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Deliverability

My email isn't arriving: checklist

If your email isn't arriving, work through this checklist from top to bottom: first check whether the message was sent at all, then whether your domain is set up correctly (DNS and authentication), and finally whether the reputation of your sending server is in order. The cause usually sits in one of those three layers, and it can be put right. Don't worry, you don't need a technical background for this.

By the Mailflux team Published on

Email isn't arriving: where do you start?

The most annoying scenario is that important messages seem to vanish "into thin air": no error message, no bounce, but the recipient gets nothing. That happens because a message can get stranded at several points along the way. By checking systematically, you quickly find the layer where it goes wrong, instead of blindly changing settings.

An important distinction up front: not arriving is different from ending up in spam. If your mail does reach the recipient, but in the junk folder, then work through the approach in why your mail ends up in spam. This checklist is about mail that doesn't reach the inbox at all.

Overview of sent messages with their delivery status

The checklist, step by step

Work through the steps in order and stop as soon as you find the cause.

1. Was the message actually sent?

  • Is the message in your sent items folder?
  • Did you get an error message or a bounce back? Read it literally: it often states a reason (for example "mailbox full" or "user unknown").
  • Is the recipient's email address correct, without a typo or extra space?

2. Are the recipient's address and mailbox correct?

  • Does the address still exist? Companies sometimes change their addresses.
  • Is the recipient's mailbox not full?
  • Ask the recipient whether the message might be in their spam or junk folder.

3. Is your domain set up correctly, technically?

This is the layer where something most often goes wrong when individual messages "disappear". The receiving server can reject a message if your domain isn't correct.

  • Are your MX records set up correctly? Without correct MX records, the world doesn't know which server mail for your domain should go to.
  • Are SPF, DKIM and DMARC in order? If those are missing, your mail is more likely to be rejected or silently blocked. See the guide on setting up SPF, DKIM and DMARC together.
  • Unsure about the records themselves? The explanation of DNS records for email lines up MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

4. Is the reputation of your sending server in order?

  • If you send via a shared, cheap IP address, it may be on a block list because of the behaviour of others.
  • Is the reverse DNS (PTR) of that IP address set up neatly? If not, strict recipients will refuse your mail.

5. Is it down to the content or the attachment?

  • Is there a large or blocked attachment (for example an executable file)? Many servers refuse those.
  • Does your message contain links to domains with a bad name? Then it can still be stopped.

Fix it yourself or have it taken care of?

Some points you fix yourself right away: a typo in the address, an attachment that's too large, a full mailbox. Others sit deeper, in DNS, authentication and IP reputation. That's exactly the part where you quickly get stuck without the right access and knowledge, and where a good provider makes the difference.

In short, what you control yourself:

  • Checking the address, spelling and attachment size.
  • Reading bounce messages and following up on the reason.
  • Asking the recipient to check their spam folder.

And what your provider should carry:

  • Correct MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC settings.
  • Sending via IP addresses with a good reputation and correct reverse DNS.
  • Monitoring when something changes along the way.

How Mailflux takes care of this for you

At Mailflux the technical layer sits with us. We manage SPF, DKIM and DMARC for your domain and guard the IP reputation of our sending servers, so your mail sends the right signals and simply arrives. Every plan also filters with machine learning against spam, phishing and malware, and includes antivirus, antispam, antimalware and automatic backups as standard.

You get professional email on your own domain, hosted in Europe and GDPR-compliant, with optional two-factor authentication. That way there's little left on your side beyond typing in the right address.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Why doesn't my email arrive without an error message?

That happens when the receiving server silently refuses or filters your message, for example because of missing authentication or a bad IP reputation. No bounce comes back then. Check SPF, DKIM and DMARC and ask the recipient whether the message is in their spam folder after all.

What's the difference between not arriving and ending up in spam?

With not arriving, your message doesn't reach the recipient's mailbox at all: it's rejected or vanishes. With spam it does arrive, but in the junk folder. The causes overlap, but not arriving more often points to an error in DNS or the address.

How do I know if it's on my side or the recipient's?

Test by sending the same message to an address with a different provider. If it arrives there, the problem often sits with the specific recipient (full mailbox, strict filter). If it fails everywhere, it's probably down to your own domain or server.

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