550 5.2.1 — The email account you tried to reach is inactive (Gmail)
PermanentRecipient's side
Retrying will not help. The message will not be delivered.
The reply
550 5.2.1 The email account that you tried to reach is inactive.The account exists but has been disabled — suspended by Google, switched off by a Workspace administrator, or left unused long enough to be deactivated. Treat it as permanent.
What it means
Distinct from 5.1.1: the address is not unknown, it is switched off. Practically the difference does not matter, because mail to it will not be delivered and the sender cannot change that. A Workspace administrator could re-enable it, which is why it is worth telling the customer if you have another way to reach them.
Why it happens
- A Workspace administrator suspended or archived the user.
- Google disabled the account for a terms violation.
- A personal Gmail account left unused long enough to be deactivated.
- An employee who left, whose mailbox was switched off rather than forwarded.
What to do
- Suppress the address. It will not start working on its own.
- If it is a business contact, reach them another way and ask for a current address.
- Do not retry — the deactivation is not a transient state.
Questions
Could it come back?
A Workspace administrator can re-enable a suspended user, so yes in principle. But you will not know when, and retrying blindly costs more than asking the person directly.
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