Email problems are the most common support request we handle at Ultra Web Hosting. This guide walks you through diagnosing and fixing the most frequent email issues, from messages that won't send to connection errors in Outlook and Apple Mail. Most problems come down to one of a few things: wrong settings, DNS misconfiguration, or a blocked IP.
The 3-Minute Email Diagnostic
Before diving into specific problems, run through these three checks. They resolve about 60% of email issues we see in support tickets:
- ✓ Log into your client area and confirm your hosting service is Active (not Suspended or Overdue)
- ✓ Try sending a test email from Webmail (cPanel > Email Accounts > Check Email). If Webmail works but your app doesn't, the problem is your email client settings
- ✓ Check if your IP is blocked by visiting our CSF Unblocker tool. Failed login attempts trigger automatic firewall blocks
Using Google Workspace or Microsoft 365?
If your domain uses Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for email (your MX records point to Google or Microsoft, not your hosting server), this guide does not apply. Your email is handled by those providers, not our servers. See our Google Workspace setup guide instead.
01. Quick Checks Before You Dig In
Most email failures fall into predictable categories. Before troubleshooting the specific symptom, verify these basics:
Verify Your MX Records
MX records tell the internet which server handles email for your domain. If they're wrong, email silently fails. You can check your MX records using any DNS lookup tool, or from cPanel under Zone Editor.
For email hosted on our servers, your MX record should point to your server's hostname (e.g., web150.ultrawebhosting.com) with priority 0. If you previously used Google Workspace or another provider and switched back, leftover MX records are the #1 cause of "email just stopped working."
Not sure which server you're on? Log into your client area, click on your hosting service, and look for the Server Name field. That's your MX target.
Check Disk Quota
If your hosting account or individual email account is over its disk quota, the server will reject incoming messages with a "mailbox full" bounce. Check your quota in cPanel under Email Accounts. The default per-mailbox quota is 250MB, but you can increase it up to your plan's total disk allocation.
Check the Mail Queue
If you're sending a large volume of email and messages seem stuck, the server's mail queue may be backed up. Contact support and we can check the Exim mail queue for your domain.
02. Can't Send Email
When outgoing email fails, the cause is usually one of these:
SMTP Authentication Required
Our servers require SMTP authentication for outgoing mail. This means your email client must log in with your full email address and password before it can send. If you're getting "relay access denied" or "authentication required" errors, check that:
- Outgoing server (SMTP) - uses your server hostname or
mail.yourdomain.com - SMTP port - 465 (SSL) or 587 (STARTTLS), not port 25
- Authentication - enabled, using your full email address as the username
- Password - matches what's set in cPanel > Email Accounts
Port 25 is blocked on most ISPs and will not work for sending email from a desktop client. Always use port 465 (SSL) or 587 (STARTTLS). This is the single most common misconfiguration we see.
Sending Limits
Shared hosting accounts have a sending limit of 500 emails per hour. This exists to prevent abuse and protect the server's IP reputation. If you hit this limit, messages queue until the next hour. For higher-volume sending (newsletters, marketing), use a dedicated transactional email service like Amazon SES, Mailgun, or SendGrid.
Recipient Server Rejections
Sometimes your email sends successfully from our server but gets rejected by the recipient's server. Check the bounce message carefully - it usually tells you exactly why. Common reasons include: the recipient's mailbox is full, their server has blacklisted our IP (rare but possible on shared hosting), or their spam filter flagged the content.
03. Can't Receive Email
Not receiving email is more stressful than not being able to send it, because you often don't know what you're missing. Here's what to check:
MX Records (Again)
We mention this twice because it's the cause at least 40% of the time. Run a quick check: send an email to your address from a Gmail or Outlook.com account. If it bounces, read the bounce message. If it says "host not found" or "no MX record," your DNS is the problem.
Email Routing in cPanel
cPanel has an Email Routing setting (cPanel > Email Routing) that controls whether the server accepts email locally or routes it elsewhere. If this is set to "Remote Mail Exchanger," the server will refuse local delivery even if MX records point to it. Set it to "Automatic" for most configurations, or "Local Mail Exchanger" if you're certain your MX records are correct.
Spam Filters Catching Legitimate Mail
Check your Spam/Junk folder in Webmail. SpamAssassin (enabled by default on our servers) sometimes catches legitimate messages, especially from new contacts or domains with poor email authentication. You can whitelist senders in cPanel > Spam Filters > Additional Configuration.
Full Mailbox
When an individual mailbox hits its quota, the server sends a bounce back to the sender with a "mailbox full" message. The recipient never sees the email. Increase the quota in cPanel > Email Accounts, or delete old messages to free space.
04. Email Going to Spam
If your emails consistently land in recipients' spam folders, the problem is almost always missing or incorrect email authentication records. This is the most impactful thing you can fix.
We have a dedicated guide that covers this topic in depth: Understanding Email Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Read that article for step-by-step setup instructions.
SPF Record
An SPF record tells receiving servers which IP addresses are authorized to send email for your domain. Without one, Gmail and Outlook.com will often flag your messages. Your SPF record should include your hosting server's IP. A basic SPF record looks like:
v=spf1 +a +mx +ip4:YOUR_SERVER_IP ~allYou can add this as a TXT record in cPanel > Zone Editor. If you also send through a third-party service (Mailchimp, SendGrid, etc.), add their include statement too.
DKIM Signing
DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to your outgoing messages that proves they came from your server. Enable it in cPanel > Email Deliverability. cPanel will generate the DKIM key and DNS record automatically. Click "Repair" if it shows issues.
DMARC Policy
DMARC ties SPF and DKIM together and tells receiving servers what to do when authentication fails. Start with a monitoring-only policy:
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.comAfter confirming your legitimate mail passes SPF and DKIM, you can tighten this to p=quarantine or p=reject.
IP Reputation
On shared hosting, your server's IP address is shared with other customers. If another account on the server sends spam, the IP can end up on blacklists. Check your server's IP against major blacklists at tools.ultrawebhosting.com. If you find a listing, open a support ticket and we'll work on getting it delisted. For businesses that depend heavily on email deliverability, consider a VPS or dedicated server with a clean IP.
05. Connection and Login Errors
These errors typically mean your email client can't reach the server or can't authenticate.
Firewall Block (CSF/LFD)
Our servers run CSF firewall with Login Failure Daemon. If you (or your email client) enter the wrong password 5 times within 5 minutes, your IP gets temporarily blocked. Symptoms: email suddenly stops working on all devices, webmail won't load, and you may see "connection timed out" errors.
Fix: Visit my.ultrawebhosting.com from the blocked connection. The site includes a CSF Unblocker tool that can remove the block instantly. If you can't access the site at all, try from your phone (on cellular data, not Wi-Fi) or contact us.
SSL/TLS Certificate Errors
If your email client shows a certificate warning or "certificate name mismatch," it means the SSL certificate on the mail server doesn't match the hostname you're connecting to. Fix this by using the server hostname (e.g., web150.ultrawebhosting.com) as both your incoming and outgoing server, instead of mail.yourdomain.com. The server hostname always has a valid SSL certificate.
You can also use mail.yourdomain.com if your domain has a valid SSL certificate installed. cPanel's AutoSSL handles this for most accounts. Check cPanel > SSL/TLS Status to confirm.
"Wrong Password" When Password Is Correct
This is more common than you'd think. Causes:
- Cached old password - your email client saved the old password and keeps trying it. Remove the saved password and re-enter it
- Special characters - some email clients have trouble with passwords containing characters like
&,<,>, or backticks. Reset to a password using letters, numbers, and common symbols like!@#$% - Username format - always use the full email address (e.g.,
info@yourdomain.com) as the username, not justinfo
06. Webmail Issues
Webmail (Roundcube) is accessed through cPanel > Email Accounts > Check Email, or directly at https://yourserver.ultrawebhosting.com:2096.
Webmail Won't Load
If Webmail doesn't load at all, it's usually a firewall block (see Section 5) or a browser issue. Try a different browser or clear your cache. If you're accessing via https://yourdomain.com:2096 and it doesn't work, try using the server hostname instead.
Webmail Works but Desktop App Doesn't
This is actually good news. It means the email server is working fine and the issue is 100% in your email client's settings. Double-check every setting against the reference table in Section 7 below. The most common mistakes are wrong port numbers and missing SSL settings.
Sent Emails Not Showing in Sent Folder
If you send from a desktop app but the message doesn't appear in Webmail's Sent folder (or vice versa), your client is likely using POP3 instead of IMAP. POP3 downloads messages and doesn't sync folders. Switch to IMAP for consistent behavior across all devices. See Section 7 for the correct IMAP settings.
07. Correct Email Client Settings
Use these settings for any email client. Replace yourserver with your actual server hostname (e.g., web150.ultrawebhosting.com).
IMAP (Recommended)
Incoming Server: yourserver.ultrawebhosting.com
Port: 993
Security: SSL/TLS
Username: your full email address
Password: your email account password
Outgoing Server (SMTP): yourserver.ultrawebhosting.com
Port: 465
Security: SSL/TLS
Authentication: Required (same username/password)POP3 (If You Prefer Local Storage)
Incoming Server: yourserver.ultrawebhosting.com
Port: 995
Security: SSL/TLS
Username: your full email address
Password: your email account password
Outgoing Server (SMTP): yourserver.ultrawebhosting.com
Port: 465
Security: SSL/TLS
Authentication: Required (same username/password)We recommend IMAP for almost everyone. It keeps email synced across all your devices (phone, laptop, webmail) and doesn't delete messages from the server when you read them. For device-specific setup steps, see our guides for iPhone/iPad, Android, and Outlook.
08. Common Outlook Error Codes
If you are seeing a specific error code in Microsoft Outlook, this table covers the most common ones and what to do about them. Most Outlook connection errors come down to the same handful of causes: wrong server settings, an expired password, a firewall or antivirus blocking the connection, or an outdated SSL/TLS configuration.
Verify your email settings match the values in Section 7 above, or see our Outlook setup guide before digging into specific error codes. Incorrect server names or port numbers cause the majority of these errors.
| Error Code / Message | What It Means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
0x80004005 |
General failure. Outlook cannot complete the requested operation. Often related to a corrupted Outlook profile or conflicting antivirus software. | Create a new Outlook mail profile (Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles > Add). If that works, the old profile was corrupted. Also try temporarily disabling antivirus email scanning. |
0x800C013B |
Outlook cannot send the message. Usually an SMTP authentication or port issue. | Verify outgoing server requires authentication (Account Settings > More Settings > Outgoing Server tab > check "My outgoing server requires authentication"). Use port 465 (SSL) or 587 (STARTTLS). |
0x800C013C |
Outlook cannot receive email. Typically an incoming server or SSL mismatch. | Confirm incoming server is mail.yourdomain.com, port 993 (IMAP/SSL) or 995 (POP3/SSL). Ensure encryption type is set to SSL/TLS, not STARTTLS. |
0x800CCC0D / 0x800CCC0E |
Cannot find the email server or connection failed. DNS resolution failed for the mail server hostname. | Check that the server name is correct (not misspelled). Try mail.yourdomain.com instead of just the domain. Flush your local DNS cache (ipconfig /flushdns on Windows). If your domain's DNS recently changed, wait for propagation. |
0x800CCC0F |
Connection started but was dropped mid-stream. Can happen with large attachments, antivirus interference, or temporary server load. | Try disabling antivirus email scanning temporarily. Reduce attachment size. Increase the server timeout slider (Account Settings > More Settings > Advanced). |
0x800CCC90 / 0x800CCC92 |
Login failed. Wrong username or password. | Username must be your full email address (e.g., info@yourdomain.com). Remove the saved password and re-enter it. If you recently changed the password in cPanel, update it in Outlook too. |
0x80042108 |
Outlook cannot connect to the incoming mail server. Connection timed out before a response was received. | Increase the server timeout (Account Settings > More Settings > Advanced > Server Timeouts slider). Check if a firewall or VPN is blocking ports 993/995. Try connecting from a different network to rule out ISP-level blocking. |
Socket Error 10061 |
Connection refused. The mail server is actively rejecting the connection on the specified port. | You are likely using the wrong port. Use: IMAP 993 (SSL), POP3 995 (SSL), SMTP 465 (SSL) or 587 (STARTTLS). Port 25 is blocked on most ISPs and our servers require authentication on 465/587. |
Socket Error 11001 |
Host not found. DNS cannot resolve the mail server hostname. | Same as 0x800CCC0D above. Verify server name spelling, flush DNS, and check that MX records are configured for your domain in cPanel > Zone Editor. |
Error -23012 |
TCP/IP connection failure. Network-level issue preventing Outlook from reaching the server. | Check your internet connection. Try accessing webmail at https://mail.yourdomain.com in a browser. If webmail works but Outlook does not, a local firewall or antivirus is likely blocking Outlook. Check Windows Firewall rules. |
| POP3 Server Has Not Responded | Timeout waiting for the POP3 server. Can also appear as a TCP/IP error. | Increase timeout, verify port 995 with SSL. If you have a large mailbox, consider switching to IMAP (port 993) which handles large mailboxes better than POP3. |
| Secure Password Authentication (SPA) failure | Outlook is trying to use SPA/NTLM authentication, which cPanel mail servers do not support. | Uncheck "Log on using Secure Password Authentication (SPA)" in both incoming and outgoing server settings (Account Settings > More Settings > Advanced or Security tab). |
| The Message Could Not Be Sent | Generic send failure. Can be caused by SMTP auth issues, wrong port, message size limits, or a full mailbox. | Enable SMTP authentication, verify port 465 or 587, check that your mailbox is not over quota in cPanel > Email Accounts. If sending large attachments, keep total message size under 50MB. |
Filtering Error -199 |
A mail rule (filter) in Outlook is misconfigured or corrupted. | Go to Rules and Alerts (Home tab > Rules > Manage Rules), disable all rules, test email. Re-enable rules one at a time to find the broken one. Delete and recreate it. |
If none of the above fixes resolve your issue, open a support ticket and include the exact error message or code. We can check the server-side mail logs to pinpoint the problem.
Still Stuck? We Can Help
If you've worked through this guide and email still isn't cooperating, open a support ticket with the specific error message and what you've already tried. It helps us diagnose faster.
Open a Support TicketQuick Recap: Fix Your Email in 5 Steps
If you only do 5 things from this guide, do these:
- Test with Webmail first - if Webmail works, the server is fine and the issue is your client settings
- Verify MX records - they should point to your Ultra Web Hosting server hostname
- Check your IP isn't blocked - use the CSF Unblocker at my.ultrawebhosting.com
- Use the right ports - IMAP 993, POP3 995, SMTP 465, all with SSL/TLS
- Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC - this fixes most "going to spam" problems
Last updated March 2026 · Browse all Email articles
