Mail won't send or receive with VPN on

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Level 1

17 points

Mail won't send or receive with VPN on

Ever since two days ago, I have not been able to send or receive emails through Mail when connected to a VPN server. If I disconnect, no problem, Mail will send and receive. I use five different emails in Mail, and they are all from different providers, so the problem really seems to be with Mail. I have used Express VPN for over two years without any issues, and as far as I know, they have not changed or updated anything recently, which is why I again suspect Mail to be the problem. I have tried to re-install Express VPN, all my emails, and been looking for the latest update of Mail, but nothing seems to work, except disconnecting from the VPN server. Does anyone have a similar problem? I like using the VPN for privacy, so I hope for Apple to find a fix to this.

MacBook Pro 13", macOS 10.14

Posted on Jul 20, 2019 3:55 PM

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Answer 1

Jul 25, 2019 7:51 PM in response to moell

I'm having this issue on iOS (iPhone Xs Max, iOS 12.4) when Express VPN is set to automatically select the protocol. When I select TCP, it works. It also works when I turn it off. Apparently TCP is slower, but works with more networks. However, Apple Mail appears to be working properly on my MacBook Pro on automatic protocol selection although I cannot tell what protocol it is actually selecting. This started about a week ago, so it was prior to the latest updates.

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Answer 2

Tesserax

Level 10

158,592 points

Jul 21, 2019 10:34 AM in response to moell

Which VPN protocol method are you using with your Express VPN client on your Mac? Automatic, UDP - OpenVPN, TCP - OpenVPN, or L2TP? Have you tried each method to see if it resolves the mail issue?

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Answer 3

Jul 23, 2019 11:17 AM in response to moell

The issue may be ExpressVPN, and should be reported as a bug. At the last app update 6 days ago, it broke some of my email addresses, but not all. I have had no success troubleshooting, either.

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Answer 4

Jul 20, 2019 4:04 PM in response to moell

I suspect the issue is with the VPN rather than with Mail. Unless your VPN tunnel is connected to a private network at the other end it is not providing you any privacy. Your insecure traffic must get onto the Internet at the other end of the VPN if it is not connected to a private network.

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Answer 5

Jul 21, 2019 10:38 AM in response to kennith753


Sorry Bob, I am new here and didn’t know only you are allowed to 
reply about a problem that I am also having.

Unless your problem is exactly the same as the original posters, same system, same vpn, same environment, same everything your issue resolution may not be the same as that of the original poster. So troubleshooting your issue in this thread confuses the attempt at solving both the original poster's issue and your issue. You will get 100% focus on your issue if you start your own thread.

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Answer 6

Tesserax

Level 10

158,592 points

Jul 21, 2019 10:49 AM in response to kennith753

Unless your issue is "exactly" the same as the OP's (Original Poster) and are using the same VPN service, you will find that you will get better results on help with a solution by starting a new post. That way it gets the attention it deserves and so does the OP. Makes sense?

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Answer 7

moell Author

Level 1

17 points

Jul 30, 2019 12:41 AM in response to Irelander

Dear all,

Thanks for great feedback. I have tried a few different recommendations mentioned here, none of which seemed to work. However, gradually over a weeks time, I started having random days of no issues at all. Eventually all the issues I initially had disappeared. Not sure why they went away or what happened, but as of now, the issues I initially complained about are no longer there, neither on my MacBook Pro or my iPhone.

Thanks again for all suggestions, and friendly help!

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Answer 8

Jul 21, 2019 10:15 AM in response to moell

I am thinking it is in Mail, because I am not having any email problems with my Kindle Fire which is also on my vpn.

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Answer 9

Jul 21, 2019 10:22 AM in response to kennith753

kennith753 wrote:

I am thinking it is in Mail, because I am not having any email problems with my Kindle Fire which is also on my vpn.

Start your own thread rather than thread jacking this one.

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Answer 10

Jul 21, 2019 10:32 AM in response to BobTheFisherman

Sorry Bob, I am new here and didn’t know only you are allowed to reply about a problem that I am also having.

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Mail won't send or receive with VPN on

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