550 4.4.7: Message expired: delivery took too long
Your server kept trying to deliver the message but couldn't, and gave up after the retry period ran out.
Temporary Often fixes itself or after a small change. Your server may retry.
What the bounce message looks like
The wording changes from one provider to another. These are typical examples:
550 4.4.7 QUEUE.Expired; message expired (Microsoft)Message delivery has been delayed and has expiredCommon causes
- The receiving server was down or unreachable for a long time
- The receiver kept deferring your mail
- A problem with the receiver's MX records
How to fix it if you sent the email
- Check the address and domain, then send the message again.
- If it keeps happening for one domain, the problem is probably on their side. Contact them another way.
If you manage the receiving or sending mail system
- Check whether you can reach the domain's mail servers from your network.
Free tool: paste the full bounce into the bounce message decoder to get a plain-English reading of every code in it.
Questions people ask
- What does 550 4.4.7 mean?
- Your server kept trying to deliver the message but couldn't, and gave up after the retry period ran out.
- Is 550 4.4.7 a hard or soft bounce?
- Temporary. Often fixes itself or after a small change. Your server may retry.
- Should I remove the address after a 4.4.7 bounce?
- Not straight away. Retry later, and remove it only if it keeps failing for weeks.