Why am I not receiving emails from certain senders that I haven't blocked?

Question

Why am I not receiving emails from certain senders that I haven't blocked?

Helene Brandt 20

I am not receiving emails from different email addresses, some of which I normally would have received email from.

Nothing is being redirected to my spam/junk folder.

My email inbox(es) are not over capacity.

The email addresses from the senders I normally receive email from are not blocked or marked as spam.

I have tried accessing my Hotmail account from other devices and have used different browsers and they are all consistent across the board in showing a lack of new emails received.

This is only happening with some senders, one of which being my husband who receives the following message:

"removed PII@hotmail.com (removed PII*@hotmail.com)

CH2PEPF00000142.mail.protection.outlook.com (http://ch2pepf00000142.mail.protection.outlook.com/)

Remote server returned '550 5.7.515 Access denied, sending domain YAHOO.IT doesn't meet the required authentication level. The sender's domain in the 5322.From address doesn't meet the authentication requirements defined for the sender. To learn how to fix this see: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?linkid=2319303 (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?linkid=2319303) Spf= Fail , Dkim= Pass , DMARC= Pass [DU0PR10MB7213.EURPRD10.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM (http://du0pr10mb7213.eurprd10.prod.outlook.com/) 2025-08-04T18:55:40.645

Z 08DDD2D76B40FC85] [

CH0PR03CA0093.namprd03.prod.outlook.com (http://ch0pr03ca0093.namprd03.prod.outlook.com/)

2025-08-04T18:55:40.682Z 08DDD32A790709DA] [

CH2PEPF00000142.namprd02.prod.outlook.com (http://ch2pepf00000142.namprd02.prod.outlook.com/)

2025-08-04T18:55:40.677Z 08DDD05BCCE77FDC]’"

Mary Jones 0 Reputation points

2025-12-17T22:42:21.3933333+00:00

I have contacted my utility company. I do not get an error message. I have checked my spam folder. I just don't receive their emails. On their end, they don't get the emails back. So where are they going and how do I fix the problem?

Answer accepted by question author

Kal-D 7,375 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Dear Helene Brandt,

Thank you for providing more info on this problem.

Since this is affecting so many of your important contacts and services, here are the most effective options to help resolve this:

Option 1: Contact the Senders

The most effective long-term solution is for the senders to fix their email authentication settings. You could contact your husband's work IT department, the school's administration, and your energy company's customer support.

When you contact them, you can share the specific error message your husband received. Explain that their emails are being blocked by Microsoft's servers due to a technical issue on their end, specifically with their domain's SPF record. This will give their technical teams the information they need to address the problem.

Option 2: Explore a Temporary Workaround

For immediate communication needs, you could ask the senders to use a different email address that is not experiencing this issue. For example, if they have an alternative personal or business email, they may be able to reach you that way until the issue is resolved on their main domain. This is not a permanent fix, but it can ensure critical messages get through to you in the short term.

You can also create a safe senders list that can be used. Although this may not work in all cases, as the email is being blocked before it even reaches your mailbox, it's worth trying for your most important contacts. You can add the sender's email addresses to your "Safe senders and domains" list in your Outlook.com Junk email settings.

I hope this helps clarify the situation. I recommend starting with Option 1, as that will address the root cause of the problem. We want to ensure all of your important emails are delivered to you safely and securely.

Warm regards,

Kal Duong | Microsoft Q&A Support Specialist

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2 additional answers

Your answer

Mary Jones 0 Reputation points

2025-12-17T22:42:21.3933333+00:00

I have contacted my utility company. I do not get an error message. I have checked my spam folder. I just don't receive their emails. On their end, they don't get the emails back. So where are they going and how do I fix the problem?

Answer 1

Helene Brandt 20

Thank you for your help!

This is unfortunately not an easy solution as we are not only talking about my husbands personal email being blocked but also emails from his work email, our energy supplier, various airlines, our sons school, council and many more.

So my only option is to get a new email or try to contact all these companies/people?

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Answer 2

Dear Helene Brandt,

Thank you for reaching out to the Q&A Forum!

Thank you for providing detailed information. I understand how frustrating it is not to receive emails from people you expect to hear from.

Based on the email error message your husband received, I've been able to identify the specific issue. The problem isn't with your Hotmail account settings but with an email authentication failure on the sender's side.

Here's a simple breakdown of what's happening:

Authentication Failure: The error message states, "Access denied, sending domain YAHOO.IT doesn't meet the required authentication level. ... Spf= Fail". This means that when your husband's email was sent, it didn't pass a critical security check called SPF (Sender Policy Framework) on the servers.
Why It's Blocked: To protect our users from spam and phishing, our email servers have strict security policies. When an email fails a major authentication check like SPF, it's often rejected outright instead of being delivered to your inbox or spam folder.

Since this issue is on the sender's end, there's nothing you need to change in your Hotmail account settings.

What you and your husband can do:

Share the Error Message: Please forward the full error message to your husband and other affected senders. This information is crucial for their email provider (Yahoo.it in this case) to diagnose and fix the problem.
Point to the Microsoft Link: The error message includes a link: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?linkid=2319303. This is a resource from Microsoft explaining how to correct these authentication failures. Your husband's email provider's technical support team can use this information to resolve the issue on their end.
Use an Alternative for Now: While this is being resolved, your husband could try sending emails from a different email address or another method to ensure you can receive his messages.

I hope these steps provide some immediate relief and guidance. I recognize the importance of reliable email service, and I'm here to help you through these troubleshooting steps.

Warm regards,

Kal Duong | Microsoft Q&A Support Specialist

==========================================================

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