Introduction
This article describes:
- Possible reasons that you cannot send email from Exchange Online
- Possible reasons that you cannot send email to an external (non-vt.edu) account
- Possible reasons you get the following email bounce-back error: "554 5.7.1 SMTP-- Your Gmail sending abilities currently blocked please use Microsoft for sending."
Instructions
Your message couldn't be delivered because you are an employe, student, retiree in the Microsoft 365 environment, or some other affiliation required to use Exchange Online for email and calendar, but you are either trying to use Gmail directly, trying to access your VT Google account from Exchange Online, or have a forward set up within Outlook to forward to your VT Gmail.
If you are receiving the error message indicated above, the only way you see this message is if you are sending thru either the Gmail service (directly using Gmail client or indirectly using a forward) or Google SMTP Relay.
Resolution
Please use your Virginia Tech Microsoft 365 account in Exchange Online (desktop, mobile, or web version) to send and receive email and remove any forwards in Outlook that forward to your VT Gmail. Below are some links that may help.