There are a number of common errors you might experience when using the BT Email service.
To find out more about what these errors mean and what to do about them, choose the way in which you access your email and then click on the error you're seeing.
Email app login errors
This one speaks for itself. You've probably input an incorrect username or password. Check for spelling mistakes and try again.
If you're still having problems, take a look at Help with BT usernames and passwords >
It looks like you're on our basic email service. This means you won't be able to access your email on the email app or a mobile device. To do this, you'll need to upgrade to our premium email product or link your email address to a broadband account.
However, you can still log into your email at www.bt.com >
Sorry, you won't be able to access the BT email app right now, but we're working on it.
It looks like your email account may have been suspended. This may be because you haven't logged in recently.
No problem. We can help you regain access >
We've detected some unusual activity on your account and we've temporarily suspended access to protect it. We often do this when we detect multiple failed log in attempts.
Don't worry. We can help you regain access and ensure your account is secure >
Your account is currently unavailable. You can try again later or, if the problem persists, try logging in via webmail at www.bt.com >
If you still can't log in, get in touch >
It looks like your email address has been deleted. If this is the case, we can help you regain access to the email address, but the content of the mailbox will have been permanently deleted.
Webmail errors
The most common reason for a failed delivery is that the email address you've entered doesn't exist.
You'll get an email from a 'MAILER-DAEMON' or a 'Mail Delivery Subsystem' with a subject like 'Failed Delivery' or similar. It means that your email message couldn't be sent and has been 'bounced' back to you. These messages are produced automatically and normally consist of two parts: the first contains the reason for the bounce; the second contains your original message.
If the Mailer Daemon says that the account doesn't exist, double-check the spelling of the address you entered. If the message continues to be bounced back to you, you might want to check if the email address you're trying to send it to has been closed.
If you get an error 452 or 0781 when trying to send an email message to lots of recipients, it's because you've exceeded our maximum send limit.
Our email service isn't intended for business use, so there are limits on the number of recipients or volumes of emails you can send in any given period of time. These limits aren't intended to restrict your use of the service, but are there to protect it from misuse.
However, we do understand that occasionally some customers may have a legitimate need to send an email to multiple recipients. We suggest you split your mailing list into smaller groups and try sending it over a longer period of time.
If you see this message, try what you were doing again.
If you're still unable to connect, there might be a temporary problem with our email servers. Check out our Service status page >
If you're still having problems, leave it a short while and try again. If it still doesn't work, get in touch >
If you're seeing an error 522, it's because we think the connection you're using is unsecure or untrusted. This may be because you're using a public wi-fi network or connecting from overseas. These connections may not be secure. This is often due to somebody who previously used the connection sending spam emails or carrying out some other illicit activity.
When you see this error, to keep your account secure, we recommend that you update your password as soon as possible and find an alternative secure connection.
Remember, when you're using a shared network, sign out when you've finished using your email account.
This means your email message couldn't be sent. You may also see 'Unknown local user'. This means the email address you're sending to doesn't exist or there could be problems with the destination mail server. Check and try again.
You may also get a 'Delivery Status Notification (Failure)' email.
You'll receive this when there's a temporary problem with the BT mail service. You can try later or check for updates on any known service issues.
Client send/receive errors
You may get this error when trying to download an email. It means that your email program or mobile device waited so long for a response from our servers that it gave up, or 'timed out'.
Try logging into webmail at www.bt.com. If you can log in successfully then the problem may be with your account set up and you should check your email settings. You should also:
- Check your email program for corrupted files - particularly the file that keeps track of which emails you've downloaded, which can become corrupted
- Check for messages that may be 'clogging up' your inbox - you may have a large email, or one with an attachment, waiting for you on the mail server which is taking too long to download. To clean up your inbox, log into your email at www.bt.com
- Check your anti-virus or firewall software - if it's not installed or set up correctly, it may be preventing your email program from accessing our mail server. Please contact the software manufacturer for further advice on this
If you're still unable to connect, there might be a temporary problem with our email servers. Check out our Service status page >
If you're still having problems, get in touch >
This means your email client or mobile device is unable to connect to the mail server.
Try logging into webmail at www.bt.com. If you can log in successfully then the problem may be with your account set up and you should check your email settings >
If you're still unable to connect, there might be a temporary problem with our email servers. Check out our Service status page >
If you're still having problems, get in touch >
The most common reason for a failed delivery is that the email address you've entered doesn't exist.
You'll get an email from a 'MAILER-DAEMON' or a 'Mail Delivery Subsystem' with a subject like 'Failed Delivery' or similar. It means that your email message couldn't be sent and has been 'bounced' back to you. These messages are produced automatically and normally consist of two parts: the first contains the reason for the bounce; the second contains your original message.
If the Mailer Daemon says that the account doesn't exist, double-check the spelling of the address you entered. If the message continues to be bounced back to you, you might want to check if the email address you're trying to send it to has been closed.
You may get this error when trying to download an email. It means that your email program or mobile device waited so long for a response from our servers that it gave up, or 'timed out'.
Try logging into webmail at www.bt.com. If you can log in successfully then the problem may be with your account set up and you should check your email settings. You should also:
- Check your email program for corrupted files - particularly the file that keeps track of which emails you've downloaded, which can become corrupted
- Check for messages that may be 'clogging up' your inbox - you may have a large email, or one with an attachment, waiting for you on the mail server which is taking too long to download. To clean up your inbox, log into your email at www.bt.com
- Check your anti-virus or firewall software - if it's not installed or set up correctly, it may be preventing your email program from accessing our mail server. Please contact the software manufacturer for further advice on this
If you're still unable to connect, there might be a temporary problem with our email servers. Check out our Service status page >
If you're still having problems, get in touch >
If you receive an error message like this when trying to send an email message to lots of recipients, it's because you've exceeded our maximum send limit.
Our email service isn't intended for business use, so there are limits on the number of recipients or volumes of emails you can send in any given period of time. These limits aren't intended to restrict your use of the service, but are there to protect it from misuse.
However, we do understand that occasionally some customers may have a legitimate need to send an email to multiple recipients. We suggest you split your mailing list into smaller groups and try sending it over a longer period of time.
This means your email message couldn't be sent.
To fix this, you need to make a simple change to enable SMTP server authentication in the email client or mobile device you're using.
SMTP authentication is usually switched on by ticking a box called 'My server requires authentication' in the settings of your email program.
This means your email message couldn't be sent. There are three main causes of this error:
- Sending to an invalid address - you may also see 'Unknown local user'. This means the email address you're sending to doesn't exist or there could be a problem with the destination mail server. You may also get a 'Delivery Status Notification (Failure)' email. Check and try again
- Invalid send address - you may also see 'Recipient Not Authorised'. This means you've probably input your email address incorrectly when setting up your email account
- Authentication failure - to fix this, you need to make a simple change to enable SMTP server authentication in the email client or mobile device you're using