Email isn't sending or receiving - what to check

When mail stops sending or arriving, work through this list. It separates a mailbox problem from a mail-app problem, then checks DNS and authentication.

We host the mail. Unsure which product you have? Open a support ticket and we will check with you.

This article is a checklist. Deeper walkthroughs live in the linked Help articles.

Which product holds the mailbox

Do not mix these paths. A cPanel mailbox will not collect mail that still points at LochStudios Mail, and the other way around.

• Shared hosting (addresses you create in cPanel): open the hosting service in the portal and click Log in to cPanel. Webmail is Roundcube. See Access Webmail and Create an email account. Shared hosting allows 1000 emails per hour.
• LochStudios Mail (hosted business email on Axigen): open the mail service in the portal and click Log in to WebMail. See What is Axigen webmail and how to sign in. Mailboxes are 500 MB to 100 GB. The product allows 2000 emails per hour. Plans are on LochStudios Mail.
• A VPS you manage: only use that server if it is actually accepting mail. Credentials and the console are on the server in the portal. Open a support ticket if you want us to check it with you.

The hostname is usually mail.yourdomain.com once DNS and MX point at that product. Do not invent a server name.

Step 1: Confirm the mailbox exists and has room

Mail cannot arrive if the address is missing, the password is wrong, or the mailbox (or the shared-hosting account) is full.

Shared hosting

1. Sign in at the portal.
2. Open the hosting service for the domain.
3. Click Log in to cPanel.
4. In the Email section, open Email Accounts.
5. Confirm the full address is listed and not over its quota.

If the account-wide disk is full, new mail can fail even when one mailbox still looks fine. See Check Disk Usage. Reset a forgotten mailbox password from Email Accounts, then try Webmail again.

Need the address first? Create an email account.

LochStudios Mail

1. Sign in at the portal.
2. Open the mail service for the domain.
3. Confirm the address is on that service.
4. Click Log in to WebMail.

If you cannot sign in, we can set a new mailbox password. Open a support ticket and say which address needs the reset. Do not send the current password. See Managing your mailbox storage and quota if the mailbox is near its limit.

Step 2: Test in Webmail first

Webmail uses the same mailbox as Outlook or a phone app, without the app's hostname and port settings. That tells you where to look next.

• Shared hosting: portal → hosting service → Log in to cPanel → Email Accounts → Check Email → Roundcube. Or follow Access Webmail.
• LochStudios Mail: portal → mail service → Log in to WebMail. Or follow What is Axigen webmail and how to sign in.

Use the full email address and the mailbox password. That is not your portal password unless you set them the same.

Webmail works. The mailbox and our mail service are fine. The problem is the desktop or phone app. Go to Step 3.

Webmail does not open. Stay on the portal path above. Do not guess cpanel.yourdomain.com or a server hostname. Then continue to Step 4 (incoming MX) and open a support ticket if you still cannot get in.

Webmail opens, but the inbox looks empty. Check Junk (Roundcube) or Spam (LochStudios Mail). Confirm you signed in as the address you expected mail for. On LochStudios Mail, see Manage spam and the quarantine.

Step 3: If Webmail works, fix the mail app

Username is always the full email address. Password is the mailbox password. Require a login on the outgoing (SMTP) server.

We recommend IMAP so folders and read state stay on the server.

Match the security option to the port. Do not pick SSL/TLS on 587, or STARTTLS on 465. Do not use the old unencrypted ports (143, 110, 25). Port 25 is for server-to-server mail, not for your app.

If 587 with STARTTLS will not connect, try 465 with SSL/TLS. Some networks only allow one of those outbound.

Copy the values from the product rather than guessing:

• Shared hosting: Email Accounts → Connect Devices. Full notes: General IMAP/POP/SMTP mail settings.
• LochStudios Mail: confirm the hostname on the mail service. Full notes: Axigen email server settings.

Device walkthroughs:

• Shared hosting: Outlook, Thunderbird, Android, iPhone and iPad
• LochStudios Mail: Outlook, Thunderbird, Android, iPhone and iPad

Still stuck after Webmail works? Update the mailbox password in the product, then update every device. If the app still will not send or receive, open a support ticket.

Step 4: Incoming mail (MX)

MX records tell other networks where to deliver mail for the domain. Creating a mailbox does not move inbound mail. If MX still points at another product, new messages will not land here.

Typical shared-hosting and LochStudios Mail value:

yourdomain.com    MX    10    mail.yourdomain.com

That hostname must have an A (or AAAA) record. Do not point MX at an IP, and do not invent a mail2.yourdomain.com backup.

AtlasDNS is the default. For a domain registered with us, records live in the portal: Domains → the domain → DNS. When the domain uses AtlasDNS, the nameservers are:

ns1.atlasdns.net.au
ns2.atlasdns.net.au
ns3.atlasdns.net.au

If the domain is in cPanel Hosting DNS mode (paired with a shared hosting service), open the hosting service, click Log in to cPanel, and use the Zone Editor. Do not send the domain to a third-party DNS host.

Check what the world sees:

nslookup -type=MX yourdomain.com

You should see the hostname and priority you saved. Then send a test from an address that is not on this domain, and open Webmail.

Full walkthrough: MX records and how email routing works. After a change, other networks can still use a cached answer for a while. See DNS propagation explained.

A records move the website. Changing only @ and www does not move mail. See Point your domain at your hosting.

If the name is already live and you are about to change MX, open a support ticket before you save. Wrong MX takes inbound mail away from the current inbox.

Step 5: Outgoing mail (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)

If you can send, but the other person never sees it (or it lands in spam), authentication is the usual cause. Publish these on the same live zone as the MX (AtlasDNS, or the Zone Editor in cPanel Hosting mode).

• SPF: one TXT on the root name that lists every system that sends as the domain. See SPF records explained.
• DKIM: enable it on the product that actually sends, then publish the public TXT exactly as shown. Shared hosting: Email Deliverability in cPanel. LochStudios Mail: copy the value from the mail service. See DKIM explained.
• DMARC: one _dmarc TXT, starting at p=none. See DMARC explained.

Do not publish two SPF records. Merge senders into one string. If a newsletter tool also sends as the domain, add its include to that same SPF and its own DKIM selector. Do not replace our records if we still send day-to-day mail as the same domain.

Outbound mail on LochStudios Mail goes through our spam filtering. That is expected. It is not a client-settings problem.

Content, volume, and lists also matter. Shared hosting: 1000 emails per hour. LochStudios Mail: 2000 emails per hour. Split large sends. See Why your emails go to spam.

We can set SPF, DKIM, and DMARC with you if you open a support ticket.

Common symptoms

Can receive, cannot send

• SMTP authentication is off, or the username is only the part before @.
• Port or security mismatch (587 needs STARTTLS; 465 needs SSL/TLS).
• The app cannot reach the outgoing port from this network. Try 587, then 465, or another network.
• You hit the hourly send limit. Wait, then split the send.

If Webmail can send, the mailbox is fine and the app settings need another look.

Can send, nothing new arrives

• MX does not point at the product that holds this mailbox. See Step 4.
• You signed in as a different address than the one people write to.
• The message is in Junk or Spam.
• The mailbox or the shared-hosting disk is full.
• You are looking at a POP app that already downloaded the mail onto another computer.

Mail sits in the Outbox

• Hostname, port, or mailbox password is wrong.
• SMTP authentication is off.
• Try port 587 with STARTTLS, then 465 with SSL/TLS.

Mail leaves you but lands in spam

Fix SPF, DKIM, and DMARC first (Step 5). Then read Why your emails go to spam.

The other person never got it

• Check the spelling of their address.
• Ask them to look in spam.
• Confirm you sent from Webmail as well as the app.
• If it is an address on this domain, confirm that mailbox exists on the product MX points at.

You see a certificate warning in the app

Use mail.yourdomain.com (your domain), not an IP and not a hostname you invented. Do not turn certificate checks off. If the name is right and the warning remains, open a support ticket.

Too many failed sign-in attempts

Wait about 30 minutes, then try the correct mailbox password. If you are unsure, reset it in Email Accounts (shared hosting) or open a support ticket for LochStudios Mail. See Change your Axigen mailbox password if you can still open WebMail.

Message is too large

Compress attachments, or send a link instead. If a normal message still will not go, open a support ticket.

When to open a support ticket

Do not restart mail services yourself. Open a support ticket if:

• Webmail will not open and the mailbox exists
• MX looks right and new mail still does not arrive
• Webmail works and the app still will not connect after the settings above
• You want us to publish or check SPF, DKIM, DMARC, or MX
• You think a mailbox was used to send spam (unknown messages in Sent)
• You regularly hit the hourly send limit
• You are cutting mail over from another product

Tell us:

• The full email address and the domain
• Which product should hold the mail (shared hosting or LochStudios Mail)
• Whether the issue is sending, receiving, or both
• Whether Webmail works
• The app name, hostname, port, and security option
• What you see on screen (a short description is enough)
• When it started, and any DNS or password change you just made

Do not send the password.

New-domain checklist

• [ ] The mailbox exists on the product that should receive mail
• [ ] MX on the live zone points at that same product (usually mail.yourdomain.com)
• [ ] You can send and receive in Webmail
• [ ] The mail app uses the full address, mail.yourdomain.com, and the ports in Step 3
• [ ] One SPF TXT is published for every system that sends as the domain
• [ ] DKIM is enabled on that product
• [ ] DMARC is published at p=none (optional on day one, recommended)

Related

• Access Webmail
• Create an email account
• General IMAP/POP/SMTP mail settings
• What is Axigen webmail and how to sign in
• Axigen email server settings
• MX records and how email routing works
• SPF records explained
• DKIM explained
• DMARC explained
• Why your emails go to spam
• Manage spam and the quarantine in Axigen
• Check Disk Usage
• Edit DNS with the Zone Editor
• DNS propagation explained
• Point your domain at your hosting