Email delivery problems can be caused by anything from an expired domain to a misconfigured mail client. This article walks through a quick checklist to rule out the most common causes, then dives deeper into receiving and sending issues so you can pinpoint the root cause.
About email troubleshooting on Exact Hosting
Exact Hosting offers two email products: Enhanced Email, hosted mailboxes managed from the client area, and cPanel email, mailboxes provisioned inside a cPanel hosting plan. The troubleshooting steps below apply to both unless noted. For service-specific account management, see Managing Enhanced Email Accounts or your cPanel hosting documentation.
Before you begin
- Login access to your Exact Hosting account. Many checks require you to verify domain status, billing, and DNS settings in the client area.
- The affected email address and any error messages. Bounce-back messages and SMTP error codes are the fastest way to identify the issue.
- A test device or webmail session. Comparing webmail behaviour against a mail client, such as Outlook or Apple Mail, isolates client vs. server issues.
Step 1: Run the quick checklist
Work through the table below before going deeper. Most email issues are resolved at this stage.
| Check | Issue | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Domain status | If your domain has expired, email and website services stop working. Log in to your Exact Hosting account and confirm the domain is active. | Email services typically resume within 24 hours of renewing the domain. To prevent future outages, enable auto-renewal. |
| Email service status | Your email service is billed separately from your domain registration. The renewal dates may differ, and one may have lapsed. | Service resumes once payment is made. |
| DNS / MX records | Email needs the right DNS configuration. If your nameservers are with Exact Hosting, you can update DNS in the client area. If you use a third-party DNS provider, contact them. | Confirm your MX records match the values in Email DNS records and mail client settings. |
| Mail client vs. webmail | Settings differ between Enhanced Email and cPanel email. The issue may be your client, not your account. | Sign in to webmail. If webmail works, the mailbox is healthy and the issue is in your mail client settings. Enhanced Email webmail | cPanel webmail |
| IP status (cPanel) | If your email is managed through cPanel and your website is not loading either, your IP may be blocked. | Log in to Exact Hosting and unblock your IP address. |
Step 2: Gather information about the problem
If the quick checklist did not resolve the issue, collect the details below before going further. Having clear answers speeds up your own troubleshooting and any escalation to support.
- Internet connection. Are other websites loading? Does the issue happen from other locations or networks?
- Scope. Is this affecting only your account, or everyone at your office? Can you send a test message internally and receive it?
- Timing. When did email last work?
- Recent changes. Was there a recent domain transfer, password change, DNS update, or website change?
- Client vs. account. Does the mailbox work on your phone but not in Outlook, or vice versa?
- Error messages. Capture the full text of any bounce-back or SMTP error message.
Step 3: Troubleshoot receiving problems
Use this table when mail is not arriving in the mailbox.
| Issue | What's happening | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Incorrect mail settings | The mail client is misconfigured. | Confirm the email client settings, or test in webmail: Enhanced Email / cPanel. |
| Mailbox is full | A full mailbox cannot receive new mail. | Delete messages to free space, or contact Exact Hosting Support to increase the mailbox quota. See also Managing Email Disk Usage. |
| Mail from a specific sender not arriving | You receive mail from other addresses but not from one specific sender. | Review your spam and allow-list settings: Enhanced Email spam settings / cPanel SpamAssassin. |
Step 4: Troubleshoot sending problems
Use this table when you can receive mail but cannot send, or when outgoing mail bounces.
| Issue | What's happening | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Incorrect mail settings | The SMTP settings in your mail client are wrong. | Confirm email client settings, or send a test from webmail to isolate the issue. |
| Daily relay limit exceeded | Error: 451 4.7.1 End-of-data rejected: user has temporarily exceeded the allowed mail recipient relays per day. | Exact Hosting's mail servers cap outgoing recipients at 500 per rolling 24-hour period. Reduce the number of recipients per message and wait for the rolling window to reset. [OUTD |
| SMTP relay AUP suspension | Error: 554 5.7.1 End-of-data rejected: user smtprelay service AUP suspended. The account was suspended for violating the Acceptable Use Policy, often because it was compromised or accessed from a known bad IP. | Reset the mailbox password: Enhanced Email password reset / cPanel password reset, then contact Exact Hosting Support to reinstate sending. Review the Email Acceptable Use Policy. |
Tip: If webmail can send and receive without issue, the problem is almost always in the mail client's configuration, such as server, port, encryption, or password, rather than on the mail server.
Next steps
- Verify mail client settings. Cross-check ports, hostnames, and authentication using Email DNS records and mail client settings.
- Monitor mailbox storage. See Managing Email Disk Usage for instructions on checking and clearing space.
- Stay within the Acceptable Use Policy. Review Email Acceptable Use Policy to avoid SMTP relay suspensions.
- Contact support with diagnostics. If the issue persists, open a ticket and include the error messages and answers from Step 2.
Questions? Contact Exact Hosting Support.
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