Most email problems come down to a handful of causes. Work through the one that matches what you’re seeing.
You can’t send email
- Check the outgoing (SMTP) settings: port 465 with SSL/TLS, and “my outgoing server requires authentication” switched on. See email settings.
- Check the password. If you changed it in cPanel, update it in every app and device too.
- Bounce messages explain the problem. Look for a line that mentions an error code like 550 and read the words next to it: it often says exactly what’s wrong, such as a mistyped address.
Email isn’t arriving
- Test with webmail. If the message is in webmail, the problem is your email app, not the account.
- Check the mailbox isn’t full. In cPanel’s Email Accounts, compare the storage used with the limit, and increase it or delete old messages.
- Check your MX records. If you recently changed nameservers or DNS, email may still be going to your old provider. MX records control where email is delivered. See editing DNS records.
- Check your spam folder, including in webmail.
Your email lands in other people’s spam
This is usually because your domain isn’t proving that your email is genuine. Setting up SPF, DKIM and DMARC fixes most cases, and Gmail, Yahoo and Microsoft now expect them.