Why Is My Email Not Sending?

An email usually fails to send because of a connection problem, something in the message itself, or a problem with your account or email app. When this happens, it often stays in the Outbox until the problem is fixed.

What Does It Mean When an Email Is Stuck in the Outbox?

The Outbox is the folder where messages wait before they have been sent. If your email is stuck there, your app has not finished sending it. It is one of the email folders you may see beside your Inbox and Sent folders.

Some apps show a message as queued instead. This means it is waiting to be sent, often because the app is offline or is still trying to connect. A queued email has not yet finished sending.

If an email sends successfully, it normally moves to Sent. This means it has left your account for delivery, but it does not guarantee it reached the recipient’s inbox.

Is an Email Not Sending the Same as a Bounced Email?

No. An email stuck in the Outbox has not been successfully sent from your app or account. A bounced email was sent, but could not be delivered to the recipient’s address.

When an email bounces, you may receive an automatic failure notice, sometimes from something called mailer-daemon. A stuck email usually has no such notice.

If the email has not sent, check your connection, message and account. If it bounced, check the failure notice.

Why Are My Emails Not Sending?

Several problems can stop an email from sending. An error message, if one appears, may help you identify which one.

• No internet connection or offline mode. Your device may be disconnected or the app may be in offline mode, even if your internet connection works.
• An attachment is too large. If you attach a file that exceeds your provider’s size limit, sending may fail. Photos and videos can make attachments particularly large.
• A problem with the recipient’s address. The To field may be empty or the email address mistyped. Some mistakes prevent sending, while others cause a bounce later.
• A sign-in problem. You may be signed out, or the app may still have your old password after you changed it.
• Full storage. If your email storage is full, some providers will stop you sending new messages until you free up space.
• Incorrect outgoing mail settings. Email apps use SMTP, a system for sending email. Wrong outgoing mail settings can stop the app sending.
• A temporary account limit. Your provider may temporarily restrict sending if you have sent a large number of emails in a short time.
• An app problem. An outdated app or temporary fault may prevent sending.

What Should I Do if My Email Will Not Send?

Work through these checks in order, starting with your connection. You do not usually need to change technical settings.

1. Check your connection. Open a website to check the internet and make sure the email app is online.
2. Look in the Outbox. Open the waiting email and look for an error or an option to try again. Check Sent before attempting multiple times to avoid duplicates.
3. Check the recipient and attachments. Make sure the To field contains the right address and remove any attachment that might be too large.
4. Try the email website. Try sending a short test email on your provider’s website. Webmail and email clients work differently, so one may work when the other does not. This is a useful way to narrow down the problem.
5. Check your sign-in. If your account needs a password, enter it again. Otherwise, try signing out and back in.
6. Restart or update the app. Close and reopen it, then install any available updates.
7. Check your available storage. If your mailbox is full, make some space and try sending again.

If the website works but the app does not, the app or its account connection is likely the problem. If neither works, check for an account warning.

What if My Email Still Will Not Send?

Check whether your provider has reported an outage or temporarily limited your account.

If nothing helps, contact your provider with any error message you have seen. Explain whether your email stays in the Outbox, shows as queued or vanishes when you press Send.

If messages are sending normally but new emails are not arriving, the problem is different. The checks for not receiving emails focus on incoming messages rather than sending.