{"id":1841,"date":"2021-05-20T14:05:16","date_gmt":"2021-05-20T11:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/?p=1841"},"modified":"2023-07-10T16:21:49","modified_gmt":"2023-07-10T13:21:49","slug":"why-do-i-have-email-delivery-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/why-do-i-have-email-delivery-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do I Have Email Delivery Problems?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve always sent emails successfully, you might be puzzled to see your message returned to you with this message: <\/span>Mail delivery failed: returning message to sender<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

We could have several reasons for this error. But some are more common than others. In most cases, you\u2019ll receive an error code with information that suggests the underlying cause for the delivery failure, like this:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Why<\/p>\n

Regardless of the error, you should be able to send messages once you troubleshoot and fix the underlying problem.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll walk you through some common causes of email delivery problems and how <\/span>you can fix them.<\/b><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s dive in.<\/span><\/p>\n

Causes of Email Delivery Failures and How to Fix Them<\/b><\/h2>\n

Email delivery failures arise for many reasons. It could be anything from an email server problem to bad DNS records. Email messages are also affected by spam filters, firewalls, and other security measures.<\/span><\/p>\n

Below are some reasons <\/span>why you might be experiencing email delivery problems:<\/b><\/p>\n

Incorrect Mail Addresses<\/b><\/h3>\n

This is often the most straightforward reason why your message bounced. Sometimes, your recipient may<\/span> provide the wrong email address. This address could either<\/span> contain a misspelling of their names or are non-existent.<\/b><\/p>\n

Though, you could be at fault by typing in the wrong address. Whatever the case, y<\/span>our emails will never deliver to a non-existent email address.<\/b><\/p>\n

For example, the message below specifies the recipient\u2019s email was incorrect or non-existent.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Why<\/span><\/p>\n

A quick fix for this error is to crosscheck the recipient\u2019s email address for typos or misspellings. If the problem persists, ask for an alternative email address.<\/span><\/p>\n

Incorrect Email Configuration<\/b><\/h3>\n

Sometimes, an email message may not deliver because of the wrong email settings in your webmail. In cases like this, the message may not bounce but will not deliver either. C<\/span>heck your webmail account for incorrect email settings,<\/b> and get it fixed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Navigate to the profile head at the top-right, and click <\/span>Settings. <\/b>Make sure you\u2019ve set the correct settings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Why<\/p>\n

It\u2019s best practice to leave the settings on default if you don\u2019t know what each parameter does or stands for.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bad DNS Records<\/b><\/h3>\n

An issue with your DNS records could return <\/span>an SMTP error code 550 or error code 554. <\/b>This might happen when there\u2019s a problem with the recipient\u2019s server or there\u2019s a mismatch of DNS records on your server.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When you send an email, the recipient\u2019s server scans the DMARC, SPF, and DKIM records for validation and returns them to you if there are discrepancies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Email Limit<\/b><\/h3>\n

Unless your email memory quota matches your email needs, <\/span>you\u2019ll sooner run out of space. <\/b>If you\u2019ve reached your limit, clean up your mailbox storage by emptying your trash folder.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Why<\/p>\n

If you run an enterprise, you\u2019ll need an <\/span>email hosting plan<\/b><\/a> with robust features to cater to your business email needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Email Filter Restrictions<\/b><\/h3>\n

Email spam filters place restrictions on incoming messages with s<\/span>pecific words or phrases. <\/b>When the recipient uses custom blacklist configurations, incoming messages which violate these rules get bounced by the receiving server.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ensure you rid your messages of spammy words<\/a> or incompatible attachments to fix this.<\/span><\/p>\n

Server Restrictions<\/b><\/h3>\n

SMTP server restrictions or failures can cause email delivery failures too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Email servers that use a real-time blackhole list <\/span>(RBL) <\/span><\/i>database to filter spam messages might <\/span>restrict your SMTP server from sending messages<\/b> to their server if you have a bad domain reputation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The recipient\u2019s server address bans your email server when it uploads a spam script to their server.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reasons for this could be your webmail is vulnerable, and someone\u2019s exploiting that vulnerability. Or you\u2019ve sent spammy messages to people in the past.<\/span><\/p>\n

Either way, your email server\u2019s reputation is bad, and you\u2019ll have to fix it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Malware Attack<\/b><\/p>\n

A malware could <\/span>attack your webmail in different ways<\/b>. Some of these attacks may grant a malicious actor access to your email account, which they can exploit to send spam messages.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you receive a \u201cMail Delivery Failure\u201d for a message you didn\u2019t send, then you\u2019re probably under attack.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not to worry, though, not that we would allow any of these to happen on our server, but to be sure, install malware scanners on your system. These scanners scan outgoing emails and alert you in case of any problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

Email Violation Policy<\/b><\/h3>\n

Your email might not deliver to the recipient because it breaches your provider\u2019s email policy. Some of these violations may include:<\/span><\/p>\n