Fix email that is not sending or receiving

Before you start

• The mailbox address and its password
• Access to your control panel, and to your DNS if it is managed elsewhere

Applies to: Basic Email, Premium Mailbox, Cloud Hosting, WordPress Cloud, Managed WordPress.

Correct mail app settings

Steps

1. Test in webmail

   Open webmail for the mailbox from the control panel and send yourself a message. If it works there, fix the mail app settings using the table above.

2. Check a brand-new mailbox

   A new mailbox can take up to 30 minutes to start receiving; a “mailbox does not exist” bounce during that time is normal. New mailboxes also have a much lower daily sending limit for their first week.

3. Check storage

   A full mailbox rejects new mail rather than holding it. Standard mailboxes hold 10 GB and Premium Mailboxes 50 GB. Delete or archive large messages — see Fix storage limits.

4. Check the DNS records

   The MX record should point to mx.stackmail.com. SPF and DKIM records help your mail avoid spam folders — see Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

5. Check sending limits and blocklists

   Sending stops when a mailbox or a website reaches its daily limit, or when a message is over 50 MB (webmail attachments up to 32 MB). If recipients report your domain is on a blocklist, fix the cause, make sure SPF and DKIM are in place, then use that list’s removal process.

Troubleshooting and common mistakes

Your mail app keeps asking for the password.

Re-enter the full email address as the username. If you changed the mailbox password in the control panel, update it in every app.

You get a 550 error saying the mailbox is disabled for suspicious activity.

This needs support. Open a ticket, and change the mailbox password once it is re-enabled.

Mail from your website’s contact form does not arrive.

Website mail has its own daily limit and is paused if malware is found on the site. Check the malware scanner, then the limit.

Related guides

• Set up email in Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird or a phoneAdd the account in your mail app with your full email address as the username and your mailbox password. Use IMAP server imap.stackmail.com on port 993 with SSL/TLS, and SMTP server smtp.stackmail.com on port 465 with SSL/TLS (or 587 with STARTTLS), with authentication switched on for outgoing mail. IMAP is recommended so every device sees the same messages.
• Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC for your domainSPF lists which servers may send mail for your domain, DKIM adds a signature to each message, and DMARC tells receivers what to do with mail that fails those checks. On FoxFolio Cloud, an SPF record is added for you, DKIM is switched on under DomainKeys, and a DMARC record is added with the DMARC Wizard. Start DMARC with the policy None.
• Mailbox storage and upgrading to Premium MailboxStandard Mailboxes hold 10 GB. When one is full, new messages bounce back to the sender, so keep an eye on usage in webmail. To free space, empty Trash and Junk and remove large attachments. If one person needs more, order Premium Mailbox for that exact address: it raises the mailbox to 50 GB and adds calendar and contact sync, billed annually.
• Read and send email in webmailThe simplest way into webmail is through your control panel: open Email Accounts, choose the mailbox, and select Webmail from its options. Webmail opens signed in to that mailbox. From there you can read and send mail, manage contacts, and set a signature, an out-of-office reply or a new mailbox password under Settings.