--- title: "Troubleshoot a support mailbox" description: "Fix a support mailbox that shows Reconnect needed or Needs attention, misses its daily check, or stops turning mail into tickets." url: "https://support.outpostplatform.com/service-desk/mailbox-health/" product: "depot" type: "troubleshooting" status: "draft" ai_summary: "Mailbox health statuses: Connected, Needs attention, Reconnect needed, Waiting for first sync, Off. Alerts: needs to be reconnected (critical), not syncing or not synced in 30 minutes, daily test message missing after 2 hours, connection expiring in 14 days, held mail backlog. Reconnect resumes where it stopped and mail that arrived meanwhile still becomes tickets." availability: plans: ["enterprise", "msp"] permission: "mailbox:manage" preview: false source: "https://gitlab.com/outpostplatform/docs/-/edit/main/src/content/docs/service-desk/mailbox-health.md" license: "CC BY 4.0" --- # Troubleshoot a support mailbox A support mailbox that stops working shows it in **Settings** > **Mailboxes**, in the **Health** column, and raises an alert. Select **Test** on the mailbox's row first: the test runs each check in order and names the one that fails, which rules out most of this page. ## Symptom The **Health** column shows one of these, with a reason under it: | Status | Meaning | | --- | --- | | **Connected** | The last check for mail worked. | | **Needs attention** | Outpost cannot reach the mail service. It keeps retrying. | | **Reconnect needed** | The mail service refused Outpost's sign-in or access. Nothing is collected until you reconnect. | | **Waiting for first sync** | The mailbox is new and has not been checked yet. | | **Off** | The mailbox is turned off. | **Last mail received** shows when the last message arrived, and **Last checked** when Outpost last looked, with the error from that check if it failed. These alerts appear under the service desk's alerts, named by the mailbox's address: | Alert | Severity | Raised when | Clears when | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | *address* **needs to be reconnected** | Critical | The mailbox shows **Reconnect needed**. | The mailbox is connected again. | | *address* **is not syncing** | Warning | Three checks in a row failed. | The next check works. | | *address* **has not synced in over 30 minutes** | Warning | No check has worked for 30 minutes. | The next check works. | | **The daily test message to** *address* **did not arrive** | Warning | The daily check message did not arrive within 2 hours. | The next daily message arrives. | | **The connection to** *address* **expires soon** | Warning | A sign-in expires within 14 days. | The sign-in is renewed. | | **Held mail for** *address* **is waiting for review** | Info | 50 or more messages are in Suspended mail. | Fewer than 25 remain. | See [Alerts](/service-desk/alerts/). ## The daily check Once a day, Outpost sends a message with the subject **Outpost mailbox check** to each mailbox that is on, through the same path replies use, and watches for it to arrive. A forwarding mailbox gets it at its real address, so the check travels through your forwarding rule. The check message is never turned into a ticket. It is skipped while the mailbox shows **Reconnect needed**. The check catches what a sign-in check cannot: a mail rule that diverts messages, a filter that quarantines them, or forwarding that someone turned off. ## Check first 1. Select **Test** on the mailbox's row. Read the first check that shows **Failed** and its message. **Details** shows the mail service's own error. 2. Check that the mailbox still exists and that its address has not changed. 3. Check [Suspended mail](/service-desk/suspended-mail/). Mail that arrives but is held does not show as a ticket, and the mailbox stays **Connected**. ## Cause: the sign-in stopped working {#cause-sign-in} The mailbox shows **Reconnect needed** with **The sign-in stopped working.** or **The mail service refused access to the mailbox.** Common reasons: - The account's password changed, for IMAP or a sign-in as the mailbox. - An admin revoked the account's sessions, or the sign-in expired. - An admin removed the Outpost Mail app's approval or its access to the mailbox in Microsoft 365, or the domain-wide delegation in Google Workspace. - The client secret or service account key of your own app expired. ### How to confirm it **Test** fails at **Sign in**, with **The sign-in expired or was revoked.**, **The mail server refused the username or password.**, or **Google has not authorized Outpost for this domain.** ### Resolution 1. Select **Reconnect** on the mailbox's row. The wizard opens at its **Connect** step. 2. Connect again the same way: approve the app, sign in, or enter the new password, secret, or key. 3. Run the test. Outpost picks up where it stopped. Mail that arrived while the mailbox was disconnected still becomes tickets, up to 14 days back. ## Cause: the mail service cannot be reached {#cause-unreachable} The mailbox shows **Needs attention** with **The mail server could not be reached.** or **Outpost could not reach its mail service. It keeps retrying.** ### How to confirm it **Test** fails at **Connect** with **Could not reach the mail server.** ### Resolution For IMAP, check the server name and port, and that your Outpost can reach the server through any firewall. For Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and forwarding, wait: Outpost retries on its own, and the status returns to **Connected** when a check works. If it lasts more than an hour, see [getting help](/support/). **The provider is limiting requests. Outpost slows down and retries.** is not a failure. The provider asked Outpost to slow down, and it does. ## Cause: the daily check message did not arrive {#cause-check-missed} The daily test message alert is open. The mailbox can still show **Connected**, because signing in and checking for mail still work. ### How to confirm it **Test** passes **Send a test message** but **Receive the test message** shows **The test message has not arrived.** ### Resolution Something between sending and the inbox is holding the message: - A mail flow rule, inbox rule, or filter moves or deletes it. Check the mailbox's rules. - A mail filter in front of the mailbox, such as Mimecast, Proofpoint, or Barracuda, quarantines it. Allow the support address as a sender in the filter. - For a forwarding mailbox, the forwarding rule was removed, or Microsoft 365 now blocks external forwarding. See [Forward email to Outpost](/service-desk/forward-email/#allow-forwarding-to-an-outside-address). ## Cause: Microsoft 365 access is not limited {#cause-unscoped} A Microsoft 365 app connection fails **Access limited to this mailbox** with **Outpost Mail can still reach other mailboxes in your organization.** The mailbox stays off until the check passes. ### Resolution Run the access script from the wizard as an Exchange admin, wait 30 minutes to 2 hours for Microsoft to apply it, and test again. See [Connect a Microsoft 365 mailbox](/service-desk/connect-microsoft-365/). ## Cause: replies stopped sending {#cause-replies} Mail still becomes tickets, but replies do not arrive and **Send a test message** fails. ### Resolution - **The server refused SMTP sign-in.** Microsoft 365 turns SMTP AUTH off by default. Connect the mailbox with the [Microsoft 365 app connection](/service-desk/connect-microsoft-365/). - For a mailbox that sends through **Settings** > **Email**, check the active provider's **Last test**. See [Configure outgoing email](/depot/email/). - A ticket marked **Unverified sender** sends nothing by design until a technician selects **Verify sender**. See [Sender verification](/service-desk/mailboxes/#sender-verification). ## Still stuck Collect these before asking for help: - The mailbox's address and how it is connected, from the **Connection** column. - The result of **Test**, with each check's message and **Details**. - The **Health** reason and the open alerts. - What changed most recently: a password, a policy, a DNS record, or a mail rule. Then see [getting help](/support/).