Why is my email not sending?

This guide goes through the usual reasons email won’t send from your hosting, starting with the most common.

Check the outgoing server settings

Most sending problems come from the outgoing (SMTP) settings in your email program. They should be:

• Server: mail.yourdomain.co.uk
• Port: 465
• Encryption: SSL/TLS
• Authentication: turned on, using your full email address and the mailbox password

Some programs have a separate tick box such as My outgoing server requires authentication. Make sure it’s ticked and set to use the same details as incoming mail. To see the exact settings for your account, open Email Accounts in cPanel and click Connect Devices next to the address.

Check the password

If you changed the mailbox password recently, your program may still be using the old one for outgoing mail. Update it in both places. To set a new password, see how to change an email password or mailbox size.

A quick test is to log in to webmail and send a message from there. If that works, the problem is in your email program’s settings. See how to log in to webmail.

Check the mailbox isn’t full

A full mailbox can stop sent items from being saved and cause errors when sending. In cPanel, open Email Accounts and look at the storage used. Delete old mail or raise the limit.

Sending limits

Shared hosting has a limit on how many emails each account can send per hour. Normal day to day email won’t come near it. If you’re sending a newsletter or a large batch, you may hit it and further messages will be held or refused. For bulk mail, use a dedicated mailing list service.

Outgoing spam filtering

All outgoing mail from our servers is checked by MailChannels. If a message looks like spam, MailChannels may reject it. You’ll usually get a bounce message saying so. Plain, personal messages are rarely affected. Mass mailings, misleading subjects and lots of links are more likely to be caught.

Read the bounce message

When mail can’t be delivered, you normally get an email back explaining why. The important part is usually a short line with a number and a reason.

• Authentication required or relay denied: your program isn’t signing in to the outgoing server. Check the settings above.
• Mailbox full or over quota: the recipient’s mailbox is full. They need to clear space.
• User unknown or no such user: the address is wrong or doesn’t exist. Check the spelling.
• Rejected as spam or blocked: the receiving server or MailChannels thought it was spam. Check your SPF, DKIM and DMARC. See how to set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

If it doesn’t work

• Webmail sends but your program doesn’t. Recheck port 465, SSL/TLS and outgoing authentication.
• Nothing sends from anywhere. Open a support ticket and include the bounce message.
• Mail sends but lands in junk. Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

Still stuck? Open a support ticket and we’ll help.