SMTP

501 Syntax Error in Parameters

The command was recognized but the parameters or arguments are syntactically invalid. The server understood what you wanted to do but could not parse the details.

When You See This Code

When a command like MAIL FROM or RCPT TO has a malformed email address, missing angle brackets, or invalid characters in the arguments.

How to Fix

Review the parameter format — email addresses should be enclosed in angle brackets (e.g., <[email protected]>). Check for stray spaces, missing colons, or encoding issues.

Specification

View RFC / Specification →

Guides

Glossary