Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Mail won't send

My email is driving me NUTS!!!

Every other day or week, it suddenly won't send messages - UGH!!! It's doing it again today. I get a message/pop-up box that says it can't send with the specified server - even though I haven't changed any settings on anything to do with mail. I'll run the Connection Doctor and everything comes up green and says it's fine, yet my email still won't go.

I just have the myname@mac.com email - I'm not even sure what a 'Pop' account is, which I've seen other posts about?? But I just have my email through Mac and am trying to send email from my desktop using the Mail Application.

Anybody have any idea why this keeps happening?

Thanks!!!!

MacMini, Mac OS X (10.5.6), Personal Use

Posted on May 19, 2009 1:35 PM

Reply
18 replies

May 19, 2009 4:52 PM in response to scottks

Scott, when you go to Connection Doctor, click on "Show Detail" to get the log display at the bottom. Then move that window aside, select the same server again and click on "Try with selected server" or whatever it's called. Watch the messages go by and see what the error message is. It will mostly likely come at the end after the line with a single period (.) on it.

I'm getting errors about "Milter rejected message". Is that what you're seeing or is it something else?

Chip

May 26, 2009 10:58 PM in response to Beanut

Wanted to bump this since it's not answered, and my Mail just started doing this, too. I'm assuming it's either a corrupt preferences file (because I had to rebuild my mini from backups after the 10.5.7 update COMPLETELY fried it -- don't EVEN get me started whining about that!!!!) or some other 10.5.7 "present".

I can send mail successfully from another program, so I know it's not the ISP or the router. I tried deleting and re-creating the outgoing mail server entry, that didn't help.

I found some references to deleting the com.apple.mail.plist prefs file, but I believe that will delete your mail account settings. Any other suggestions before going that route?

May 27, 2009 6:45 AM in response to TheRooster

Rooster, if there is anyway you can watch the protocol, e.g. using Connection Doctor in Window menu of Mail.app, it would be important to know if you're getting the "Milter rejected message [slot 4]" error. That's what has been showing up as the biggest culprit lately though it has gone quiet on me lately.

FWIW, I've noticed a lot less Spam coming through to my inbox, too.

May 27, 2009 7:34 PM in response to chip.r

I don't know about Rooster, but I'm not seeing any Milter error message on mine.

I ended up just pulling my mail prefs file out, I can send now. I hope this isn't a recurring thing, as it seems to be for others!

chip.r wrote:
Rooster, if there is anyway you can watch the protocol, e.g. using Connection Doctor in Window menu of Mail.app, it would be important to know if you're getting the "Milter rejected message [slot 4]" error. That's what has been showing up as the biggest culprit lately though it has gone quiet on me lately.

FWIW, I've noticed a lot less Spam coming through to my inbox, too.

May 28, 2009 6:08 PM in response to Beanut

I've been dealing with this since mid-March. I have several IMAP email accounts set up in Mail and all of them stopped working. The only account I can use to send email was my dot me account and sometimes that won't work either.

We have 4 computers in the house - 2 relatively new iMacs and 2 older Macbooks. Every one of them is having the same problem.

I've been on the phone several times with Apple support. Here's what we've been through so far:

1) Deleted the preferences file several times - no help.
2) Rolled back to a previous version of Mail - no help.
3) Restarted the mail server at our host service - no help.
4) Individually deleted mail accounts on the mail server and re-built - no help.
5) Tested the mail server at the command line directly - functioning correctly but mail still not working.
6) Logged in to each mail account using web mail - functioning correctly.
7) Restarted the router (numerous times) the cable modem (also numerous times) - no help
8) Direct connected to the cable modem - no help.
9) Restarted Mail more times than I can remember - no help.
10) Updated to the latest version of Mail - no help.

So....I'm kind of at my wits end and considering just trashing Mail and using Eudora or similar. But I don't know yet how that will impact sync between my iMac, iPhone, Macbook and dot me account. Will prolly be ugly if I had to guess.

Anybody have any, and I mean ANY ideas?

Jun 5, 2009 9:45 AM in response to Beanut

Have not been able to send mail from Apple Mail on my home computer for the last two weeks. A dialog box pops up asking for the password, when I put in the password, it is rejected. Connection Doctor states "Trying to log into this SMTP account failed. Please make sure username and password are correct."
I can both send and receive using my sbcglobal account on Yahoo.
The very same settings work fine on my work computer.
So it can't be the password. The outgoing mail server is smtp.att.yahoo.com

I THINK the problem started when I attempted to send out a monthly "bulk" e-mail with about 60 addresses, but am not sure. Would this have anything to do with it?

Thanks for any help!

Jul 18, 2009 11:22 AM in response to Beanut

I have the same issue. I am using Mac Mail set to use the server mail.me.com and I am using my .me account. Have tried all variation on settings and get nowhere. Apparently randomly emails will not go. The same email in Postbox or using my mobile me web account is fine.I hope someone can sort this. What is the point in a mail account that can't send mail?

Terry

Mail won't send

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.