RoshBaby2

Q: Why do my SMTP/IMAP/POP servers keep going offline in OS X Yosemite Mail app?

I have a MacBook Pro from summer of 2011 and just upgraded to OS X Yosemite. Now my Mail app keeps taking the servers offline randomly and keeps it can't reconnect. I can fix it by quitting the app, shutting my computer, and then opening it and restarting the app, but if someone has a permanent fix that would be much appreciated.

 

I've gone into the accounts and made sure the information was correct, reentered it, etc. And I think the port numbers are correct (I changed them but that didn't help anything). I've also repaired my Keychain because that seemed to cause problems in previous OS versions.

 

Everything else on my computer still logs in and accepts the passwords (so far), it's just the Mail app that broke. And it was working great until I upgraded to Yosemite.

 

Thanks!

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10)

Posted on Oct 21, 2014 8:04 AM

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Q: Why do my SMTP/IMAP/POP servers keep going offline in OS X Yosemite Mail app?

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  • by Armstrong18,

    Armstrong18 Armstrong18 Aug 21, 2015 10:26 AM in response to RoshBaby2
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Aug 21, 2015 10:26 AM in response to RoshBaby2

    I was recently struggling with this problem.  Out of the blue, MacMail suddenly refused to "Send":  the SMTP server is offline.  This has happened to me a number of times in the past, with various versions OSX.  I tried rebooting the router, re-entering my account name and password, rebooting the computer, solutions that have worked in the past.  NOPE.  Then I came across these instructions from Cox, "Not Able to Send or Receive Emails in Mail on OS X Yosemite":

      http://www.cox.com/residential/support/internet/article.cox?articleId=e7bace20-1 504-11e5-6a7f-000000000000#sending

     

    I followed the instructions, using the following recommendations from Cox (on their Email Server Names page)

     

    "Outgoing SMTP Port:  smtp.cox.net

    • 587 with TLS enabled
    • 465 with SSL enabled and check the authentication box, if available

      Note: Cox does not recommend the use of unsecure ports."

     

    And it worked!

     

    Hope this helps.

  • by Henry-In-FL,

    Henry-In-FL Henry-In-FL Aug 22, 2015 7:44 AM in response to Armstrong18
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Servers Enterprise
    Aug 22, 2015 7:44 AM in response to Armstrong18

    Armstrong18 wrote:

     

    I was recently struggling with this problem.  Out of the blue, MacMail suddenly refused to "Send":  the SMTP server is offline.  This has happened to me a number of times in the past, with various versions OSX.  I tried rebooting the router, re-entering my account name and password, rebooting the computer, solutions that have worked in the past.  NOPE.  Then I came across these instructions from Cox, "Not Able to Send or Receive Emails in Mail on OS X Yosemite":

      http://www.cox.com/residential/support/internet/article.cox?articleId=e7bace20-1 504-11e5-6a7f-000000000000#sending

     

    I followed the instructions, using the following recommendations from Cox (on their Email Server Names page)

     

    "Outgoing SMTP Port:  smtp.cox.net

    • 587 with TLS enabled
    • 465 with SSL enabled and check the authentication box, if available

      Note: Cox does not recommend the use of unsecure ports."

     

    And it worked!

     

    Hope this helps.

    I think that the issue with port 465 is the SSL certificate validation on the server. Some SSL servers'  security don't have a current certificate or haven't been using the correct protocol in the past so their certificates aren't going to get renewed. I've been able to use Port 587 on Google (without TLS, with SSL) but not on my business server (inMotionHosting.com) or iCloud.

     

    What's funny on iCloud is that to send email no SMTP setting is there, but sending mail still works. In fact setting up an SMTP for iCloud in Mail doesn't affect things one way or the other. "It just works."

     

    These results are on ATT Uverse or even on the road with my laptop. Works the same on most any Wi-Fi network or LAN I've tried, including my ATT phone hotspot, home network. From other comments, I gather that:

    • 1024 bit encryption is being used for SSL on most all networks these days.
    • Setting/check SSL with terminal commands is a good method to confirm access to the appropriate server.
    • Later versions of Mac OS by default support 1024 or better only for IMAP/SSL.
    • iCloud somehow gets around Mail settings for SSL in SMTP by virtue of its more direct System Preferences iCloud settings. You can manually set up SMTP in Mail but that affects nothing.

     

    Hope this helps.

     

    H-I-F

  • by Rob Gilgan,

    Rob Gilgan Rob Gilgan Aug 22, 2015 9:17 AM in response to RoshBaby2
    Level 1 (89 points)
    iTunes
    Aug 22, 2015 9:17 AM in response to RoshBaby2

    I've solved the problem completely and permanently. After wasting countless hours diddling with the configuration without results, I abandoned Apple Mail entirely and now access my accounts via webmail on my desktop. (I still use the Mail apron my phone and iPad). Works every time and I'm nowhere near as annoyed and frustrated as I used to be.

     

    And webmail is much better than it was in the old days.

  • by Henry-In-FL,

    Henry-In-FL Henry-In-FL Aug 22, 2015 9:49 AM in response to Rob Gilgan
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Servers Enterprise
    Aug 22, 2015 9:49 AM in response to Rob Gilgan

    Rob Gilgan wrote:

     

    And webmail is much better than it was in the old days.

    I can't disagree more. Well, Rob, besides having to use your browser, not being able to manage your own spam and having to use different web locations for each account, can't think of a reason not to use web mail.

     

    Seriously, though web mail and cloud email account management have their place, there is absolutely no reason be dependent on many different providers for web access for email. Using IMAP for secure access, your email app should be more than capable of managing all the above. Of course, that choice is up to you. There are many email filter program that do a very nice job of filtering any/all your accounts at the same time.

     

    Good luck.

  • by Rob Gilgan,

    Rob Gilgan Rob Gilgan Aug 22, 2015 11:22 AM in response to Henry-In-FL
    Level 1 (89 points)
    iTunes
    Aug 22, 2015 11:22 AM in response to Henry-In-FL

    Three browser tabs separating accounts, receive and send from each account, good filtering of incoming (which, admittedly, has to be set up in each account). Not a big deal to use the browser. Not being able to send from my two most-often-used accounts was crippling. Going through myriad 'solutions' only to have no positive results was very time consuming and frustrating.

     

    The bug is limited to Apple's desktop app. The mobile apps, using the same configuration data, work as they should.

     

    Pleasant surprise to see that my primary ISP, which used to have the most archaic webmail system, now sports a really nicely designed mail, calendar, contacts console, all of which are very easy to use and work flawlessly.

     

    A couple of days in, completely lost that itch to launch Apple Mail.

  • by griffnet,

    griffnet griffnet Nov 6, 2015 11:59 AM in response to W.W London
    Level 1 (19 points)
    Nov 6, 2015 11:59 AM in response to W.W London

    I am able to receive mail on my iPhone and a PC but NOT my MAC which recently has updated version of El Capitan 10.11.1.  I DO NOT see any check box options for each of my email accounts that would allow me to auto detect and maintain settings.

     

    I have spent virtually a day trying to rectify the problem....

     

    What a cluster.  Apple software updates are getting as bad a windows updates...

     

    see: http://osxdaily.com/2015/07/05/resolving-mail-problems-ox-x-update

  • by griffnet,

    griffnet griffnet Nov 6, 2015 12:01 PM in response to griffnet
    Level 1 (19 points)
    Nov 6, 2015 12:01 PM in response to griffnet

    What a cluster.  Apple software updates are getting as bad a windows updates...

     

    http://osxdaily.com/2015/07/05/resolving-mail-problems-os-x-update/

  • by HenryS,

    HenryS HenryS Nov 6, 2015 12:17 PM in response to griffnet
    Level 2 (303 points)
    Nov 6, 2015 12:17 PM in response to griffnet

    griffnet wrote:

     

    What a cluster.  Apple software updates are getting as bad a windows updates...

     

    http://osxdaily.com/2015/07/05/resolving-mail-problems-os-x-update/

    I don't think this very applicable, griffnet, as the link has been removed. Possible rant? Anyway, for one I'd be happy to help you assuming this isn't simply a rant (chime-in rant, or whatever). If you would like some help from users not Apple employees, leave a screen shot of the actual problem you're seeing.that might get some help. You should leave feedback for Apple at their web site, http://www.apple.com/feedback/

     

    Good luck,

     

    H

  • by griffnet,

    griffnet griffnet Nov 6, 2015 1:01 PM in response to HenryS
    Level 1 (19 points)
    Nov 6, 2015 1:01 PM in response to HenryS

    Thanks Henry for the reply.  While it was partly a rant (since I abhor OS updates that create additional problems), I did find that the referenced simple solution worked for me.  Unfortunately I did not immediately find this solution on the through the Apple Support Community but was directed to the solution through my email provider Godaddy.   I am fortunate to have multiple devices receiving my email so I have something akin to an experimental design that can control for various conditions or variables.  Since email was working on the iPhone, I assumed the issue had to be related to the recent OS update on the MAC.   In my original post I overlooked the five check box conditions that are in the advanced section of account settings.  I am still getting used to MAC settings since I have over 30 years experience in the PC world. The following solution to successfully receiving and send email worked for me:

     

    1. Open Mail app in OS X, then pull down the “Mail” menu and go to “Preferences”
    2. Now go to the “Accounts” tab, and select the email account which the problem is occurring for, then click on the “Advanced” tab
    3. Look for the box titled “Automatically detect and maintain account settings”, then do as follows depending on what situation you find
      • If it is unchecked, check it – then relaunch Mail app
      • If it is checked, uncheck it, then quit and relaunch Mail app, then go back to the same preference setting and check the box again, then relaunch Mail app yet again
    4. Repeat this process for other email accounts in Mail app if necessary
  • by Bob Jacobson,

    Bob Jacobson Bob Jacobson Nov 6, 2015 4:44 PM in response to RoshBaby2
    Level 1 (124 points)
    Nov 6, 2015 4:44 PM in response to RoshBaby2

    Don't know if it's an accident of fate, something we did before, or a remodeling of OS 10, but El Capitan for my partner (on an iMac) and me (on my MBP) so far hasn't displayed the same Mail problems as did Yosemite.  Here's hoping this situation holds.  El Capitan has its own drawbacks -- it's slow as a glacier on my MBP, switching between applications -- but fortunately, losing IMAP capability isn't one of them!

  • by HenryS,

    HenryS HenryS Nov 8, 2015 5:59 AM in response to griffnet
    Level 2 (303 points)
    Nov 8, 2015 5:59 AM in response to griffnet

    griffnet wrote:

     

    Thanks Henry for the reply.  While it was partly a rant (since I abhor OS updates that create additional problems), I did find that the referenced simple solution worked for me.  Unfortunately I did not immediately find this solution on the through the Apple Support Community but was directed to the solution through my email provider Godaddy.   I am fortunate to have multiple devices receiving my email so I have something akin to an experimental design that can control for various conditions or variables.  Since email was working on the iPhone, I assumed the issue had to be related to the recent OS update on the MAC.   In my original post I overlooked the five check box conditions that are in the advanced section of account settings.  I am still getting used to MAC settings since I have over 30 years experience in the PC world. The following solution to successfully receiving and send email worked for me:

     

    1. Open Mail app in OS X, then pull down the “Mail” menu and go to “Preferences”
    2. Now go to the “Accounts” tab, and select the email account which the problem is occurring for, then click on the “Advanced” tab
    3. Look for the box titled “Automatically detect and maintain account settings”, then do as follows depending on what situation you find
      • If it is unchecked, check it – then relaunch Mail app
      • If it is checked, uncheck it, then quit and relaunch Mail app, then go back to the same preference setting and check the box again, then relaunch Mail app yet again

    Yes, that is good advice, griff. Good post.

     

    The setting of Auto in the IMAP Accounts Preferences are ones I never use. I manually put in the settings for both IMAP and SMTP, by the way. Those are separately set and control the sending of email (SMTP) as well as receiving (IMAP). You might want to check the SMTP settings for each account located in Preferences>Accounts>Account Information>Edit SMTP Server list>Advanced. Use the port settings given you by your ISP for each account! You can try if you notice now or later that you have a warning that the SMTP is having trouble connecting. You may notice this condition at any time... I simply use it all the time in setting up an account in IMAP (GoDaddy and other commercial servers seem to experience it more than others, like Google, iCloud).  Sorry, but didn't think of this because of so little information in your first post, didn't point to a set up issue.

    Screen Shot 2015-11-08 at 08.54.05.png

  • by Rob Gilgan,

    Rob Gilgan Rob Gilgan Nov 8, 2015 9:31 AM in response to emaccame
    Level 1 (89 points)
    iTunes
    Nov 8, 2015 9:31 AM in response to emaccame

    The problem I've encountered is that my selection doesn't stick. I select the box, then save the change in preferences, close and relaunch Mail and the preference has returned to its previous checked state.

     

    Mail is broken, as attested by all the people on this forum that have spent days (literally) trying to get the app to just work. I switched to webmail for the offending accounts and while not perfect, it works flawlessly for sending and receiving mail.

     

    I've been looking at Postbox and will download the trial today and set it up. If it's a solution, I'll happily pay $15 to be able to have all my accounts (a half dozen) in one place, with a decent organizational system. Because the same credentials work as expected on my other devices ( 2 phones, an iPad), the common denominator appears to be Mail and OS X.

     

    If Postbox works, I'll report back to this thread.

  • by HenryS,

    HenryS HenryS Nov 8, 2015 7:58 PM in response to Rob Gilgan
    Level 2 (303 points)
    Nov 8, 2015 7:58 PM in response to Rob Gilgan

    Rob Gilgan wrote:

     

    The problem I've encountered is that my selection doesn't stick. I select the box, then save the change in preferences, close and relaunch Mail and the preference has returned to its previous checked state.

     

    Mail is broken, as attested by all the people on this forum that have spent days (literally) trying to get the app to just work. I switched to webmail for the offending accounts and while not perfect, it works flawlessly for sending and receiving mail.

     

     

    Rob,

     

    Your point noted. FYI. I am aware of the stickiness issue and maybe some other less relevant ones with Mail. I can't say for sure, but betting Apple is aware too. You could report those through feedback, but there isn't much more to be said about the issues other than what's already been said. That there are issues. Not making excuses. I believe it's already been announced that there will be upgrades and fixes to Mail and other integrated apps.

     

    Apple is committed to them, I believe. They do want a flawless user experience. The issue you see varies with ISP's and port assignments. As for me, I prefer manual port assignment for the less well known ISP's and have had less issues when the port assignments are set to manual IMAP/SMPTP settings in Mail.

     

    I was told by Apple Support (and please take with a grain of salt) that more success in getting the settings to stick would be had by setting the accounts up in Mail rather than setting them up first in System Preferences>iCloud or >Internet Accounts. Since I did that, I did find that my settings have been more stable. You might want to experiment with it. No guarantees, but that is my personal experience. Also using the correct ports for the ISP would be helpful. ISP's setting recommendations do vary, go with them. In the cases of iCloud and Gmail, the correct settings are very well known. The "automatic settings" when used there are reliable for me, just not the others (like ATT, GoDaddy, Yahoo, HotMail, etc.).

  • by Martinfromfl,

    Martinfromfl Martinfromfl Nov 10, 2015 2:57 PM in response to W.W London
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 10, 2015 2:57 PM in response to W.W London

    Worked perfectly for me.  Thanks.

  • by bre bro,

    bre bro bre bro Jan 1, 2016 12:13 PM in response to Martinfromfl
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Jan 1, 2016 12:13 PM in response to Martinfromfl

    I Seem to have a new wrinkle of this problem with my parents' mail. Suddenly their mail won't connect to the servers, but ONLY at their house wifi. It works at my house, with no change in the mail settings. We even have the same brand and model of router and ISP, and I can't see any difference in router settings between the two.

     

    ANyone had similar problems? Is their router blocking the sending and receiving ports or something? It happened with their POP email, but went away, but I made them new IMAP accounts to match their mobile device accounts and now the problem is back, but only at their house! Why?

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