Microsoft Outlook / Hotmail / Live / MSN / Exchange Online error guide

Microsoft Outlook / Hotmail / Live / MSN / Exchange Online SMTP 535 5.7.143: Oauth Token Expired

Microsoft Outlook / Hotmail / Live / MSN / Exchange Online SMTP 535 5.7.143 usually means smtp authentication. Learn whether to retry, suppress the recipient, or fix sender setup.

Quick summary

Primary code
535 5.7.143
Provider coverage
Microsoft Outlook / Hotmail / Live / MSN / Exchange Online
Primary action
Fix sender setup

How to handle 535 5.7.143

Match the provider, SMTP stage, endpoint, and diagnostic wording first, then use the checks below to decide whether to retry, suppress the recipient, or fix sender setup.

Microsoft mail servers 535 5.7.143

SMTP authentication

Fix sender setup

SMTP authentication means the receiving provider rejected the message for a provider-specific reason. Use the diagnostic text before deciding on retries or suppression.

Decision

Do not retry unchanged. Fix the sender setup first.

Confidence: high. Recipient validity: unknown.

Match this reply

SMTP stage
Authentication
Endpoint
SMTP submission
XOAUTH2Expired token

Start here

  1. 1

    Check SMTP credentials, OAuth token state, and whether SMTP AUTH is enabled for the mailbox or tenant.

  2. 2

    Refresh credentials or reconnect the sending account before retrying.

Confirm the cause

  1. Confirm the SMTP credentials, OAuth scopes, and token expiry for the sending account.
  2. Check whether SMTP AUTH is enabled for the mailbox or tenant.
  3. Reconnect the account or refresh credentials, then test with one message before resuming volume.

App handling

  • Treat this as a sender setup incident, not a bad recipient.
  • Hold similar mail for the same sender domain or provider until the fix is verified.
  • Retry after a fresh single-recipient test succeeds.

Avoid

  • Do not retry unchanged in a loop.
  • Do not suppress the recipient unless the text explicitly says the mailbox is invalid.
  • Do not treat a permanent SMTP code as proof that the address is bad; policy and routing failures can also be permanent.
Common causes
  • SMTP credentials, OAuth permissions, or access tokens are invalid or expired.
  • SMTP AUTH is disabled for the mailbox, tenant, or account type.
  • The SMTP client is authenticating against the wrong endpoint or account.
Developer details
Fields to log
raw SMTP replyremote MX or hostSMTP stagereply codeenhanced codeprovidermatched rule idrecipientsending domaindecisiontimestamp
Classifier evidence
Specific cause
oauth token expired
Evidence
official

Not sure this is the right match?

Paste the full SMTP reply into the lookup tool. The classifier uses provider, endpoint, SMTP stage, reply code, enhanced code, token, and diagnostic text.

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