How to Fix Email That Is Not Sending or Receiving

Few things are as frustrating as email that suddenly stops working. The cause is usually one of a small number of common issues, and most can be fixed in minutes once you know where to look. Let us work through them.

If you cannot send email

• Check outgoing (SMTP) authentication — your mail app must be set to authenticate for sending, using your full email and password.
• Try a different SMTP port — if port 465 is blocked on your network, try 587.
• Confirm your password — a recent password change on the mailbox must be updated in every app.
• Check you are not blocked — sending too many messages at once can trip sending limits.

If you cannot receive email

• Check your mailbox is not full — a full mailbox rejects new mail. See fixing a full mailbox.
• Look in Spam/Junk — the message may have been filtered.
• Review your filters — a rule may be moving or deleting mail. Check your email filters.
• Confirm your MX records point to the right mail server, especially after a recent move.

If neither works

Log in to webmail directly. If email works there but not in your app, the problem is your app’s settings — recheck them against the correct email settings. If webmail also fails, the issue is server-side or DNS.

Still stuck?

Open a support ticket with the exact error message you see — that detail helps us pinpoint the cause quickly.

Frequently asked questions

Why did my email stop working suddenly?

The most common triggers are a changed password not updated in your app, a full mailbox, or a recent DNS/MX change that has not finished propagating.

My email works on webmail but not my phone.

That points to your phone’s settings. Recheck the incoming/outgoing servers, ports and authentication.

My messages are going to recipients’ spam.

That is a deliverability issue, not a sending failure — see improving deliverability.