Why Are My Emails Going to Spam?

If your emails are landing in recipients' spam or junk folders, it is almost always caused by one of a small set of fixable issues. This article covers the main reasons and what to do about each one.

The four most common causes

1. SPF record not set or incorrect

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a DNS record that tells receiving mail servers which servers are authorised to send email for your domain. Without it, your messages look like they could be from anyone and are likely to be treated with suspicion.

Every Kapsule email mailbox needs an SPF record on the domain. KPanel can check and auto-fix this for you:

1. Open Email in KPanel and click on the mailbox whose domain you want to check.
2. Click the Deliverability tab.
3. KPanel will show the current status of your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records with a score out of 100.
4. If SPF shows a warning or error, click the Fix button next to it. KPanel will apply the correct DNS record automatically.

For a full explanation of what SPF does and how to set it manually, see SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Explained.

2. DKIM not set or not signing

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a cryptographic signature to every outgoing email. Receiving servers use this to verify the message has not been tampered with in transit and genuinely comes from your domain.

Check and fix DKIM the same way as SPF: open the Deliverability tab for your mailbox in KPanel. If DKIM shows a warning, use the Fix button.

3. DMARC policy missing

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) ties SPF and DKIM together and tells receiving servers what to do when a message fails authentication. Without a DMARC record, many mail providers (including Google and Microsoft) increasingly distrust your domain.

A basic DMARC record to get started:

v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com

p=none means no action is taken on failures initially -- it is a monitoring-only policy. Once you are confident your legitimate mail is passing authentication, you can tighten it to p=quarantine or p=reject.

The Deliverability tab in KPanel will show if DMARC is missing and offer to add a record for you.

4. Sending reputation of the domain

Even with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC in place, a brand new domain starts with no reputation. Receiving servers do not yet have evidence that you send wanted email, so your first few hundred messages may be filtered more aggressively than usual.

This is normal and improves over time as:

• Recipients open, reply to, and forward your messages.
• Nobody marks your mail as spam.
• You send consistently and at a reasonable volume.

If your domain has been used to send spam in the past, reputation recovery takes longer.

Checking if your domain or IP is blacklisted

If legitimate mail is being blocked outright rather than just going to the spam folder, your sending IP or domain may be on a blocklist.

Check with MXToolbox Blacklist Check. Enter your domain name and click Blacklist Check. If results show a listing, each entry will have a link to the blocklist's delisting request process.

Kapsule manages the sending infrastructure. If you suspect an IP-level listing affecting your domain, contact our support team and we can investigate.

Testing your deliverability

Two useful free tools:

Mail Tester (mail-tester.com) -- Gives you a temporary address to send a test email to, then scores your message for spam signals, authentication, and formatting.

MXToolbox Email Header Analyser -- Paste the full headers from a received message to see exactly how it was processed, which servers it passed through, and whether any spam filters flagged it.

Sending a test from your mailbox

1. Open webmail at webmail.kapsulecloud.com (see Accessing Your Email via Webmail).
2. Compose a plain-text message to a Gmail or Outlook address you control.
3. If it lands in spam, open the message and check the headers for clues (in Gmail, click the three-dot menu and choose Show original).

Warming a new sending domain

If you have just started sending from a new domain or IP:

• Start with low volumes: a few dozen messages per day for the first week.
• Prioritise sending to people who are likely to engage (they know you and are expecting your message).
• Avoid bulk sends to large cold lists in the first few weeks.
• Monitor bounces and complaints. High rates signal a problem to receiving servers.

What to do if a specific provider is blocking you

Google / Gmail: Postmaster Tools (postmaster.google.com) gives domain owners access to delivery error rates, spam rate, and IP/domain reputation data for mail sent to Gmail.

Microsoft / Outlook / Hotmail: Use the Microsoft SNDS (Smart Network Data Services) to check your sending reputation and file a delisting request if needed.

Other providers: Most operate a similar process. Look for a "postmaster" or "abuse" page for the specific mail provider.

If you are consistently struggling with deliverability despite correct SPF/DKIM/DMARC configuration, contact Kapsule support. We can review the specific error messages and assist with the resolution process.