Overview
The ‘550 Requested Action Not Taken: Email address does not exist’ issue relates to the email client and not your SMTP plugin’s configuration. It indicates that the recipient’s email address you’re trying to send to is invalid or doesn’t exist.
Causes
This error typically occurs when:
- The recipient’s email address is misspelled or contains typos
- The email address has been deactivated or deleted
- The domain of the email address no longer exists
- There’s a temporary problem with the recipient’s mail server
Solution
Since this error is related to the email recipient and not your SMTP plugin, we suggest the following:
- Double-checking the recipient’s email address for any spelling errors or typos
- Verifying with the intended recipient that their email address is still active
- Checking if the domain of the email address is valid and operational
- Waiting for a short period and trying to send the email again in case of temporary server issues
That’s it! Now you know how to troubleshoot and handle the ‘550 Requested Action Not Taken: Email address does not exist’ error.
Want to learn more about improving email deliverability and reducing bounce rates? Be sure to check out our complete guide to WP Mail SMTP mailers.