An error has occurred

The generic "An error has occurred" message in webmail or cPanel is frustrating because it gives you almost nothing to work with. This article covers the most common situations where this error appears and how to resolve each one.

01. Webmail: "An Error Has Occurred"

If this error appears when using Roundcube, Horde, or SquirrelMail webmail:

Session expired

Webmail sessions time out after a period of inactivity. If you left the tab open and came back later, the session may have expired. Log out completely (close the tab), clear cookies for your domain, and log back in.

Disk quota exceeded

If your email account or hosting account is at its disk limit, webmail cannot write session data or save messages. Check your disk usage in cPanel. See Understanding and Managing Disk Space for cleanup steps.

Horde cache directory missing

If you are using Horde webmail specifically, this error can mean the cache directory does not exist. See Cannot Write to Cache Directory /tmp/horde for the fix.

Try a different webmail client

If the error happens in one webmail app, try another. Go to my.ultrawebhosting.com:2096, log in, and select a different client (Roundcube instead of Horde, or vice versa). If a different client works, the issue is specific to the one that is failing.

02. "An Error Has Occurred" in cPanel

If you see this error while using cPanel features:

• Browser cache - Clear your cache and cookies. cPanel uses session tokens that can become invalid after updates or restarts.
• Mixed content / HTTPS - Make sure you are accessing cPanel through HTTPS. Accessing via plain HTTP can cause features to fail.
• cPanel update in progress - If the server was recently updated, some features may temporarily show errors. Wait 15-20 minutes and try again.
• JavaScript disabled - cPanel requires JavaScript. Check that your browser has not blocked scripts on the cPanel domain.
• Ad blocker interference - Some ad blockers and privacy extensions block cPanel API calls. Try disabling extensions or using an incognito/private window.

03. Error When Sending Email

If "An error has occurred" appears specifically when you try to send an email from webmail:

• Attachment too large - The default email attachment limit is typically 25-50MB. If your attachment exceeds this, the server rejects it with a generic error. Try a smaller attachment or use a file sharing link instead.
• Recipient address invalid - Double-check the To address for typos.
• Outgoing email limit reached - Shared hosting accounts have hourly sending limits to prevent spam. If you have been sending a lot of emails, wait an hour and try again.
• Email account password changed - If someone changed the email account password while you were logged into webmail, your session becomes invalid. Log out and log back in with the new password.

04. General Troubleshooting Steps

If none of the specific fixes above apply, work through these in order:

1. Clear browser cache and cookies - This fixes the majority of generic errors.
2. Try an incognito/private window - This rules out browser extensions and cached data.
3. Try a different browser - Rules out browser-specific issues.
4. Check your disk space - In cPanel, look at the right sidebar for disk and inode usage.
5. Check server status - If the server is under maintenance or experiencing issues, the error may be temporary.

Quick Recap

1. Clear browser cache and cookies first - Fixes most generic errors
2. Check disk space - Full accounts cause webmail and cPanel failures
3. Try incognito mode or a different browser - Rules out extensions and cached data
4. Try a different webmail client - Isolates the problem to a specific app
5. Check the error log - cPanel > Metrics > Errors for the real cause

Troubleshooting generic error messages · Last updated March 2026 · Browse all Email articles