My professional email is not working: a troubleshooting checklist

Start with this one test

Before changing any settings, log in to cPanel webmail in a browser at yourdomain.co.za/webmail. This one test tells you where the problem is.

• Webmail works fine. The mailbox and the server are healthy. The problem is in your app settings, so fix those rather than the account.
• Webmail will not accept your password. The password is wrong or has been changed. Ask us to reset it.
• Webmail loads but the inbox is empty and nothing arrives. This usually points to DNS or MX records, which is on our side. Contact us.

If you cannot receive mail

1. Check whether the mailbox is full. A full mailbox rejects new mail silently.
2. Look in the Junk or Spam folder in webmail, not just in your app.
3. Ask the sender whether they got a bounce message, and send us the exact wording of it if they did.
4. Confirm the address is spelled correctly on your website, invoices and business cards. A single wrong letter is a surprisingly common cause.
5. If the domain was recently moved or renewed, tell us so we can verify the MX records.

If you cannot send mail

1. Confirm outgoing authentication is switched on in your app. This is the single most common cause.
2. Change the outgoing port from 465 to 587, or the other way around. Some networks block one of them.
3. Try sending from a different internet connection, such as your phone's hotspot. If it works there, your office network or router is blocking the port.
4. Check you have not exceeded the hourly sending limit. Hosting accounts cap outgoing mail to prevent abuse.
5. Make sure you are not sending to a very large list from your business mailbox. Use a proper newsletter tool for that, and ask us to set one up.

If your mail is landing in other people's spam

This is usually about domain authentication rather than the content of your message.

• Your domain needs correct SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. We set these up on request and it makes a real difference.
• Avoid sending from a free address while claiming to be your business. Always send from your own domain.
• Do not use all capitals in subject lines, or attach very large files to first contact emails.
• If you have been marked as spam before, recovery takes a few weeks of normal sending.

What to send us when you ask for help

You will get a much faster answer if you include these details in your first message.

• The exact email address affected.
• Whether the problem is sending, receiving, or both.
• The device and app, for example Outlook on Windows, or the Gmail app on Android.
• The exact wording of any error message, or a screenshot of it.
• Whether webmail works when you test it in a browser.

Common error messages and what they actually mean

Preventing the same problem twice

• Keep mailbox passwords in a password manager, not on a sticky note or in a WhatsApp message to yourself.
• Use IMAP everywhere so devices stay in step and nothing gets stranded on one computer.
• Diarise a quick mailbox clear out every quarter.
• Ask us to set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC once, properly. It prevents most deliverability problems permanently.
• Put the important addresses on a care plan so we monitor them rather than you discovering a problem from an angry client.

Work through it in this order

1. Check whether it is only you. Try another device, another browser and mobile data instead of wifi.
2. Clear the cache. Ctrl and F5 on Windows, Cmd Shift R on Mac. A surprising share of problems end here.
3. Check the obvious. Is the domain still paid up, is hosting active, has a password changed recently.
4. Note the exact error. Screenshot it. The precise wording tells us far more than it is broken.
5. Tell us what changed. Nine times out of ten something did, even if it seemed unrelated.

What to send us

• The exact page address where it happens
• What you expected against what happened
• A screenshot of any error message
• Device, browser and connection
• Whether it happens for other people too

What to get right

• Use email on your own domain, never a free address, for business
• Choose IMAP so every device stays in sync
• Keep the mailbox under its size limit or mail stops arriving
• Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC so your mail is trusted
• Keep hosting, SSL and email with one provider so there is one number to call

Work down that list in order. Each item makes the next one easier, and skipping ahead is what creates the messy situations we are usually called in to untangle.

How this usually works in practice

1. Start with the goal. Write down what you want to be true in three months. Almost every decision about my professional email is not working: a troubleshooting checklist follows from that.
2. Check what you already have. Existing registrations, domains, hosting logins and accounts. People often own more than they realise, and duplicating it wastes money.
3. Get a written price before committing. A verbal figure is not a quote. Ask for scope and cost in writing.
4. Do the compliance part first. Registration and tax basics unlock the bank account, the contracts and the tenders.
5. Then build the visible part. Website, professional email, listings and branding.
6. Only then spend on advertising. Sending paid traffic to a weak website is the most common way South African businesses waste a marketing budget.

Costs and timelines, honestly

Exact figures depend on your situation, but here is the shape of it so you can plan.

Every one of these prices is published on our pricing page, and you can build your own total in the quote builder without speaking to anyone.

Mistakes we see every week

• Missing the annual return. CIPC deregisters companies for this, and it takes weeks and money to reverse. Diarise it.
• Not owning the domain. If a previous developer registered it in their own name, you do not control your own website or email. Always check who the registrant is.
• Using a free email address on invoices. It costs you credibility on every quote you send.
• Paying for ads before the website converts. Fix the destination first, or you are paying to lose people.
• No written scope. Almost every dispute we hear about started with a verbal agreement about what was included.
• Letting the mailbox fill up. A full mailbox stops receiving mail silently, and people assume clients are ignoring them.

Where to go next

• See every price we charge on the pricing page
• Build your own total in the quote builder, no call required
• Read what we commit to in writing on the about page
• Browse the rest of the knowledgebase
• Or just send us a WhatsApp and ask

How Digitalx can help

Digitalx is a South African creative studio helping businesses launch, market and grow. WhatsApp us for a free consultation, or start a project.