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Checking Email Logs & Headers

Checking Email Logs and Headers for Debugging

When troubleshooting email delivery issues in mySMTP, checking email logs and analyzing email headers can help diagnose issues such as delays, rejections, or failures. This guide covers how to access email logs and interpret headers for debugging purposes.

1. Accessing Email Logs in mySMTP

mySMTP provides log access for tracking sent, received, and failed emails. To check logs:

  1. Login to the mySMTP Dedicated Server Dashboard:
  2. Login to the mySMTP Shared Account Dashboard:
    • Navigate to the login page on (https://mysmtp.com).
    • Enter your credentials to access the user dashboard.
  3. Go to the Logs Section:
    • Locate the "Search Logs" or "Statistics" section.
    • Use filters (e.g., sender, recipient, date range) to refine the log search.
  4. View Log Details:
    • Click on a specific email entry to see details such as status codes, timestamps, and delivery attempts.
  5. Export Logs (if needed):
    • Some mySMTP versions allow exporting logs in CSV format for further analysis.

2. Understanding Email Logs for Debugging

Email logs contain useful data points to diagnose email issues:

Log FieldDescription
Timestamp The time the email was processed.
Sender The sender's email address.
Recipient The recipient's email address.
Status Indicates success, failure, or delay.
Error Codes SMTP response codes (e.g., 550 for rejected, 421 for temporary issues).

3. Analyzing Email Headers for Troubleshooting

Email headers provide additional insights into email routing, authentication, and delays.

  1. Find the Email Header:
    • In the recipient's email client, open the email.
    • Look for "View Source" or "Show Original" to access headers.
  2. Key Header Fields to Analyze:
Header FieldPurpose
Received Shows the email's path through mail servers. Useful for detecting delays.
Message-ID A unique identifier for tracking the email.
Return-Path Indicates where bounces and delivery failure notifications are sent.
DKIM-Signature Validates email authenticity via domain keys.
SPF and DMARC Shows whether the email passed SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) validation.
  1. Common Issues and Fixes:
    • Delayed Emails: Check the "Received" timestamps to identify slow servers.
    • Email Rejected (550 errors): Ensure the sending IP isn’t blacklisted and SPF/DKIM/DMARC are correctly set.
    • Spam Flagged Emails: Adjust email content to avoid trigger words and ensure proper authentication.

4. Using mySMTP Support for Further Assistance

If logs and headers do not resolve the issue, consider:

  • Checking mySMTP’s status page for service disruptions.
  • Contacting mySMTP support with relevant log entries and headers.
  • Reviewing sender reputation and spam scores to ensure email deliverability.

By leveraging email logs and headers, users can efficiently diagnose and resolve email delivery issues within mySMTP.

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