Short answer: First test with webmail. If webmail works, the mail server is fine and the problem is your app or your DNS records.
Step 1: test with webmail
- Open webmail and send an email to a Gmail or Yahoo address.
- Ask the person to check the inbox and the spam folder.
- Reply from that address to your own, and see if it arrives.
If both work, the mail server is healthy. Go to Step 3.
Step 2: if webmail also fails
- Check that your domain points to us. If DNS is wrong, mail goes elsewhere. See Change your domain nameservers to akthost.
- Check that the mailbox is not full (cPanel Email Accounts shows usage).
- Open a ticket with the exact bounce message.
Step 3: check your records
Open Email Deliverability in cPanel and follow SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Missing records are the top cause of spam folders.
Step 4: your app or website
If mail from WordPress, WooCommerce or a form fails but webmail works, the problem is your app settings. Use SMTP as in Send email from PHP or WordPress using SMTP.
Good habits
- Send from an address on your own domain.
- Do not send many emails at once from a hosting mailbox.
- Do not use all capitals, many exclamation marks or only an image in the message.
Questions people ask
Email from my website form never arrives.
Use SMTP with a real mailbox instead of PHP mail(). See the SMTP guide.
I get a bounce message.
Read the line that starts with the error code. It usually says what is wrong, such as a full mailbox or a wrong address.
Why did sending stop?
Each domain has a limit on emails per hour. Bulk sending can hit it. Wait an hour and use a sending service for bulk email.
Still stuck? Open a support ticket with your domain name and what you see. Please do not put passwords in the ticket.
