Gmail 554 5.4.6
Message exceeded 50 hops
Gmail 554 5.4.6 means: message exceeded 50 hops. It is a permanent failure, so do not retry it unchanged. The message looped between servers more than 50 times. Check forwarding rules and relay connectors for a loop.
Gmail’s exact wording
Quoted from Google Workspace Admin Help: Gmail SMTP errors and codes, checked 2026-11-05. Placeholders are Gmail’s own.
Reply text
Message exceeded 50 hops, this may show a mail loop. For details, go to SMTP relay service error messages.
| Who sends it | Gmail and Google Workspace |
|---|---|
| Basic code | 554: Transaction failed (Or, in the case of a connection-opening response, "No SMTP service here") (RFC) |
| Enhanced code | 5.4.6: Routing loop detected |
| Permanent or temporary | Permanent (5xx) |
| Verifying the list prevents it | No |
In practice
Google stops a message after 50 hops and treats it as a loop. Loops usually come from forwarding rules or relay connectors that send mail back and forth, such as a Workspace route that sends to an on-premises server which sends it back. Check routing and forwarding settings on both sides. The recipient address is not the problem. The original message is not delivered.
What the sender should do
The message looped between servers more than 50 times. Check forwarding rules and relay connectors for a loop.
Would verifying the list have prevented Gmail 554 5.4.6?
No
This reply is about your sending setup, the message or the receiving system, not about whether the address exists, so verifying the list will not prevent it.
Common questions
- What does Gmail 554 5.4.6 mean?
- Gmail 554 5.4.6 means: message exceeded 50 hops. It is a permanent failure, so do not retry it unchanged. The message looped between servers more than 50 times. Check forwarding rules and relay connectors for a loop.
- Should I retry after Gmail 554 5.4.6?
- No. It is a permanent (5xx) failure, so the same message to the same address will fail again. Fix the cause first. The message looped between servers more than 50 times. Check forwarding rules and relay connectors for a loop.
- Would verifying my list have prevented Gmail 554 5.4.6?
- No. This reply is about your sending setup, the message or the receiving system, not about whether the address exists, so verifying the list will not prevent it.
Sources
- Google Workspace Admin Help: Gmail SMTP errors and codes (checked 2026-11-05)
- IANA: SMTP Enhanced Status Codes registry (checked 2026-11-05)
- RFC 5321: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, section 4.2.3 (reply codes) (checked 2026-11-05)
Registry and provider wording is quoted exactly; guidance is written by the SimpleVerifier Team.
SimpleVerifier Team · Last checked against the sources 2026-11-05