I can't receive email
Step-by-step diagnosis for when email isn't arriving at your business email address.
Not receiving email is a serious problem for any business. Before you panic, work through these steps. Most email delivery failures have one of a handful of causes — and most are fixable.
Quick summary
Check your spam folder first, then confirm your mailbox isn't full. If the problem is wider, your MX records (the DNS settings that direct email to your inbox) may be wrong or your domain may have lapsed. Contact us with the details and we'll diagnose it.
Step 1 — Check the obvious places
Many "missing" emails are actually there — just not where you're looking.
Check your spam or junk folder. Email from new contacts often ends up there automatically.
Check any email filters or rules. You or a colleague may have set up a rule that moves certain messages to a folder automatically.
Check other folders. Gmail, Outlook, and Google Workspace sometimes sort incoming email into "Promotions," "Social," or other tabs.
Ask the sender to check their sent items. Confirm the email was actually sent to the correct address.
Step 2 — Check if your mailbox is full
Mailboxes have a storage limit. When the limit is reached, new emails bounce back to the sender.
Open your email settings — in Google Workspace, check Google Account storage. In Microsoft 365, check Outlook settings.
Look at how much storage is used. If it's at or near 100%, emails will start bouncing.
Delete large emails and empty the trash to free up space. Or contact us about upgrading your storage.
Step 3 — Test whether the problem is with one sender or all email
Ask two or three people — ideally on different email providers (e.g., one Gmail user and one Outlook user) — to send you a test email.
If none arrive, this is a broader delivery problem with your domain or hosting.
If one arrives but another doesn't, the sender with the delivery problem may be blocked or their email going to spam.
Step 4 — Check your domain's MX records
MX records (Mail Exchanger records) are the DNS settings that tell the internet where to deliver email for your domain. If these are wrong or missing, no one can email you.
Go to mxtoolbox.com.
Enter your domain name (e.g., yourcompany.com) in the MX Lookup tool.
Check that MX records exist and point to your email provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, etc.).
If MX records are missing or incorrect, contact us. We'll update them — but please don't attempt this yourself, as a mistake will stop all email.
Don't change DNS records yourself
A wrong MX record can stop all email delivery for your domain. This is one for us to handle.
Step 5 — Check if the domain has expired
A lapsed domain stops email delivery entirely. See My domain expired if you suspect this is the cause.
Step 6 — Check if this started after a recent change
Did any of the following happen recently?
- A hosting migration or server move
- A domain transfer
- A DNS change (nameservers, MX records, or any other records)
- A Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 configuration change
Note what changed and when, and include it when you contact us.
Business-critical email outage?
If email not arriving is causing an immediate business impact, email us at support@chykalophia.com with "URGENT: Email outage" in the subject line. Include your domain name and what you've already checked.
What to send us
- Your domain name
- Which email address(es) are affected
- Whether all email is missing or just from specific senders
- Whether you can send email successfully (test this by sending to a Gmail or Hotmail address)
- The results of the MX lookup from Step 4 (a screenshot is fine)
- Any recent changes to your domain or hosting
Common questions
Related guides
- My domain expired
- Email DNS records explained
- My email is going to spam
- Email not sending or receiving?
- Info to gather before contacting support
Need a hand?