---
title: "Email error 552"
description: "A 552 email error is typically ecountered when there is a problem related to an attachement in your email. Either it has exceeded the size limits of the remote server, or the file-type isn't allowed..."
url: https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/email/email-error-552/
date: 2012-10-26
modified: 2021-08-16
author: "InMotion Hosting Contributor"
categories: ["Email", "Website Error Numbers"]
type: post
lang: en
---

# Email error 552

A **552 email error** is typically ecountered when there is a problem related to an attachement in your email. Either it has exceeded the size limits of the remote server, or the file-type isn’t allowed by the remote server. Some mail servers also seem to use this error code incorrectly when blocking a message due to triggering a filter such as a URL in the message being found in a domain black list.

You should receive a bounce-back message from the server with a variation of **email error 552** in the subject, and the body should contain your original message that you attempted to deliver.

## Example of a 552 bounce-back message

Return-path: <>
Envelope-to: **sender@example.com**
Delivery-date: Mon, 22 Oct 2012 11:30:14 -0700
Received: from mailnull by biz24.inmotionhosting.com with local (Exim 4.77)
id 1TQMlS-0005G9-3e
for **sender@example.com**; Mon, 22 Oct 2012 11:30:14 -0700
X-Failed-Recipients: **recipient@RemoteDomain.com**
Auto-Submitted: auto-replied
From: Mail Delivery System
To: **sender@example.com**
Subject: Mail delivery failed: returning message to sender
Message-Id:
Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2012 11:30:14 -0700

This message was created automatically by mail delivery software.

A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its
recipients. This is a permanent error. The following address(es) failed:

**recipient@RemoteDomain.com**
SMTP error from remote mail server after end of data:
host RemoteDomain.com [123.123.123.123]:
**552 5.3.4 Message size exceeds fixed maximum message size**

—— This is a copy of the message, including all the headers. ——
—— The body of the message is 10672605 characters long; only the first
—— 106496 or so are included here.

Return-path: <**sender@example.com**>
Received: from comcast.net ([123.123.123]:33534 helo=Admin)
by biz24.inmotionhosting.com with esmtpsa (TLSv1:AES128-SHA:128)
(Exim 4.77)
(envelope-from <**sender@example.com**>)
id 1TQMjz-0004Ug-Sz; Mon, 22 Oct 2012 11:29:42 -0700
From: Sender <**sender@example.com**>
Subject: Annual report
Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:29:18 -0400
To: Recipient <**recipient@RemoteDomain.com**>

## Common variations of the 552 email error

- 552 5.2.2 mailbox quota exceeded for this recipient
- 552 5.2.2 User mailstore exceeded quota limit
- 552 5.2.3 Message exceeds local size limit.
- 552 5.2.3 message size exceeds fixed maximum message size
- 552 5.3.4 Message size exceeds fixed limit
- 552 5.3.4 Message size exceeds fixed maximum message size
- 552 5.3.4 message size limit exceeded at MAIL FROM
- 552 Backend Replied [mxlogic.net]: 5.3.4 Message size exceeds fixed maximum
- 552 mail size or count over quota.
- 552 message size exceeds maximum message size
- 552 size limit exceeded
- 552 too many messages in this mail box.
- 552 Transaction failed, remote said “550 failed: User does not exist.”

- 552-Requested mail action aborted: exceeded storage allocationn
- 552-5.2.2 The email account that you tried to reach is over quota.
- 552-5.2.3 Your message exceeded Google’s message size limits. Please visitn
- 552-5.7.0 Our system detected an illegal attachment on your message. Pleasen

- 552 Virus found inside of the email
- 552 5.2.0 Remote MTA 74.124.198.61: An URL contained in this message is blacklisted by SURBL. See https://www.surbl.org

## Resolving a 552 email error bounceback

The 552 series of errors can sometimes be a soft or hard bounce. For a more in-depth review of what a soft or hard bounce is, and general email bounceback reasons you can read [why does email bounce, bounceback, or error?](/support/email/email-bounce-bounceback-error/)

In our example bounce-back error above the reason the message has failed is because the server for **RemoteDomains.com **has a fixed message size limit. The attempted message exceeded this limit so it was not accepted and generated this bounce-back error.