Microsoft 365 5.2.2
Submission quota exceeded
Microsoft 365 5.2.2 means: submission quota exceeded. It is a permanent failure, so do not retry it unchanged. The fix is in the sending or receiving configuration named above, not in the list. Fix that, then resend.
Microsoft 365’s exact wording
Quoted from Microsoft Learn: Email non-delivery reports and SMTP errors in Exchange Online, checked 2026-11-05. Placeholders are Microsoft 365’s own.
Provider's description
Submission quota exceeded
Possible cause
The sender exceeded the recipient rate limit or the message rate limit as described in Sending limits.
Provider's advice
This error could indicate the account was compromised and is being used to send spam.
| Who sends it | Microsoft 365, Exchange Online and Outlook.com |
|---|---|
| Basic code | Microsoft 365 lists the enhanced code only |
| Enhanced code | 5.2.2: Mailbox full |
| Permanent or temporary | Permanent (5xx) |
| Verifying the list prevents it | No |
In practice
In Exchange Online, 5.2.2 Submission quota exceeded is about the sender, not the recipient: the account went over Microsoft's recipient or message rate limit. Microsoft notes it can mean the account was compromised and used to send spam. This is a different meaning from the RFC 3463 X.2.2 mailbox-full code. Microsoft 365 limits each mailbox to 10,000 recipients a day. If you hit it, look at the account's sent items for mail you did not send.
What the sender should do
The fix is in the sending or receiving configuration named above, not in the list. Fix that, then resend.
Would verifying the list have prevented Microsoft 365 5.2.2?
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 Microsoft 365 5.2.2 mean?
- Microsoft 365 5.2.2 means: submission quota exceeded. It is a permanent failure, so do not retry it unchanged. The fix is in the sending or receiving configuration named above, not in the list. Fix that, then resend.
- Should I retry after Microsoft 365 5.2.2?
- No. It is a permanent (5xx) failure, so the same message to the same address will fail again. Fix the cause first. The fix is in the sending or receiving configuration named above, not in the list. Fix that, then resend.
- Would verifying my list have prevented Microsoft 365 5.2.2?
- 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.
The same code elsewhere
Sources
- Microsoft Learn: Email non-delivery reports and SMTP errors in Exchange Online (checked 2026-11-05)
- IANA: SMTP Enhanced Status Codes registry (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