How to Fix the ‘550, No Such User Here’ Email Error with Bluehost

At Yellowstone Digital Media, we’re not just about offering solutions but also about educating our community on various technical aspects they might encounter. Today, we’re addressing a common issue that has frustrated many: the ‘550, no such user here’ error when sending or receiving emails using Bluehost as a web host.

You might have come across a scenario where you type in an email address and get the error message “550, no such user here.” This is a common error, essentially indicating that the server could not find the recipient email address.

The Scenario:

Personally, I have my emails set up through Bluehost, and use the domain for my website with emails created through the Bluehost C-panel, such as [email protected]. For convenience, I have it connected to a Gmail account. This allows me to send and receive emails through my custom email address while leveraging Gmail’s interface.

Now, imagine having a client who uses Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft 365 for their email provider. You’ve been communicating without any hitches for months. However, once they ask you to build them a website on the same domain name they use for their custom email, you find you’re suddenly unable to exchange emails.

This issue isn’t isolated. I’ve encountered it with a different client, and although Bluehost support was always helpful, the solution was never clearly communicated to me.

The Solution:

I stumbled upon an article that shed light on this issue (link provided in the embedded video below). In essence, if you have a Bluehost account with custom emails and multiple domains, and you’re trying to send an email to an address at a domain assigned to your Bluehost account, it might think it’s a local domain. This can be problematic especially if the recipient uses an email service other than Bluehost, like Microsoft.

To fix this, you’ll need to adjust the mail exchanger setting:

1. Log into your Bluehost account.
2. Navigate to Domains.
3. Find the relevant domain (in my case, MacGyver.ca).
4. Open up DNS zone editor.
5. Scroll down to MX (mail exchange).
6. Change the setting from Automatically Detect to Remote Mail Exchangers.

This informs Bluehost that, even though the domain is associated with your account, the email service is external.