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How to troubleshoot a mailbox

  knowledgebase  :: network status

If you're having problems sending or receiving mail, open your mail program, access the account settings, and try the checklist below. You'll need your mailbox details (username, password, domain name) - if you don't have these, please contact us and request them. You'll also need to know whether you're using POP or IMAP - this is a setting in your mail software, selected when the account is added to the software. If you're not sure, please check the account settings in your mail software.

Note: below, as an example, various forms of "username@domain.com" are used. You should substitute your own email address/domain name in place of this.

  1. check internet connection: This may sound obvious, but check it, none-the-less. Ensure you can (for example) browse Wikipedia without error.
  2. check username:

    • regular hosting accounts: usernames are in the format username-domain-com (note, all hyphens, no dots or @ signs, 30 characters or less)
    • Pro hosting accounts: usernames are identical to your email address - eg. username@domain.com

  3. check password: The best thing to do here is to re-enter it, using copy/paste.
  4. check incoming server address:

    • regular hosting accounts: This should be hostingaccountname.dns-systems.net (where hostingaccountname is the username given at the top of your welcome letter)
    • Pro hosting accounts: This should be mail.domainname.com (where domainname.com is your domain name)

  5. check outgoing server address:

    • regular hosting accounts: This should be hostingaccountname.dns-systems.net (where hostingaccountname is the username given at the top of your welcome letter)
    • Pro hosting accounts: This should be mail.domainname.com (where domainname.com is your domain name)

  6. check incoming server port:

    • POP accounts: this should be 995, except if you're not using SSL/TLS, in which case it should be 110.
    • IMAP accounts: this should be 993, except if you're not using SSL/TLS, in which case it should be 143.

  7. check outgoing server port: If you're using your hosting account to send mail (recommended), then this should be 465, except if you're not using SSL/TLS, in which case it should be 587.
  8. check outgoing server authentication: If you're using your hosting account to send mail (recommended), then this should be enabled (see using SMTP with your webhosting service for details). Ensure you are using the same username and password as used with your incoming server.
  9. check connection security: If you're using your hosting account to send mail (recommended), ensure your authentication method is set to normal password.

If you have checked the above and all seems well, try resetting your password on the server (you'll need to access your webhosting control panel to do this). You could also check your firewall, try a different internet connection, try a different mail program, and/or try a different device.

You can verify your username and password are correct by accessing your mailbox on the web.

Note: If you're using your ISP's server to send mail (not recommended), please consult your ISP's support pages to obtain the correct SMTP settings.

See also: