When email will not send, the error message and one quick test usually tell you where the problem is: your mail app, your network, your account, or the receiving server. This guide covers outgoing mail for the mailboxes included with Domain India hosting, in the order that finds the cause fastest.
Send a test from webmail first. If webmail sends but your app does not, fix the app: outgoing server mail.yourdomain.com, SMTP authentication on, your full email address as the username, and port 465 with SSL/TLS (or 587 with STARTTLS on cPanel, DirectAdmin and Webuzo). If webmail fails too, check for a suspended account, a full disk or the sending limit: 200 messages per hour per account on cPanel, 1,000 per day on DirectAdmin. If mail leaves but is never received, look at SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
If you can receive mail but not send it, the complete step-by-step guide is I can receive mail but I cannot send it. For every other email symptom, start with Email troubleshooting.
1. Split the problem with webmail
Log in to webmail (addresses for each panel are in How to log in to webmail) and send a test message to a Gmail or Outlook.com address.
| Result | What it means | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| Webmail sends, your app does not | The mailbox is fine; the app's settings or your network are wrong | Sections 2 to 4 |
| Webmail cannot send either | Something on the account: suspension, disk space or the sending limit | Section 5 |
| Both send, but the recipient never gets it | The receiving server filtered or refused it | Section 6 |
2. Check the outgoing (SMTP) settings
These ports were measured as open on our shared servers on 20 September 2026.
| Setting | cPanel, DirectAdmin and Webuzo | Windows (Plesk) |
|---|---|---|
| Outgoing server | mail.yourdomain.com | mail.yourdomain.com |
| Recommended | 465 with SSL/TLS | 465 with SSL/TLS |
| Alternative | 587 with STARTTLS | Not available: port 587 is closed |
| Authentication | On | On |
| Username | Your full email address | Your full email address |
| Password | The mailbox password | The mailbox password |
- SMTP authentication must be on. Our servers only send mail for users who log in. Without it you see "relaying denied" or "authentication required".
- The port and encryption are a pair. 465 goes with SSL/TLS; 587 goes with STARTTLS. A mismatch fails at once.
- Port 26 is closed on every Domain India server, so older guides that suggest it no longer work.
- In cPanel, Email › Email Accounts › Connect Devices shows the exact server name for your account. Use it if
mail.yourdomain.comgives a certificate warning.
3. Your network and port 25
Port 25 is open on our servers; it is how mail servers pass mail to each other. But many internet providers and mobile networks block outgoing port 25 from homes, offices and phones to stop infected computers sending spam. If your app is set to port 25 and times out, the block is on your network, not on our server. Change the app to 465 with SSL/TLS.
Try sending on mobile data. If it works there but not on your office Wi-Fi, that network is blocking the port. Office firewalls, VPNs and antivirus programs that scan outgoing mail can also interfere.
4. Passwords and a blocked IP address
If the mailbox password changed, every device still using the old one fails, and many apps store the outgoing password separately from the incoming one. Test the password in webmail, reset it in your panel if needed (see Managing your email accounts), then update both password fields on every device.
A device that keeps retrying a wrong password causes repeated failed logins, and the server firewall then blocks that IP address automatically. Everyone on the same connection loses mail at once, while it still works on mobile data. Fix the devices first, then see I can't reach my server: have I been blocked?
5. Account problems: suspension, disk space and sending limits
If webmail cannot send either, look at the account:
- Suspended hosting account. An unpaid renewal invoice can suspend the account, and mail stops in both directions. Check Services and Invoices in your client area.
- Outgoing mail paused for one address. cPanel lets the account owner suspend sending for one address while it keeps receiving. Check the address under Email › Email Accounts.
- Disk full. When the mailbox or the hosting account is out of space, the app may fail to save the copy in Sent and report the send as failed.
- Sending limit reached. We measured these limits on our servers in September 2026:
| Hosting | Outgoing mail limit |
|---|---|
| cPanel (all plans) | 200 messages per hour per account |
| DirectAdmin | 1,000 messages per day per account |
| Webuzo and Windows (Plesk) | Ask support for your account's limit |
Each recipient counts as one message, and mail from webmail, mail apps and website scripts all counts towards the same limit. On cPanel, a small margin over the limit is held and retried; beyond that, further messages are refused with a bounce saying the domain "has exceeded the max emails per hour" and must be sent again later. The details are in Do you limit the amount of mail I can send per hour.
Hitting the limit without sending bulk mail is a warning sign: a hacked form, script or mailbox password may be sending spam. Change your mailbox passwords, check your contact forms, and open a ticket so support can check what your account has been sending. Newsletters belong on a dedicated email delivery service.
6. Mail that leaves but never arrives
If the message is in your Sent folder but the recipient has nothing, the receiving server put it in spam or refused it. Check for a bounce in your inbox first:
| Code in the bounce | Usual meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 550 5.1.1 | The recipient address does not exist | Check the address for typos |
| 552 5.2.2 | The recipient's mailbox is full | Ask them to free space, or try later |
| 421 or other 4xx codes | Temporary refusal; the server will retry | Wait; send again only if it finally bounces |
| 550 5.7.x or 554 5.7.x | Refused by policy: SPF, DKIM, DMARC or a blocklist | Check your DNS records, then send the bounce to support |
Receiving servers such as Gmail and Outlook.com check three DNS records. SPF lists the servers allowed to send for your domain, DKIM signs every message, and DMARC says what to do when those checks fail. Keep only one SPF record per domain, and include every service that sends as your domain in it. In cPanel, Email Deliverability shows whether SPF and DKIM are valid and offers the correct records. See SPF, DKIM and DMARC, Understanding email bouncebacks and Email blacklist removal.
7. Mail sent by your website
Contact forms and plugins follow different rules from mail apps. On cPanel shared hosting, the PHP socket functions that SMTP libraries need are disabled, so sending by SMTP from PHP fails, to our own mail server as well as to Gmail or any outside SMTP server, even with the right settings. What works is PHP mail() with -f set to an address on your own domain, which sets the envelope sender:
mail($to, $subject, $body, $headers, '-f [email protected]');If you use PHPMailer, let it build the message and hand the send to mail() with -f, as shown in how to use PHPMailer for contact forms. On DirectAdmin, test SMTP from your scripts on your own plan before you rely on it. See PHP sendmail settings and PHP disabled functions on shared hosting.
8. Where Domain India products fit
Every cPanel, DirectAdmin and Webuzo hosting plan includes email accounts at your domain, with the sending limits above, which suit everyday business mail. Compare plans on cPanel hosting and DirectAdmin hosting.
Business Email is a separate product, priced per mailbox, with its own settings and sending limits; see Business Email sending limits.
- Priced per mailbox - start with one
- Email at your own domain ([email protected])
- Add and remove mailboxes yourself
- Webmail with calendar, contacts and tasks
The price on the card is a Domain India list price and excludes 18% GST.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my email not sending?
The most common causes are SMTP authentication switched off, the wrong port or encryption, an internet provider blocking port 25, an old password on one device, a suspended hosting account or the sending limit. Send a test from webmail: if webmail works, the problem is your mail app or network.
What SMTP settings should I use on Domain India hosting?
Outgoing server mail.yourdomain.com, port 465 with SSL/TLS, SMTP authentication on, and your full email address and mailbox password as the login. Port 587 with STARTTLS also works on cPanel, DirectAdmin and Webuzo, but is closed on Windows (Plesk) hosting.
Is port 25 blocked on Domain India servers?
No. Port 25 is open on our servers. Many internet providers and mobile networks block outgoing port 25 from homes and offices, so use port 465 with SSL/TLS in your mail app instead.
How many emails can I send from shared hosting?
200 messages per hour per account on cPanel and 1,000 per day on DirectAdmin. Each recipient counts as one message. For Webuzo and Windows hosting, ask support. Newsletters should go through a dedicated email delivery service.
My email sends but the recipient does not get it. Why?
The receiving server has probably filed it as spam or refused it. Check for a bounce in your inbox, and make sure your domain has one valid SPF record, a DKIM record and a DMARC record. In cPanel, Email Deliverability shows whether SPF and DKIM are valid.
Why does my website's contact form fail to send through Gmail or another SMTP server?
On cPanel shared hosting, the PHP socket functions that SMTP libraries need are disabled, so SMTP from scripts fails, whichever SMTP server you use. Send with PHP mail() and the -f option set to an address on your own domain; with PHPMailer, let it build the message and pass the send to mail() with -f. On DirectAdmin, test on your plan.
Ready to fix it? Start with the webmail test in section 1, then the full guide I can receive mail but I cannot send it. If mail still will not send, open a ticket in the client area or use the public ticket form; live chat runs 24/7, tickets get a first response within 15 minutes, and there is no phone support.
Tell us your email address, your mail app, the port and encryption it uses and the exact error, and we will check your account.
Open a support ticket