Why can't I send email, or why do my messages bounce?

Why can’t I send at all?

Use this test to find where the problem is:

1. Sign in to webmail in a browser (for E-3 email, https://mail.e3webmail.com) and send a test to a personal address you own. SmarterTools’ logging in guide shows the sign-in page; screens can vary by SmarterMail version.
2. Reply from that personal address and check the reply arrives.
3. Repeat from your phone or Outlook.

Reading the result: if webmail works and the device doesn’t, fix the device. If webmail fails too, it’s the account or the server. Contact your email provider.

Fixing a phone or Outlook that won’t send

1. Check you’re online, and look in the Outbox for stuck messages. Apple’s guide, If you can’t send email, starts here too.
2. Retype the password saved on the device. A changed password is the most common reason sending stops.
3. Make sure the outgoing server requires sign-in, with the same username and password as incoming mail.
4. Check the outgoing server details match what your provider gives. On E-3 email they are:

Setting	E-3 email
Outgoing server (SMTP)	mail.e3webmail.com (not mail.yourdomain.com)
Port and security	587 with STARTTLS, or 465 with SSL/TLS
Requires authentication	Yes, same username (your full email address) and password as incoming

If those match and sending still fails, call us on 814-399-4655.

What sending errors usually mean

• “Relaying denied” or “authentication required”: the outgoing server isn’t getting your sign-in. Turn on outgoing authentication and retype the password.
• “Cannot connect to the outgoing server” or “timed out”: the server details don’t match, or the network blocks that port. Try mobile data to compare. On E-3 email, if port 587 is blocked, try 465 with SSL/TLS.
• “Message too large”: send a file-sharing link instead of the attachment.

How do I read a bounce message?

Code	What it usually means	What to do
5.1.1	The mailbox doesn’t exist	Check the address for typos, or ask the person for their current one
5.2.2 or 4.2.2	The recipient’s mailbox is full. In Microsoft 365, 5.2.2 can instead mean you hit a sending limit	Try later or reach them another way. If it’s a sending limit, tell your provider
5.7.1	Delivery not authorized: refused by a filter or rule, or your sign-in failed	Check your sending settings, then pass the bounce on
4.x.x	Temporary delay	Wait. The server keeps retrying

A bounce, or nondelivery report, comes back to you when a message can’t be delivered. Look for a code like 550 5.1.1 or 5.7.1. The three-part number is defined in RFC 3463, the internet standard for mail status codes. Microsoft’s nondelivery report guide notes that a 5 code is permanent and a 4 code is temporary.

The short version

• Read the bounce code: 5.x.x is permanent, 4.x.x is temporary. 5.1.1 means the address doesn’t exist.
• Can’t send at all? Try webmail. Never change DNS or turn off security to fix it.

Why does this matter?

A bounce you ignore is a customer who never got your quote. Most bounces are quick to fix once someone reads the code, and the code is far more useful than “my email doesn’t work.”

What are the common mistakes and edge cases?

• Missing domain records. When mail to many people bounces with 5.7.x codes, check the domain’s mail records: MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC. That often follows a DNS or hosting change, or a new mail provider. See DNS records for a new email or marketing service.
• A full or disabled mailbox. If mail to you bounces, your own mailbox may be full or switched off. E-3’s mail server has no mailbox size limit, so on E-3 email a “full” bounce means something else is wrong; call us. See mailbox full.
• Your address on a blocklist. Sometimes a sending server is listed as a spam source. Your provider can check.
• Bounces for mail you never sent. Spammers forge return addresses. If you get bounces for messages you didn’t write, your address is being faked. Change your password in case, and tell your provider.
• Certificate warnings. If your device says it “cannot verify server identity,” don’t accept it and don’t switch security off. On E-3 email, first check both servers say mail.e3webmail.com; using mail.yourdomain.com causes this warning. Google’s Android setup guide advises reporting a certificate warning to your email provider.

What if this didn’t work?

Stop changing settings and get help. Send your provider:

• your email address, and the device and app;
• the error code and the line that explains it (such as “550 5.1.1 User unknown”), typed out or copied, with other people’s addresses and the original message removed;
• when it started, and whether it’s one person or everyone.

Never include your password or any sign-in code. If you send a screenshot, cover other people’s names and addresses.

How does E-3 handle this?

Send us the bounce’s error code and its explanation line, because the code shows where to look. Remove the original message and other people’s addresses first. If your domain’s mail records need changing, E-3 saves the existing DNS records before changing them.

If email is down for everyone, call 814-399-4655 rather than email. Otherwise write to support@e3help.me or use the Get support form. E-3 email clients can start at E-3 email: start here.

Related questions

• Why am I not receiving email?
• Why are good emails landing in my junk folder?
• How do I reset my email password or log in to webmail?