How to Check If Your Domain or Email IP Is Blacklisted

If your emails are bouncing back, landing in recipients' spam folders, or simply never arriving, your domain or your hosting server's IP address may have been added to an email blacklist. A blacklist is a list maintained by anti-spam organizations that mail providers check before accepting a message. Here is how to check your status and what to do if you are listed.

What email blacklisting means

Blacklists track IP addresses and domains associated with spam. If enough spam is reported as coming from your IP or domain, a blacklist provider adds it to their list. Mail servers around the world consult these lists automatically, so once you are listed, delivery problems can start immediately, even for legitimate messages.

How to check if you are blacklisted

1. Find your hosting server's IP address. You can get this from your control panel; see How to Find Your Hosting Server's IP Address and Hostname if you are not sure how.
2. Go to an online blacklist checker, such as MXToolbox, and enter your domain name or server IP address.
3. Review the results. The tool will show you which blacklists, if any, currently list your IP or domain, along with a link to each one's own removal process.

On shared hosting, your server's IP address is used by many accounts at once. It is possible to be affected by a blacklist listing even if the spam did not come from your own website or email account.

Common causes of blacklisting

• A compromised website, often through an outdated plugin or theme, that is silently sending spam in the background.
• A weak email account password that was guessed or leaked, letting someone send spam through your mailbox.
• Missing or incorrect SPF and DKIM records, which makes it easier for your domain to be spoofed or for legitimate mail to look suspicious.
• Sending bulk marketing email to a list that did not opt in, even if you consider it legitimate business email.

Checking your mail queue for spam activity

Before requesting delisting, it helps to confirm whether spam is actually being sent from your account, so you can fix the source first.

In cPanel

1. Log in to cPanel and open Track Delivery under the Email section.
2. Review recent outgoing messages for large volumes of mail you do not recognize, or messages sent from an email account you do not actively use.
3. If you see unfamiliar activity, that account or script is likely the source and should be secured immediately.

In DirectAdmin

1. Log in to DirectAdmin and open Email Queue Administration (sometimes listed as Show Email Queue) under the Email section.
2. Look for a large number of queued or recently sent messages you did not send, especially many going to unfamiliar addresses.
3. Note which email account or script the queue points to so you can secure it.

How to get delisted

1. Secure the source first. Change the password of any compromised email account, and update or remove any outdated website plugin, theme, or script that may have been exploited.
2. Set up SPF and DKIM records for your domain if you have not already; see How to Set Up SPF and DKIM Records to Stop Your Emails Going to Spam.
3. Visit the specific blacklist's own website (the checker tool from step 2 above links directly to each one) and submit a delisting request following their instructions.

Delisting is not instant. Most blacklist providers take anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days to process a request and re-check your IP or domain.

Preventing future blacklisting

• Use strong, unique passwords for every email account and change them periodically.
• Keep your website, plugins, and themes updated so they cannot be exploited to send spam.
• Keep SPF and DKIM records configured correctly for your domain.
• Avoid sending bulk email to contacts who have not opted in, even for business updates.