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Email Troubleshooting

Email Not Arriving

Step 1 — Check spam/junk folder
Most “missing email” reports are resolved here. Ask the recipient to check their spam folder and whitelist the sender address.

Step 2 — Verify SMTP settings
Admin → System Settings → Email Configuration:

  • Try Send Test Email — if this fails, the issue is in SMTP configuration
  • Common mistakes: wrong port, wrong protocol (TLS vs SSL), authentication not enabled

Step 3 — Check the cron email queue
Some emails (digests, badge notifications) are sent via cron. Check Admin → Cron Schedules to confirm the relevant job last ran successfully.

SMTP Authentication Failures

Error Likely cause
“Authentication failed” Wrong username or password in SMTP settings
“Connection refused” Wrong hostname or port; firewall blocking outbound SMTP
“Hostname not found” SMTP hostname typo
“TLS handshake failed” Wrong protocol — try SSL on 465 instead of TLS on 587, or vice versa

Shared Hosting / Port 25 Blocked

Most shared hosting providers block outbound port 25 to prevent spam. Use port 587 (TLS) or 465 (SSL). If your hosting provider blocks all SMTP, use a dedicated transactional email service:

  • SendGrid — free tier, port 587
  • Mailgun — free tier, port 587
  • Amazon SES — very low cost, port 587 or 465

Configure LEAST with the service's SMTP credentials (not your email client credentials).

Welcome Emails Sent But Not Received

  1. Check the “From” address — some hosting providers require the From address to match a domain hosted on that server
  2. SPF and DKIM records for your sending domain improve deliverability — check with your DNS provider
  3. If using Gmail SMTP: App Passwords must be used (not your regular password) and 2FA must be enabled on the Google account

Daily Error Email Not Arriving

  1. Check Admin → Cron Schedules — confirm the daily_error_email job is enabled and ran recently
  2. Check the administrator email address is correctly set in System Settings
  3. Test SMTP settings with Send Test Email to confirm email delivery is working generally