Why are Microsoft 365 emails being rate limited by Gmail and how can I fix it?

Summary

Gmail rate limits Microsoft 365 emails due to a combination of factors: Gmail's protection mechanisms against spam, poor sending practices from the sender, and issues with authentication. Specific problems include missing or misconfigured DKIM records, reliance on SPF alone, sending high volumes of emails without proper warm-up, poor sender reputation, and inadequate list hygiene. To fix this, it's recommended to implement proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) with your own domain, warm up IP addresses, monitor sender reputation with tools like Google Postmaster Tools, segment and clean email lists, improve engagement metrics, avoid spam trigger words, and adhere to Gmail's and Microsoft's sending guidelines.

Key findings

  • Gmail Protection: Gmail implements rate limits to protect users from spam and abuse, as a standard practice.
  • Authentication Issues: Missing or misconfigured DKIM, or relying solely on SPF, leads to deliverability problems.
  • Volume and Reputation: High email volume and a poor sender reputation significantly contribute to rate limiting.
  • IP Warm-up Needed: Gradually warming up IP addresses builds a positive sending reputation.
  • List Management: Poor list hygiene, including inactive or invalid addresses, harms sender reputation.
  • Engagement Matters: Low engagement metrics negatively impact sender reputation.

Key considerations

  • Implement DKIM: Configure DKIM with your own domain (not onmicrosoft.com) for email authentication.
  • Authentication Protocols: Use SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for email authentication to verify sender identity.
  • Monitor Reputation: Regularly check your sender reputation using Google Postmaster Tools or similar.
  • Manage Lists: Segment email lists for targeted content and remove inactive subscribers.
  • Review Guidelines: Adhere to Gmail's bulk sender guidelines to improve deliverability.
  • Warm Up IP: Gradually increase sending volume when using a new IP address to avoid being flagged.
  • Avoid Triggers: Avoid using spam trigger words in email content to minimize being marked as spam.

What email marketers say
11Marketer opinions

Gmail rate limits Microsoft 365 emails due to various factors including high email volume, poor sender reputation, and inadequate email authentication. To resolve this, it's crucial to properly authenticate emails using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, warm up IP addresses gradually, monitor sender reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools, segment email lists for targeted content, clean email lists to remove inactive addresses, improve engagement metrics by providing valuable content, and avoid spam trigger words.

Key opinions

  • Authentication: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential for verifying sender identity and improving deliverability.
  • Volume and Reputation: Sudden spikes in email volume and a poor sender reputation are major contributors to rate limiting.
  • IP Warm-up: Gradually warming up IP addresses establishes a positive sending reputation with Gmail.
  • List Hygiene: Cleaning email lists and removing inactive addresses prevents harm to sender reputation.
  • Engagement Metrics: High engagement rates (opens, clicks) positively impact sender reputation and reduce rate limiting.

Key considerations

  • Implement Authentication: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly configured for your domain to authenticate your emails.
  • Monitor Reputation: Regularly monitor your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools to identify and address deliverability issues.
  • Segment Lists: Segment your email lists to send targeted content and improve engagement.
  • Clean Lists: Remove inactive and invalid email addresses from your lists to maintain a healthy sender reputation.
  • Avoid Spam Triggers: Refrain from using spam trigger words in your email subject lines and content.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Gmass recommends segmenting your email lists to send more targeted and relevant content to subscribers. This can improve engagement rates and reduce the likelihood of being marked as spam, which can lead to rate limiting.

March 2022 - Gmass Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks reinforces that the issue is likely due to a high volume of problematic emails sent via Office 365 and recommends proper email authentication with the sender's own domain when sending through them.

May 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet recommends avoiding spam trigger words in your email subject lines and body content. Using such words can increase the likelihood of being flagged as spam, leading to rate limiting by Gmail.

November 2021 - Mailjet Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog emphasizes the importance of warming up your IP address when sending emails from a new domain or IP. This involves gradually increasing the volume of emails sent over time to establish a positive sending reputation with email providers like Gmail.

September 2023 - Neil Patel's Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit suggests verifying your SPF records to ensure they are correctly configured to include all authorized sending sources for your domain. Incorrect or incomplete SPF records can lead to authentication failures and increased rate limiting.

October 2022 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from SendGrid Blog recommends proper email authentication practices such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Implementing these measures helps verify the sender's identity and improves email deliverability, reducing the likelihood of being rate limited or marked as spam by Gmail.

February 2025 - SendGrid Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid advises regularly monitoring your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools. This allows you to identify any issues with your sending practices and take corrective actions to improve deliverability.

June 2023 - Email on Acid Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus suggests regularly cleaning your email lists to remove inactive or invalid email addresses. Sending emails to non-existent addresses can harm your sender reputation and increase the risk of rate limiting.

June 2022 - Litmus Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from SparkPost highlights that Gmail considers engagement metrics, like open and click rates, when determining sender reputation. Improve these metrics by sending relevant and valuable content to keep your emails out of the spam folder and avoid rate limiting.

January 2023 - SparkPost Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailtrap Blog shares that rate limiting often occurs because Gmail detects a sudden spike in email volume from a particular IP address or domain. This can be triggered by sending a large batch of emails without proper warm-up, or if the sending domain has a poor reputation.

April 2024 - Mailtrap Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Stack Overflow recommends implementing DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) to digitally sign your outgoing emails. DKIM helps prove that the email was sent by an authorized sender and hasn't been tampered with, improving your sender reputation.

January 2024 - Stack Overflow

What the experts say
6Expert opinions

Gmail rate limits Microsoft 365 emails due to issues like missing or misconfigured DKIM, relying solely on SPF, poor sending practices, lack of list hygiene, and insufficient subscriber engagement. Solutions include implementing DKIM with your own domain, continuous IP and domain reputation monitoring, and effective subscriber engagement management.

Key opinions

  • DKIM Importance: Missing or improperly implemented DKIM is a significant factor in Gmail rate limiting.
  • SPF Reliance: Relying solely on SPF for authentication can contribute to deliverability issues.
  • Poor Practices: Poor sending practices, such as high volume and lacking email authentication contribute to rate limiting.
  • Reputation: Monitoring IP and domain reputation is crucial for identifying and addressing deliverability problems.
  • Engagement: Managing subscriber engagement, including removing unengaged users, improves deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Implement DKIM: Implement DKIM using your own domain, not the default onmicrosoft.com, to properly authenticate your emails.
  • Monitor Reputation: Continuously monitor your IP and domain reputation for blacklisting and other issues.
  • Manage Engagement: Actively manage subscriber engagement by removing unengaged subscribers and delivering valuable content.
  • Authentication: Implement proper email authentication practices, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
  • List Hygiene: Practice good list hygiene by removing inactive or invalid email addresses.
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource highlights the need for continuously monitoring your IP and domain reputation. Blacklisting can quickly lead to rate limiting issues, and proactive monitoring allows for swift corrective actions.

November 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests that the Gmail rate limiting issue might be related to DKIM. Gmail might dislike the mail associated with the DKIM or SPF domain. Implementing DKIM as the sender's domain, not the default onmicrosoft.com domain, could help.

September 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains Gmail groups emails together based on the SPF domain or SPF hostname, which can cause issues when multiple clients use the same SPF domain without DKIM.

June 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise advises senders to manage subscriber engagement effectively. This includes regularly removing unengaged subscribers and focusing on providing valuable content to those who are actively interested in receiving emails.

May 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that rate limiting often stems from poor sending practices, such as sending large volumes of emails without proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and without list hygiene.

June 2021 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks confirms that authenticating only via SPF and not DKIM could potentially cause the Gmail rate limiting issue. Furthermore, one of the most challenging issues Al Iverson dealt with was driven by SPF due to a lack of DKIM.

September 2024 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Gmail rate limits Microsoft 365 emails to protect against spam and abuse, adhering to SMTP standards. These limits are based on sender reputation, email type, and various factors, with exceeding them resulting in temporary restrictions. Addressing this requires adherence to Microsoft's service limitations, implementing best practices, understanding Gmail's bulk sender guidelines, and utilizing DMARC for enhanced authentication and control over message handling.

Key findings

  • Protection: Gmail implements rate limits to protect users from spam and abuse.
  • Service Limits: Exceeding sending limits within Microsoft 365 can lead to rate limiting.
  • SMTP Standards: SMTP rate limiting is a common practice for preventing abuse.
  • DMARC Benefits: Implementing DMARC improves email deliverability and reduces rate limiting risk.
  • Bulk Sender Guidelines: Following Gmail's bulk sender guidelines is essential for avoiding rate limits.

Key considerations

  • Understand Limits: Review and adhere to sending limits within Microsoft 365.
  • Implement DMARC: Implement DMARC to specify how email receivers should handle messages failing SPF and DKIM.
  • Follow Guidelines: Adhere to Gmail's guidelines for bulk email senders, including authentication and list management.
  • Best Practices: Implement best practices for sending email to external domains like Gmail.
  • Review Practices: Regularly review your email sending practices to ensure they align with industry standards and Gmail's requirements.
Technical article

Documentation from RFC Editor explains SMTP rate limiting is a common practice to prevent abuse. SMTP servers often impose limits on the number of connections, messages, or recipients within a specific time frame. These limits are dynamically adjusted based on various factors.

April 2021 - RFC Editor
Technical article

Documentation from Google explains Gmail has specific guidelines for bulk email senders to ensure a positive user experience. Following these guidelines, including proper authentication, list management, and content quality, can help prevent rate limiting.

February 2022 - Google
Technical article

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that Gmail implements rate limits to protect its users from spam and abuse. Exceeding these limits can result in temporary restrictions, which is indicated by error messages like '421 4.7.28'. These limits vary based on factors such as sender reputation and the type of email being sent.

March 2022 - Google Workspace Admin Help
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft Learn suggests that users experiencing rate limiting should review their sending limits and practices within Microsoft 365. It emphasizes the importance of adhering to Microsoft's service limitations and implementing best practices for sending email to external domains like Gmail.

June 2022 - Microsoft Learn
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) allows domain owners to specify how email receivers should handle messages that fail SPF and DKIM checks. Implementing DMARC can significantly improve email deliverability and reduce the risk of rate limiting.

July 2021 - DMARC.org