When your website or webmail will not open from one computer or office but works elsewhere, the problem is usually on the network path between you and the server, not on the server itself. A few quick checks, and a traceroute, show where the connection stops. This guide explains how to run them on Windows, macOS and Linux, how to read the results, and what to send support.
This guide is for websites and for the email included with a hosting plan (cPanel, DirectAdmin, Webuzo or Plesk). Business Email runs on a separate platform with its own webmail at https://mail.yourdomain.com:8443/. Not sure which you have? See Business Email vs the email included with your hosting.
First check whether the site opens on mobile data: if it does, the problem is your network or your IP address, often a firewall block after repeated failed logins. Then confirm your domain resolves to the right server with nslookup, and run tracert yourdomain.com (Windows) or traceroute yourdomain.com (macOS, Linux) to see where the connection stops. Send the results, your public IP address and the time of the test in a support ticket.
1. Is it just you?
Before anything technical, narrow the problem down:
- Try another network. Turn off Wi-Fi on your phone and open the site or webmail on mobile data. If it works there, the server is up and the problem is on your network's path to it, or your IP address is blocked.
- Try another device on the same network. If every device in the office fails, suspect the network or a block on your office's IP. If only one device fails, suspect that device's browser, DNS cache or security software.
- Try a private window. An old saved login or cached page can make a working site look broken.
2. Check that your domain points to the right server
If the domain does not resolve, or resolves to the wrong address, nothing else matters. Open a terminal (Command Prompt on Windows) and run:
nslookup yourdomain.comCompare the address in the answer with your hosting server's IP address. In the client area, open Hosting › My hosting (your hosting services), click Manage on the service, and open the Access tab: the Login details card shows the server IP. If they differ, the domain is pointing somewhere else. See How do I change my nameservers. After a recent nameserver change, some networks keep the old answer for a few hours.
To clear your own computer's DNS cache:
- Windows:
ipconfig /flushdns - macOS:
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder - Linux (systemd-resolved):
resolvectl flush-caches
3. Has your IP address been blocked?
Our hosting servers protect logins against password guessing. After several failed attempts from one address, the server's firewall may block that IP address for a while. The typical sign: the site and webmail time out from your office or home, but open normally on mobile data.
Every further attempt can extend the block. Open a support ticket with your domain name and your public IP address (search "what is my IP" to find it). Then check for an old phone, laptop or printer still trying a wrong mailbox password in the background, or it will trigger the block again.
4. Run a traceroute
A traceroute lists each router ("hop") your traffic passes through on the way to the server and how long each one takes to answer. It shows where along the path the connection stops.
- Windows.Open the Start menu, type
cmdand open Command Prompt. Runtracert yourdomain.com. For a fuller picture of packet loss, runpathping yourdomain.com, which takes a few minutes. - macOS.Open Terminal (Applications, then Utilities) and run
traceroute yourdomain.com. - Linux.Open a terminal and run
traceroute yourdomain.com. If the command is missing, install thetraceroutepackage, or usetracepath yourdomain.com, which most distributions include. - Save the output.Copy the whole result into a text file, and note the date and time you ran it.
If you can install it, mtr yourdomain.com combines ping and traceroute and shows packet loss at each hop over time, which is more useful for problems that come and go.
5. Read the results
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Every hop answers and the last line is your server | The network path is fine; look at the browser, the login or an IP block |
A few lines of * in the middle, then replies again | Normal: many routers do not answer traceroute requests |
| Replies stop at your own router or first few hops | A problem on your local network or with your internet provider |
| Replies stop just before the server, from one network only | Possibly a firewall block on your IP address, or a routing problem |
| Very high times starting at one hop and continuing to the end | Congestion or a slow link from that hop onwards |
A single slow hop that is followed by normal times is not a problem: routers often answer traceroute slowly while forwarding real traffic quickly.
6. Check the port itself
A traceroute tests the route, not the service. To confirm the web or webmail port answers, test it directly.
On Windows (PowerShell):
Test-NetConnection yourdomain.com -Port 443On macOS or Linux:
nc -vz yourdomain.com 443Port 443 carries the website and the /webmail address. On cPanel hosting, webmail also answers on port 2096. If the route works but the port times out from your network only, your IP may be blocked, or your office firewall may be stopping outgoing connections on that port. Our measured port list is in Domain India web hosting port numbers.
7. What to send support
If the problem continues, open a support ticket (or use /client/support/new when logged in) and include:
With that information, support can check the server side, including whether a firewall block applies to your address. Live chat is available 24/7, and tickets get a first response within 15 minutes; how long a fix takes depends on the cause.
For login problems once the page loads, see How to log in to webmail.
Why does my website open on mobile data but not on my office Wi-Fi?
The server is working, so the problem is on your office network's path to it or with your office's IP address. A common cause is a firewall block after repeated failed logins from that address. Open a support ticket with your public IP address.
How do I run a traceroute on Windows?
Open Command Prompt and run tracert yourdomain.com, replacing yourdomain.com with your domain. For packet loss statistics, run pathping yourdomain.com instead.
How do I run a traceroute on a Mac?
Open Terminal from Applications, Utilities, and run traceroute yourdomain.com with your own domain.
What do the asterisks in a traceroute mean?
A line of asterisks means that hop did not answer the traceroute request. This is normal for many routers. It only matters if the asterisks continue to the end and the server never answers.
My traceroute reaches the server but webmail still does not load. What next?
Test the port with Test-NetConnection yourdomain.com -Port 443 on Windows, or nc -vz yourdomain.com 443 on macOS or Linux. If the port times out from your network only, your IP may be blocked; open a support ticket.
What should I include in a support ticket about access problems?
Include the address that fails, your public IP address, the output of nslookup, traceroute and a port test, the time you ran them, and whether the site works on mobile data.
Still can't get in? Open a support ticket with your test results, or read How to log in to webmail for login problems. For email that runs separately from your website, see Business Email.
Send your domain, public IP address and test results, and support will check the server side for you.
Open a support ticket