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Bounce error codes · Gmail and Google Workspace

Gmail 5.7.32: From header isn't aligned

SPF or DKIM may have passed, but for a different domain from the one in your From address. Gmail requires bulk senders to align them.

The exact error texts

  • Blocked

    5.7.32 Your email was blocked because the From: header (RFC5322) in this message isn't aligned with either the authenticated SPF or DKIM organizational domain.

  • Rate limited

    421 4.7.32 Your email has been rate limited because the From: header (RFC5322) in this message isn't aligned with either the authenticated SPF or DKIM organizational domain.

Quoted from Google Workspace — Gmail SMTP errors and codes

Check your domain

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What alignment means

Alignment compares the domain in the visible From: header with the domains that actually authenticated: the SPF domain (Return-Path) and the DKIM signing domain (d=). Gmail checks at the organisational domain level, so news.example.com aligns with example.com. Only one of the two has to align.

FromSPF domainDKIM d=Aligned?
[email protected]bounces.esp.netesp.netNo: both passed for the service's domain
[email protected]bounces.esp.netexample.comYes, through DKIM
[email protected]em1.example.comesp.netYes, through SPF

Google's table pairs the 5.7.32 block with the same wording as the 4.7.32 rate limit. Both are fixed the same way.

Fix it in your sending service

Almost always, a newsletter, CRM or transactional service is sending with your From address but authenticating with its own domain. Every major service has a “domain authentication” step that fixes this:

Then check a real message: the header analyzer shows which domain each check passed for and whether it aligns.

Questions

Both SPF and DKIM pass. How can alignment fail?

They pass for the sending service's domain, not yours. Alignment asks whether the authenticated domain matches your From domain. Custom-domain DKIM fixes it.

Do I need SPF and DKIM both aligned?

No. One aligned pass is enough for DMARC. Aligned DKIM is the better one to have because it survives forwarding.

Does a subdomain count as aligned?

Yes. Gmail compares organisational domains, so mail signed by mail.example.com aligns with a From address at example.com.

Do I need a DMARC record for alignment?

Gmail's bulk-sender rules need both: a DMARC record (p=none is fine) and an aligned From. A missing record gets its own code, 5.7.40.

Sources

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