Own mail server, mail lands in spam, likely missing or wrong PTR
A PTR record (reverse DNS) maps an IP back to a hostname. Many mail receivers (Gmail, Outlook) reject or downgrade mail from IPs without a matching PTR. You do not set the PTR in your own zone, but at the party that owns the IP block (your hosting or ISP).
Try this first
- 1Check the current PTR with dig -x 1.2.3.4 or host 1.2.3.4. Empty output or a generic ISP name (e.g. cust-1-2-3-4.kpn.net) is a red flag.
- 2Request a PTR from hosting or ISP that exactly matches your mail server's A record, so mail.vectel.nl must resolve to 1.2.3.4 and 1.2.3.4 must resolve back to mail.vectel.nl.
- 3Make sure the mail server's HELO/EHLO banner uses the same hostname as the PTR, otherwise spam filters still trigger.
- 4Verify with mxtoolbox.com or mail-tester.com that PTR, SPF, DKIM and DMARC are all green.
- 5With IPv6 mail servers a PTR is required too, do not forget it, or Google rejects mail sent over AAAA.
When to bring us in
If hosting refuses to set a PTR or you are on a shared IP, switching to a sending service (Postmark, Mailgun) is usually better than continuing to fight it.
See also
- Domain expires tomorrow and nobody saw the emailAn expired domain doesn't transfer instantly. There's a redemption window, but you pay extra.
- Unsure whether to enable auto-renewDisabling auto-renew only makes sense for domains you'll truly drop. For anything live, just keep it on.
- New registrar asks for auth code, can't find itEPP code or transfer code is the password to move a domain from registrar A to B.
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