Fixing Email Delivery Failures When Changing Web Hosting Providers

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: Fixing Email Delivery Failures When Changing Web Hosting Providers. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

When you move your website to a new hosting provider, your email service can stop working if your Mail Exchange (MX) records are not updated correctly. MX records tell the internet which mail server should handle emails for your domain. If these records still point to your old host or are missing entirely, incoming emails may bounce or fail to deliver. This guide explains how to verify and correct your DNS settings to restore email delivery.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Log in to your domain registrar or DNS hosting control panel.
2. Locate the DNS management or zone editor section.
3. Find the existing MX records for your domain.
4. Update the records to match the values provided by your email hosting provider.
5. Save the changes and allow time for DNS propagation.

Detailed Instructions

Step 1: Identify your correct MX records

Before making changes, obtain the correct MX record values from your email provider. If you are using 220 Internet Services for email hosting, your records will typically look similar to the following:

• Type: MX
• Host/Name: @
• Points to/Value: mail.220.com.au
• Priority: 10

Note: If you use a third-party email service such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, use the specific MX values provided by those platforms instead.

Step 2: Access your DNS settings

1. Log in to the control panel where your domain is managed.
2. Navigate to the DNS Management, Zone Editor, or Advanced DNS section.
3. Select the domain you are troubleshooting.

Step 3: Update the MX records

1. Locate the current MX records in the list.
2. Delete any records that point to your previous web hosting provider.
3. Click Add Record or Create Record.
4. Select MX from the record type dropdown.
5. Enter the host as @.
6. Enter the mail server address provided by your email host.
7. Set the priority value as specified by your provider.
8. Click Save or Update.

Step 4: Verify DNS propagation

DNS changes are not instant. It can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours for the changes to spread across the internet. You can check the status using a global DNS lookup tool.

1. Visit a DNS propagation checker website.
2. Enter your domain name.
3. Select MX as the record type.
4. Confirm that the new mail server appears in the results across multiple locations.

Troubleshooting

Emails are still bouncing

If emails continue to fail after updating your records:

• Double-check that there are no typos in the mail server address.
• Ensure there is only one set of active MX records; duplicate records can cause delivery conflicts.
• Wait up to 48 hours for full propagation.
• Check with your email provider to ensure your mailbox is active and not over quota.
• Verify that SPF and DKIM records are correctly configured, as incorrect authentication records can cause emails to be rejected or marked as spam.

Cannot access DNS settings

If you cannot find the DNS management section, your domain may be registered with a different provider than the one hosting your website. Log in to your domain registrar's account to manage the records. If you are unsure where your domain is hosted, you can perform a WHOIS lookup to identify the registrar.

If you have followed these steps and are still experiencing delivery failures, please Open a Ticket with our support team.

Still Having Issues?