cannot email photos

The error indicates Lightroom Classic cannot connect to the SMTP (outgoing) email server, even though Outlook on the same PC can. Outlook is working, so the issue is likely with the SMTP settings that Lightroom is using.

Use these checks and adjustments:

1. Verify internet and Outlook connectivity

• In Outlook, confirm that sending a normal email (with a small attachment) works.
• Confirm the PC is online and Outlook is not showing Disconnected, Working Offline, or Trying to connect… on the status bar.
  • If it is, in Outlook select Send/Receive tab → Work Offline to toggle back online and confirm mail sends successfully again.

2. Check attachment size from Lightroom

• Some providers block large messages. If the photos are large, Lightroom may be trying to send an email that exceeds the provider’s size limit.
• As a test, try emailing a single small photo from Lightroom.
• If large attachments are the problem, reduce the export size/quality or send fewer photos per email.

3. Match Lightroom’s SMTP settings to Outlook’s Lightroom must use the same working SMTP settings that Outlook uses:

• In Outlook, open the account settings and note:
  • SMTP server name
  • Port number
  • Encryption type (SSL/TLS/STARTTLS or none)
  • Authentication method and username (usually the full email address)
• In Lightroom’s email account dialog, enter exactly the same values.
• Ensure authentication is enabled in Lightroom (SMTP servers often reject unauthenticated connections with errors like 550/553/relay denied).

4. Watch for relay/authorization errors If Lightroom is using the wrong SMTP server or not authenticating correctly, the server can reject the message with relay errors (for example, 550 or 553). These indicate the server does not recognize the sender as an authorized user and refuses to relay the message. Matching Outlook’s working SMTP settings and credentials in Lightroom typically resolves this.
5. Test with a different email account

• If possible, configure Lightroom to use another email account that also works in Outlook (for example, a different mailbox) and test sending a small photo.
• If that works, the issue is specific to the original account’s SMTP configuration or provider restrictions.

If, after matching Outlook’s SMTP settings and reducing attachment size, Lightroom still cannot connect, the next step is to contact the email provider or Adobe support with the exact SMTP error text shown in Lightroom, as the mail server may be applying additional restrictions to third‑party apps.

References:

• I can't send or receive messages in Outlook
• I receive a 550, 553, or relay-prohibited error when sending email messages
• Can't send or receive email in Outlook.com