My email isn't working

Applies to: All plans

Email problems usually come down to one of four things: the mailbox itself (password, a lock-out or a full mailbox), your mail app setup, your DNS records, 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: which email do you use?

There are two kinds of email at Maxinodes, and the fixes differ:

Mailboxes included with your plan. Every hosting plan includes mailboxes on your own domain, on our server. You manage them on your service page in the client area (Email Accounts) or in cPanel -> Email Accounts, read mail in webmail at https://webmail.yourdomain.com (or https://node11.maxinodes.com:2096, which works straight away), and connect mail apps over IMAP or POP3.
Professional Email (Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace). Mailboxes in Microsoft's or Google's cloud, read at outlook.office.com or mail.google.com and managed in the provider's admin console.

Not sure which you have? Look at your domain's MX record in the client area DNS manager (or at your DNS host, if your DNS is elsewhere): mx.maxinodes.com means mailboxes on your plan; a Microsoft or Google address means Professional Email.

Tip: For a mailbox on your plan, try webmail first. If you can sign in and send from there, the mailbox itself is fine and the problem is in your mail app or its settings.

Symptoms

You are not receiving any email, or messages bounce back to senders.
You cannot send email, or it is rejected.
Your mail app keeps asking for the password, or has stopped connecting.
Your outgoing mail lands in recipients' spam folders, or mail you expect is in your Junk folder.
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)

A wrong or outdated saved password. After 10 failed logins within 5 minutes, a mailbox on your plan is locked for 5 minutes, even for the right password. One old phone or laptop that still has the previous password saved can keep this going all day. Update the password on every device, then wait 5 minutes.
A mail app set up with the wrong details. Set up a mailbox on your plan manually: server mail.yourdomain.com; incoming IMAP on port 993 (SSL/TLS) or POP3 on port 995 (SSL/TLS); outgoing SMTP on port 465 (SSL/TLS) or 587 (STARTTLS); authentication on; your full email address as the username. Unencrypted logins on ports 143 and 110 are refused. The exact settings for each mailbox are under Account Configuration Details on the Email Accounts page of your service in the client area. For Professional Email it is the other way round: use the provider's automatic sign-in ("Exchange" / "Microsoft 365", or "Google") instead of typing server names.
Missing or wrong DNS records. Mailboxes on your plan need an MX record 10 mx.maxinodes.com, an SPF record v=spf1 include:_spf.maxinodes.com ~all, a DKIM record at default._domainkey and a DMARC record. When your domain uses our nameservers, the zone we create for your hosting normally includes them already (if your mail was at Microsoft, Google or another provider at the time, we copy that provider's records instead). If yours are missing, or your DNS is hosted elsewhere, see The DNS records your email needs. For Professional Email, the records point at Microsoft or Google. Records live in the client area DNS manager, 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.
Your office network is blocked. If mail apps fail from one office but webmail works from a phone on mobile data, our firewall has probably blocked your office's IP address, often after repeated failed logins on your own website. From that network, open your website or webmail in a browser and pass the security check; mail apps reconnect within a minute or two.
A full mailbox. When a mailbox reaches its quota, incoming mail bounces straight back to the senders; the same happens when your plan's storage is full. Delete or archive old mail, or raise the mailbox's quota, up to your plan's maximum.
The hourly sending limit. Each domain can send a set number of messages per hour, depending on your plan, and mail from your website counts too. Over the limit, some messages are held and sent later and the rest are refused with a bounce.
Mail filtered into Junk, or your mail going to spam elsewhere. Incoming mail is checked for spam on our server and suspected spam is filed into your Junk folder, so look there first. If your own mail lands in other people's spam, check SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
A suspended service. While a hosting service is suspended, its mailboxes are locked and cannot send; incoming mail is held for about 4 days, then returned to the senders. See My website shows '503' or 'account suspended'.
A mailbox or seat problem at Microsoft or Google (Professional Email only). Mailbox not created, seat unassigned, or a 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.

Mailboxes included with your plan

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).
Creating a mailbox or changing its quota: How to create a mailbox.
Setting up a mail app: Mail app settings for your mailbox (IMAP, POP3, SMTP), then How to connect Outlook to your mailbox, How to connect Apple Mail, iPhone or iPad or How to connect Android or mobile mail.
The app keeps asking for the password, or can't connect: My mail app can't connect, or keeps asking for my password.
Webmail: How to open webmail.
Mailbox full, or too much mail sent in an hour: What happens when a mailbox or your plan's storage is full and Mailbox and sending limits.
Mail you expected is in Junk: Spam filtering and your Junk folder.
Mail missing or deleted by mistake: How to restore a mailbox or deleted email from a backup.

Professional Email (Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace)

Setting up a 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.
Webmail: Outlook on the web at outlook.office.com or Gmail at mail.google.com — see How to open webmail.

Either kind

Your mail goes to recipients' 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 password, setting or record is in place and any DNS change has propagated, mail flows normally.

If that did not work

Mailboxes on your plan are yours to manage in the client area or cPanel: the mailboxes themselves, passwords, quotas and forwarders. On Managed plans we also create mailboxes, set up mail apps, reset mailbox passwords and troubleshoot for you on request. On Self-Managed plans it is self-serve, and we step in for faults on our side, such as the mail server or delivery. Moving existing mail into your mailboxes is free on every plan — see How to move your existing email to Maxinodes.

Professional Email: mailbox-level problems — a mailbox that was never created, a seat that is not assigned, or a sign-in or password issue — are managed in your Microsoft 365 admin centre or Google Workspace admin console. If your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace seats are ordered through us, our team configures your SPF, DKIM and DMARC, offers guided email setup and free migration, and administers the account for you — so start a chat and we will help, whatever your hosting plan. If your seats came from elsewhere, we will point you to the likely cause, but managing those mailboxes and records is your responsibility.

When you contact us, please include your domain, the mailbox address, the exact error or bounce text, when it started, and whether webmail works — that lets us route you to a fix fastest. Never send us a password.