Can’t Send Email: What to Check
Send a test from Webmail first. If that works, fix your app: turn on outgoing authentication with your full email address and use the secure SMTP port cPanel shows (usually 465) with SSL/TLS. If mail bounces, read the bounce and check SPF and DKIM.
Applies to: cPanel Email apps Blue Arctic Shared Web Hosting email (cPanel). Managed WordPress Hosting doesn't include email.
On this page
First find out whether the problem is your mail app or the message itself.
Note
These steps are for Blue Arctic Shared Web Hosting mailboxes, which use cPanel. Managed WordPress Hosting doesn’t include email.
1. Try sending from Webmail
- Log in to cPanel. If you can’t log in, open a support ticket.
- In the cPanel sidebar, click Email.
- Find the address in the list, and click Manage in its row.
- On the Overview tab, click Open Webmail. Webmail opens in a new browser tab.
- Send a test to another address you own.
If you see an Email Accounts icon instead, click it, then click Check Email next to the address. Or type the tool’s name in cPanel’s search box (Ctrl+K or Cmd+K). If you can’t find it, open a support ticket.
If it sends, the problem is your app’s settings: go to step 2. If it bounces, go to step 4. If Webmail shows an error and nothing bounces, see Troubleshooting.
2. Check your app’s outgoing server settings
The outgoing server (SMTP) is what your app uses to send. Compare each item with the Secure SSL/TLS Settings in Set Up Mail Client (in Webmail, click Automatically configure my device). See how to find your email settings.
- Make sure the outgoing server name matches exactly.
- Turn on authentication for the outgoing server (“requires authentication” or “use same settings as incoming”).
- Enter your full email address as the username, with the mailbox password.
- Set the port to the SMTP port shown (usually 465), with SSL/TLS. Never choose None as the security type.
- Save, then try sending again.
3. If your network blocks sending
Many internet providers block port 25, so an app set to it can fail or hang. Use the secure port from Set Up Mail Client. If sending fails on one network only, such as a hotel’s, try another network and open a support ticket. Don’t switch to a port that isn’t in the secure settings.
4. Read the bounce message
A bounce is an automatic email saying your message couldn’t be delivered. Read the reason near the top:
- The recipient address doesn’t exist: check its spelling.
- The recipient’s mailbox is full: they have to clear space.
- Rejected for SPF or authentication reasons: see step 5.
- Rejected as spam, or a blocklist is mentioned: open a support ticket with the full bounce message.
If your cPanel has Track Delivery (search for it), Show Blocked & Failed lists failed messages. If not, put the full bounce in a support ticket.
5. Check SPF and DKIM
SPF and DKIM are DNS records that prove your mail really comes from your domain. Without them, large providers may reject it or mark it as spam.
Warning
Repair replaces your domain’s records with cPanel’s suggestion. If you also send this domain’s mail through another service, such as Microsoft 365 or a newsletter service, the new SPF record can leave it out, and that mail may be rejected. If so, don’t click Repair: open a support ticket instead.
- Type Email Deliverability in cPanel’s search box (Ctrl+K or Cmd+K) and open it. If your cPanel doesn’t have it, open a support ticket and ask us to check your SPF and DKIM records.
- Find your domain and check its status.
- If it shows a problem, click Manage to see which record needs attention.
- If Repair is available and the warning above doesn’t apply, review the suggested record, then click Repair.
Note
No Repair button usually means your DNS is hosted elsewhere. Copy the suggested record and add it at your DNS provider, or open a support ticket. If a v=spf1 record already exists, replace it instead of adding a second one, keeping entries for other services you send through. See how to set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
How to tell it worked
Send a message from your app to an address at another provider. It should arrive, appear in your Sent folder, and not bounce.
Troubleshooting
- Webmail can’t send either: in cPanel, open the address’s Settings tab (Email, Manage) and check Account Status. If the account is suspended and you didn’t do that, open a support ticket. (With an Email Accounts icon: Manage, then under Restrictions, Sending Outgoing Mail should be Allow.)
- Sending stopped after a large mailing: each cPanel account can send up to 300 emails an hour. Above that, outgoing mail pauses until the next hourly reset. Use a newsletter service for bulk mail.
- Your app asks for a password every time you send: check step 2 again: authentication on, full email address as the username, port and security as Set Up Mail Client shows. If you’re not sure of the password, set a new one. Warning: every other device that uses this address will then need the new password too. In cPanel: Email, Manage, Settings tab, Change Password, Update Password (with an Email Accounts icon: Manage, New Password, Update Email Settings). Using Outlook? See Outlook keeps asking for your password.
Still need help?
Open a support ticket from the Client Portal at my.bluearctic.com (see our support page). Include your domain, the email address, the recipient address, the full bounce message or exact error text, a screenshot, and what you already tried. Never include a password.