Mail (Mountain Lion): If you can’t receive messages
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There are several solutions you can try if you can’t receive messages.
- Check whether Mail is retrieving a large message or a message with large attachments.
- Try sending yourself a message. If the message is sent but you don’t receive it, there may be a problem with the incoming mail server. Verify the settings in your account for that server.
- Check whether your mail account is offline (a lightening bolt icon appears next to an offline account, and its mailboxes are shown in gray).
- Choose Window > Connection Doctor, and then follow any instructions displayed in the Details column. Check if there are problems logging in to mail accounts or with the incoming mail server. If the Connection Doctor indicates a firewall problem, verify that there is no firewall software blocking network traffic.
Check whether you’re affected by another firewall. This can be either software installed separately from OS X or built into an Internet sharing router, or software administered by your account provider. Contact the appropriate person to find out whether a firewall exists.
- If you changed options (such as Use SSL or Authentication) in the Advanced pane of your Mail Accounts preferences, check with your account provider for the correct settings.
You can’t log in directly to any service that does not support Post Office Protocol (POP), Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), or Exchange Web Services and retrieve messages using Mail.
Last Modified: Sep 4, 2015