Manage High Volume Email for Microsoft 365learn.microsoft.com
Related codes
Further reading
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