Not receiving email-why and how to fix it

Not receiving email can stem from DNS misconfiguration, a full mailbox, spam filtering, or routing issues. Work through this checklist systematically to find the cause.

Quick checklist

1. Check your spam/junk folder-the email may have been filtered
2. Check the mailbox quota-a full inbox rejects new mail
3. Verify MX records are correct and pointing to this server
4. Confirm email routing in cPanel is set correctly
5. Ask the sender for a bounce message-it explains why delivery failed

Check MX records

MX records tell the internet which mail server receives email for your domain. If MX records are missing or point to the wrong server, mail bounces or goes elsewhere.

1. Go to the UnderHost DNS Check tool
2. Enter your domain and check MX records
3. MX records should resolve to your hosting server (e.g., mail.yourdomain.com which has an A record pointing to your server IP)

If MX records are wrong, update them in cPanel → Zone Editor (if using UnderHost nameservers) or at your DNS provider.

Email routing in cPanel

cPanel's email routing setting determines how your server handles incoming mail. An incorrect setting causes mail to be rejected or sent to the wrong place.

1. Log in to cPanel → Email → Email Routing
2. Select your domain
3. The correct setting for domains that receive mail on this server is Local Mail Exchanger
4. If it's set to "Remote Mail Exchanger" or "Backup Mail Exchanger", mail will not be delivered locally
5. Change to Local Mail Exchanger and click Change

Full mailbox

When a mailbox is at its quota limit, new incoming mail bounces. The sender receives a "Mailbox Full" or "User Over Quota" bounce message. Check usage:

1. Log in to cPanel → Email → Email Accounts
2. Find the affected mailbox and check its usage
3. If full: increase the quota or delete old mail

See Managing email quotas for details.

Email landing in spam

Check the spam/junk folder in webmail (Roundcube) or your email client. If legitimate mail is going to spam, add the sender to your contacts or whitelist, and train the spam filter by moving the message to Inbox. In cPanel, you can also whitelist specific addresses or domains in Email → SpamAssassin → Whitelist.

Trace a missing email

If all the above checks pass but a specific email is missing:

1. Ask the sender to resend and immediately check for a bounce message on their end
2. Ask the sender for the exact send time and their sending email address
3. Open a support ticket with this information-include the sending address, destination address, and approximate send time. The support team can check server mail logs to trace what happened to the message.

Related: How to set up email accounts in cPanel | Why is my email going to spam? | Configuring email in Outlook, Thunderbird, and Apple Mail | Managing email storage quotas in cPanel

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