How to Fix Microsoft 365 SMTP 25 Messages per Day Sending Limit
Question details
Users are experiencing a hard limit of 25 outbound emails per day when attempting to send automated system messages using Microsoft 365 SMTP authentication.
- Product
- Microsoft 365
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Sending system notifications and automated emails through Microsoft 365 using third-party software such as McLeod Software Loadmaster or DocumentPower.
- Observed behavior
- Outbound SMTP transmissions are blocked after reaching 25 messages in a single day, returning connection or authentication failures, despite the same account working fine through other email protocols.
Verify if your Microsoft 365 subscription was purchased directly from Microsoft or through a third-party reseller like GoDaddy, as resellers frequently apply strict limits to outgoing SMTP traffic to prevent spam.
Address GoDaddy Reseller Account Limitations
Use this solution if your Microsoft 365 tenant is managed by GoDaddy, as they typically impose a 25-recipient daily limit on system-generated automated emails.
Even if you configure your SMTP settings perfectly, third-party hosting providers like GoDaddy often apply restrictive outbound throttling on legacy or reseller accounts to prevent automated spam.
To resolve this, you must either have the provider lift the restriction or migrate your tenant directly to Microsoft to access standard Office 365 sending limits.
Log in to your admin portal to confirm whether your Microsoft 365 licenses are billed and managed by GoDaddy or directly by Microsoft.
Reach out to GoDaddy customer support and explicitly request a removal or increase of the daily SMTP sending limits for your system-generated application accounts.
If the reseller refuses to lift the limit, consider migrating your email tenant directly to Microsoft 365 so that full tenant configuration policies and standard sending volumes (up to 10,000 recipients per day) become available.
Configure Standard Microsoft 365 Authenticated SMTP
Ensure your third-party application is correctly communicating with Microsoft's SMTP servers using modern encryption and ports.
Implement a Dedicated Transactional Email Service
If you require high-volume automated sending, bypass Microsoft 365 altogether and use an approved application relay.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the standard daily sending limit for a Microsoft 365 mailbox?
A standard, directly-hosted Microsoft 365 mailbox can typically send emails to up to 10,000 recipients per day, and a maximum of 30 messages per minute. However, these limits are drastically reduced by resellers or when automated bulk-sending behaviors trigger anti-spam protections.
Why do my emails send successfully from the Outlook app but fail via SMTP?
Outlook uses MAPI/Exchange protocols which are monitored differently. SMTP connections utilized by automated software are heavily scrutinized and often throttled to as few as 25 messages a day by hosting resellers to prevent bulk spamming from compromised servers.
Does enabling SMTP AUTH remove the 25-message restriction?
No. While SMTP AUTH is technically required to connect to the smtp.office365.com server, enabling it does not bypass the policy limits set by your Microsoft 365 tenant or your specific reseller.
