What should I do if I can’t access emails?
If you can't access emails, there’s no need to panic – a variety of short-term solutions will help while you investigate longer-term steps
Email has become such an indispensable component of modern life that it’s hard to imagine how we’d live without it.
That makes the occasions when we can’t access emails even more alarming.
A variety of factors may affect our ability to view historic or new messages, but the most important thing to bear in mind is that these issues are usually short-lived.
In the scenarios below, the resumption of mail services could be mere moments away…
Reasons why you can’t access emails
These are a few of the numerous potential causes underpinning a sudden email outage:
Broadband problems.
An inaccessibility to synchronise Outlook folders or get into Gmail might be due to your home or work broadband network being down, rather than your email provider being offline.
ISP issues.
In December, Plusnet attracted negative publicity by leaving email customers unable to access their inboxes for weeks, without satisfactorily explaining this outage.
User error.
People can inadvertently lock themselves out of email by forgetting their passwords, entering incorrect account details, making a series of unsuccessful login attempts or deleting cookies.
Software glitches.
Occasionally, software programs do something inexplicable, like Outlook moving thousands of emails to the Trash folder and then crashing under the strain of updating its folder settings.
Mitigating steps
Firstly, and most importantly, don’t panic.
It’s relatively rare that a change can’t be rolled back somehow, especially in today’s cloud-based world.
Most email accounts are now IMAP services, hosted remotely and therefore accessible at any time on any device with the correct login credentials.
One way to mitigate outages is by using the older Post Office Protocol (POP) method, which delivers a single copy of an email to a designated location and then erases it from its servers.
POP is great for offline work on a single trusted device (typically a desktop computer) but IMAP has far more flexibility and has become the only option among many email providers.
Check whether other online services are also unavailable. If your Gmail is unavailable, is Google working?
Issues specific to Outlook may be mitigated by logging into webmail on either that device or another one, enabling you to view incoming messages and respond straight away.
Bear in mind that webmail won’t replicate customised elements of an email software package like signatures or settings, which could be important if your account is a work-related one.
Folders should be unaffected, since many email accounts don’t move messages into sub-folders – they just add a label to each email indicating which folder they’re associated with.
Software packages might convince you those sub-folders are separate from the main inbox, but don’t be fooled. This makes restoring messages easier if they’re accidentally deleted.
If messages have been deleted, they’re often recoverable, even if the Trash folder has been emptied. This scenario might require some sleuthing by a remote IT support team, though.
You’ll have to provide them with your account details, which brings us onto a few steps intended to minimise problems long before they occur…
Preventative measures
Firstly, keep a note of your email and password details somewhere accessible but offline, such as a notepad in your desk drawer.
For safety reasons, abbreviate the full password to a shortened summary – a useful reminder to you, which won’t give anyone else enough data to enter the full password.
If you rely on email through a software package, ensure you have a web browser tab with the webmail address saved, capable of providing instant alternative access.
People running a small business should set up a backup Gmail account for emergencies.
Save all your contacts to this backup account, so you can immediately advise them urgent messages should be sent here until your primary email service is functioning again.
Finally, we’d strongly recommend avoiding email accounts bundled into your ISP package.
These tend to be a low priority among ISP technical support staff, and are often closed when you switch to a new broadband provider, permanently erasing your email history.
