Email troubleshooting checklist

When email stops working, the cause is almost always one of a handful of things. This page is a decision tree — figure out which symptom you have, then follow the relevant section.

"I can't receive email"

Check webmail first

Log in to webmail. If messages are landing there but not in your desktop/phone client, the problem is on that device:

• POP3 client already downloaded the messages (and deleted them from the server). Switch to IMAP — see setting up email on your device.
• Client is offline, stuck, or has sync disabled. Force a sync or restart the client.
• Client has a spam/rule filter moving messages out of sight. Check the filters inside your email client.

Webmail has no new messages either

If webmail shows no new messages, mail isn't reaching your server. Usual causes:

• MX records point somewhere else. If you recently set up Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or switched hosts, mail may be going to a different server. Check your MX records with dig yourdomain.com MX or use MXToolbox.
• DNS just changed. If you updated nameservers or MX records in the last 24 hours, propagation may still be in progress. Check whatsmydns.net.
• Mailbox over quota. Check the Email Accounts page in cPanel. If usage is at 100%, delete old messages or ask us to increase the quota.
• Mailbox restricted. In cPanel's Email Accounts → Manage, check the "Receiving Incoming Mail" setting is set to Allow, not Suspend.
• Sender is being rejected. Ask the sender to forward you the bounce message — it usually tells you exactly why.

"I can't send email"

Check the error

If your mail client says "unable to send," note the exact error message. Common patterns:

• "Authentication failed" / "Username or password incorrect" — the SMTP server is rejecting your credentials. Double-check username is the full email address (not just the part before @) and password is current. If you recently changed the password, update it in the mail client.
• "Connection refused" / "Timed out" — your network is blocking the outgoing SMTP port (typically 465 or 587). Try from a different network. Some ISPs block port 25 entirely (and sometimes 587) to prevent spam; use port 465 with SSL/TLS instead.
• "550 relay denied" — SMTP authentication isn't enabled in your mail client. Check that the outgoing server requires auth, and uses the same username/password as incoming.
• "554 message rejected" — the destination mail server is refusing the message. Look at the full bounce for the reason — often it's because your domain is missing SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records. See email deliverability.
• "Mailbox over quota" — your own mailbox is full, or the recipient's is. Clear space.

Sending works but mail lands in the recipient's spam folder

This is almost always a missing or misconfigured authentication record. See Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC — fixing those three records will resolve the majority of deliverability issues.

"I keep getting asked to log in / the connection keeps failing"

If you've entered an incorrect password several times in a row — whether on webmail, in a desktop client, or on your phone — your IP may have been temporarily blocked by our firewall. Here's what to do:

1. Fix the password in your mail client first. Stale or wrong passwords are the #1 cause of repeat blocks — the device keeps retrying with the bad password and triggers another block.
2. Log in to the client area from the same device. This typically removes the block automatically.
3. If that doesn't work, open a support ticket (from another network if needed — your phone on mobile data is usually easiest). Include your current IP address (check ifconfig.me) and we'll check the firewall and unblock you.

"Some recipients receive my email, others don't"

A partial-delivery pattern usually points to one of:

• A specific provider is rejecting you. If Gmail and Yahoo work but Outlook/Hotmail reject, your domain may be on Microsoft's sender list. The fix is usually correct SPF/DKIM/DMARC records, plus time. Check Microsoft Smart Network Data Service.
• Specific recipients have local filters. If the message isn't in their inbox, ask them to check their spam folder and "safe sender" list.

"Everyone on my domain is having email problems at once"

A sudden domain-wide issue almost always means:

• DNS changed. Check dig yourdomain.com MX against what you expect.
• Our mail server has an outage. Check our status page or Twitter — rare, but it happens.
• Quota / billing issue. If your hosting account was suspended for billing, all email stops. Check the client area for overdue invoices.
• Outgoing email has been rate-limited. If one mailbox sent too much mail too fast (usually a compromised account), we temporarily rate-limit the entire account. You'll get an automated notification when this happens.

"A message I sent bounced back"

Bounce messages tell you exactly why. Look for the 550 or 554 line and read the text after it. Common ones:

• 550 User unknown — the recipient address doesn't exist (typo in the address, or the account was closed).
• 550 Relay denied — you tried to send through a server that doesn't trust you (check SMTP auth settings).
• 554 Sender IP rejected / blacklist messages — your sending IP has been blacklisted somewhere. Check blacklist tools.
• Message rejected due to policy (from Microsoft specifically) — usually SPF/DKIM/DMARC issue.

When to open a ticket

If the issue isn't on this list or these steps didn't resolve it, open a ticket and include:

• The mailbox address in question
• Whether webmail works
• The exact error message (copy-paste, don't paraphrase)
• A specific time and address you tried to send to or receive from — we can grep the logs
• Whether this just started, or has been intermittent for a while

Related articles

• How to migrate your email from a non-cPanel provider
• Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
• How do I access my Webmail account?
• Setting up email on your device
• How do I change my email password?

Still stuck? Open a support ticket