Gmail Error: “Gmail has detected that this message is likely unsolicited mail”
Error Message
Gmail has detected that this message is likely unsolicited mail.
To reduce the amount of spam sent to Gmail, this message has been blocked.
For more information, go to:
https://support.google.com/mail/?p=UnsolicitedMessageErrorWhy This Error Occurs
This error occurs when Gmail identifies your sending domain or email traffic as potentially spammy or unsolicited.
Please note that this is not an MSG91 platform issue. The email requests are being processed successfully from our end; however, Gmail is rejecting the emails due to the sender/domain reputation at Google’s end.
Common reasons for this issue include:
Poor domain reputation
High spam complaint rate
Newly created or low-trust domains
Sudden increase in email sending volume
Low recipient engagement
Missing or incorrectly configured SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records
Domain-Specific Behavior
Emails sent to Gmail users may get completely rejected with the following error:
Gmail has detected that this message is likely unsolicited mail.This occurs because Gmail applies stricter spam filtering and reputation checks for incoming emails.
Non-Gmail Recipients
For non-Gmail domains, emails are generally delivered successfully; however, they may land in the Spam/Junk folder instead of the Inbox due to the current domain reputation.
Recommended Solution
Register Your Domain with Gmail Postmaster Tools
We strongly recommend registering your domain with Gmail Postmaster Tools to monitor and improve your sender reputation.
Benefits
Monitor domain reputation
Track spam complaint rates
Check IP reputation
Identify Gmail delivery issues
Improve inbox placement over time
Steps
Open Gmail Postmaster Tools:
Gmail Postmaster ToolsAdd your sending domain.
Example:
alerts.abcd.comVerify domain ownership using the DNS TXT record provided by Google.
Regularly monitor the following metrics:
Spam Rate
Domain Reputation
IP Reputation
Delivery Errors
Additional Best Practices
To improve email deliverability and domain reputation:
Configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records correctly
Send emails only to opted-in recipients
Avoid sudden spikes in email sending volume
Remove inactive or bounced email addresses regularly
Maintain healthy recipient engagement
Avoid spam-triggering content in subject lines and email bodies
Domain Warm-Up
To improve your domain reputation gradually, you can also perform domain warm-up activities. For more details, refer to the help article below:
Important Note
MSG91 does not control Gmail’s spam filtering or domain reputation systems. Gmail independently decides whether emails should be accepted, rejected, or delivered to the spam folder based on sender reputation, recipient engagement, and email practices.
Once your domain reputation improves, Gmail delivery and inbox placement should gradually improve as well.