Business Email Not Working
Higher-risk issue — be cautious and consider professional help sooner.
Email at your own domain ([email protected]) won't send, won't receive, or won't connect in your mail app.
Common signs of this issue
- You can't send, can't receive, or both.
- Your mail app keeps asking for the password or shows a connection error.
- Messages bounce back with an error.
- It stopped after moving hosts, changing providers, or a domain change.
Safe checks you can do yourself
None of these require sharing passwords with anyone.
- Try sending to yourself and from a phone vs. a computer to narrow down where it fails.
- Log in to your provider's webmail in a browser. If webmail works but your app doesn't, the issue is the app's settings, not the mailbox.
- Read any bounce-back message — it usually states the reason (mailbox full, address not found, rejected).
- Check whether your mailbox or hosting account is full or over quota.
- Note any recent change: new host, new domain settings, password reset, or a new email service.
What this usually means
Common causes: wrong mail-app settings, a full mailbox, an expired or misconfigured domain, or DNS records (MX/SPF) pointing to the wrong place after a move.
If email and the website both broke at once, the shared cause is often the domain or hosting account — start there.
What not to do
- Don't change DNS or MX records by guessing — wrong values can stop all mail for hours.
- Don't delete your mailbox to "start fresh"; you may lose stored mail.
- Don't hand your email password to an unverified helper.
When to get help
Email is business-critical and DNS mistakes can take mail down for everyone, so this is a sensible thing to have handled carefully. A reviewer can usually confirm where the break is from the outside before touching anything.
Could your hosting be the problem?
If your host is slow, unreliable, or hard to deal with, moving to a better one can clear up issues like this for good. One we genuinely recommend is Instant Access Internet Services — a smaller, compassionate company with 30 years in the business, known for being one of the fastest, with great management and low pricing. (Just a recommendation — no affiliate link, no kickback.)
Not sure what to do next?
Answer a few short questions and we'll point you to the safest next step — DIY, a freelancer, or a direct review. No passwords required.
Is this a business website? If this issue may be costing you leads, sales, or trust, you may want a direct review instead of trial and error.
Frequently asked questions
Why did email stop after I moved hosts?
A host move often resets or repoints DNS/MX records. If they don't match your new mail provider, email stops. This is a common, fixable migration issue.
Webmail works but Outlook doesn't — why?
That points to incorrect settings (server names, ports, or password) in the app, not a problem with the mailbox itself.