Applies to: All plans
Email problems usually come down to one of three things: your DNS records, your mail client setup, or deliverability (mail going to spam). This article helps you pick the right fix in under a minute, then sends you to the detailed guide.
First, the one fact that explains most surprises: at Maxinodes your email is resold Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, not hosted on our server. There is no cPanel webmail, Roundcube or Horde, and there are no Maxinodes mail server names to enter anywhere. You read your mail at outlook.office.com (Microsoft 365) or mail.google.com (Google Workspace), and desktop and mobile apps connect using your provider's own automatic setup. If you went looking for mailboxes in cPanel, that is why you could not find them.
Symptoms
- You are not receiving any email, or messages bounce back to senders.
- You cannot send email, or it is rejected.
- Your outgoing mail lands in recipients' spam folders.
- You cannot add your account to Outlook, Apple Mail, your iPhone or Android.
- You set up a brand-new domain and email has never worked yet.
Common causes (most likely first)
- Missing or wrong DNS records. Mail can only flow once your MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records point at Microsoft or Google. These live in the client area DNS manager (managed by us, on our own nameservers), not the cPanel zone editor.
- A recent DNS change still propagating. After editing records or pointing your nameservers, allow a little time — usually minutes to a few hours, up to 24–48 hours worst case.
- Mail client set up by hand with the wrong details. Adding an account with manual IMAP/SMTP server names will fail. Use the provider's automatic ("Exchange" / "Microsoft 365", or "Google" / Gmail) sign-in instead.
- A deliverability issue. Mail sends but lands in spam, usually because SPF, DKIM or DMARC is missing or misconfigured.
- A mailbox or licence problem inside your provider. Mailbox not created, seat unassigned, or a password/sign-in issue — fixed in the Microsoft 365 admin centre or Google Workspace admin console.
Pick your fix
Find your symptom below and jump straight to the right article.
- Not sending or receiving at all, or bounces: start with Email isn't sending or receiving, then check your records in The DNS records your email needs (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
- Setting up a brand-new mailbox: see How to set up your first Microsoft 365 mailbox or How to set up your first Google Workspace mailbox.
- DNS records to add: Microsoft 365 — How to add Microsoft 365 mail DNS records; Google Workspace — How to add Google Workspace mail DNS records. The exact values always come from your provider's admin centre — we never invent tenant-specific values.
- Can't connect a mail app: Connect Outlook to your mailbox, Connect Apple Mail, iPhone or iPad, or Connect Android or mobile mail.
- Can only get to webmail: How to access webmail (Outlook on the web or Gmail).
- Mail going to spam: How to set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC correctly.
- Using a different provider: Using your own email provider (BYO email).
Result: Once the right record or setting is corrected and DNS has propagated, mail flows normally — there is nothing on our hosting node to restart.
If that did not work
Mailbox-level problems — a mailbox that was never created, a seat that is not assigned, or a sign-in/password issue — are managed inside your provider's console, not by us. Sign in to your Microsoft 365 admin centre or Google Workspace admin console to check.
If you are on a Managed plan, our team configures your SPF, DKIM and DMARC and offers guided email setup and free migration, so start a chat and we will help. On Self-Managed, we will point you to the likely cause, but managing your mailboxes and records is your responsibility.
When you contact us, please include your domain, the exact error or bounce text, and when it started — that lets us route you to a fix fastest.
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