📧 Problems Sending Emails

If you're having trouble sending emails in Mailbird, you may encounter one or more of the following issues:

• Emails fail to send
• Messages remain stuck in the Drafts folder
• An error message appears when attempting to send

While other symptoms may occur, these are the most frequently reported. Before contacting our Support Team, we recommend working through the troubleshooting steps below, as they resolve the majority of cases.

🔬 Basic Checks

First, we'd like to suggest some basic checks to understand the situation better:

• Sign in to your email provider’s webmail and check the Sent folder there.
  • If the email is present in webmail Sent, or the recipient has confirmed receiving it, avoid resending it. The remaining Draft label or duplicate draft is usually a local draft/sync state that did not clear correctly.
• In Mailbird, select your Sent and Drafts folders and press F5 to force a sync/refresh of each.
  • If the sent copy appears as sent, but a duplicate draft or draft compose box remains, remove only that duplicate draft after copying its contents somewhere safe if needed.
• If the email is only in Drafts and does not appear in webmail Sent, treat it as not sent and continue with the troubleshooting steps below.

🛠️ Suggested Fixes

In the vast majority of cases, sending issues are caused by incorrect SMTP (outgoing server) settings or interference from security software. Follow the steps below in order:

1. Check Webmail Access

• Log in to your email account using your provider’s webmail (for example, your provider’s website).
• Attempt to send a test email.

Outcome:

• If sending fails → The issue is likely with your email provider. Contact their support team.
• If sending succeeds → Proceed to the next steps.

2. Temporarily Disable Security Software

Firewalls, antivirus programs, or proxy settings can block outgoing mail connections.

• Temporarily disable your firewall, antivirus, or proxy (if applicable).
  • You can find out if you're behind a proxy by clicking here.
• Try sending an email again.

⚠️ Important: If this resolves the issue, add Mailbird to your software’s whitelist to prevent future interruptions.

3. Test Your Connection in Mailbird

• Open the Mailbird menu (☰) in the top-left corner
• Go to Settings > Identities
• Double-click the affected account
• Click Test Connection

Review any error message shown—these messages often indicate exactly what is misconfigured or blocked.

4. Verify Outgoing Server (SMTP) Settings

Incorrect SMTP settings are the most common cause of sending failures.

• Look up your email provider’s official SMTP settings (e.g., search: "[provider] SMTP settings")
• In Mailbird, go to Settings > Identities
• Open your account settings and compare:
  • SMTP server address
  • Port number
  • Encryption method (SSL/TLS)
  • Authentication settings
• Update any values that don’t match your provider’s recommended configuration

📩 Still Need Help?

If none of these steps resolve your issue, please reach out to us by using our Contact Form, but please be sure to include a copy of your log file to help us diagnose the problem. 

For instructions on how to retrieve your log file, please refer to this article.