If you're having trouble sending or receiving email, the Track Delivery tool in cPanel lets you search the mail server logs to trace what happened to a specific message.
Please note: Screens and options may vary slightly depending on your cPanel version and hosting plan.
Using Track Delivery
- Log in to your cPanel account.
- In the Email section, click Track Delivery.
- You can search by:
- Recipient email address — Find messages sent to a specific address. - Sender email address — Find messages sent from a specific address. - Use the date/time filters to narrow the search window.
- Click Run Report.
Understanding the Results
Each log entry shows:
- Event — The type of event (delivered, deferred, bounced, rejected, etc.).
- Sender — The From address.
- Sent Time — When the message was processed.
- Spam Score — The SpamAssassin score (if applicable).
- Recipient — The To address.
- Result — Details about the delivery outcome, including any error messages.
Common Delivery Issues
- "Mailbox is full" — The recipient's mailbox has reached its quota. The recipient needs to free up space.
- "550 No such user" — The recipient address doesn't exist on this server. Check for typos or confirm the account has been created.
- "Connection timed out" — The sending server couldn't reach the receiving server. This is usually a temporary network issue.
- "Blocked by SpamAssassin" — The message scored above the spam threshold. Review your spam filter settings.
- "TLS required" — The receiving server requires encrypted connections. Ensure your mail server supports TLS.
Tips
- Track Delivery only shows logs from the local mail server. If a message was successfully sent from your server but not received, the issue may be at the recipient's end.
- Logs are typically retained for a limited period (often 30 days). Check promptly if you're investigating delivery issues.
- For outgoing email issues, also check that your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured, as failures in these can cause rejections at the receiving end.
What Next?
- Email Deliverability - SPF, DKIM & DMARC — Fix authentication issues causing rejections.
- Managing Spam Filters — Adjust spam scoring if legitimate mail is being blocked.
