Troubleshooting email deliverability

In Zendesk, if you have issues with email or the behaviors below, see this guide:

• An email message is not delivered to or from Zendesk Support
• You do not receive emails to or from end users
• Emails do not create tickets
• An email is detected as spam

This article covers these topics:

• If customers do not receive emails sent by agents in Zendesk
• If you do not receive emails sent by end users to Zendesk

If customers do not receive emails sent by agents in Zendesk

If agents send emails from Zendesk Support but end users do not receive them, follow these steps:

• Step 1: Check the email delivery status
• Step 2: Verify that a trigger sends the email in the ticket
• Step 3: Verify email forwarding
• Step 4: Verify the SPF record
• Step 5: Verify the DKIM signature
• Step 6: Verify the DMARC configuration
• Step 7: Verify the status with the recipient

Step 1: Check the email delivery status

Check the ticket's recipients for the delivery failure notice in the Zendesk Agent Workspace. You can view reasons for email delivery failure in the ticket next to the recipient's name.

To identify the cause of the error, click the warning icon next to a user name or view the ticket events log.

Step 2: Verify that a trigger sends your email in the ticket

If end users do not receive emails, it is possible that no trigger sent the email. Triggers are essential to communication and emails in Zendesk Support. The default triggers that start with Notify requester in the title should not be deactivated.

To ensure a trigger sends emails:

1. Open the affected ticket events by adding /events to the end of the ticket URL
2. Under the comment left by the agent, check if a trigger sent the email
   

If no trigger appears in the ticket, follow these steps in your triggers:

1. Check your triggers with the Filter button, and check that triggers with Notify requester in the title are not deactivated
2. If these triggers are deactivated, select the checkbox for each trigger and click Activate
   
3. If no triggers named Notify requester appear:
   • Create your triggers again
   • Match each of your trigger conditions to this article: About the standard ticket triggers

Step 3: Verify email forwarding

If your trigger sends emails and you use your own email domain in Zendesk:

1. Check the forwarding status of the email address in your email channel
2. Make sure no forwarding error appears. If errors appear, see How to fix the Forwarding check failed error

Step 4: Verify the SPF record

A Sender Policy Framework (SPF) record allows Zendesk to send emails on your behalf. Without an SPF record that includes Zendesk in your domain, recipients may block emails sent from Zendesk.

1. Check the SPF of the email address in your email channel
2. Check the SPF record for your domain, such as example.com, with external tools: MxToolbox
3. If include:mail.zendesk.com does not appear for your domain, or your SPF returns errors, customers may not receive your emails

To resolve errors, contact your domain administrator and ask them to edit the existing TXT record to add include:mail.zendesk.com.

Note: You can only have one SPF record per domain, but that single SPF record can include multiple sources. If you use multiple services to send emails, they must all be combined into one single SPF TXT record.

Your administrator can use these articles:

• My SPF record isn't validated
• How to fix the email error messages on forwarding, SPF, DNS, and TXT records

Step 5: Verify the DKIM signature

This step is not mandatory but it is highly recommended.

1. Add the two Zendesk domain keys to the DNS records of your email domain
2. Activate digital signatures in Zendesk. See more details in these articles: Digitally signing your email with DKIM

To confirm if you added the records correctly to your domain, see How do I know if my DKIM records are configured correctly?

Step 6: Verify the DMARC configuration

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) works alongside SPF and DKIM to secure your domain and ensure your emails reach your customers. Without DMARC, many strict email providers may filter or reject your emails.

Check with your domain administrator to ensure a DMARC policy is configured for your domain.

Policy Recommendations: It is best practice to start with a policy of p=none to monitor your email traffic. Once you verify that all legitimate emails (including those sent from Zendesk) are properly authenticated via SPF and DKIM, you can move to a stricter policy of p=quarantine or p=reject.

Step 7: Verify the status with the recipient

If a trigger sends your emails and the SPF record for your domain includes Zendesk Support, the recipient's server may block incoming emails. You may not receive a bounce-back notification in your Suspended tickets view.

Follow these steps with the recipient:

1. Contact the recipient with details from the blocked email
2. Ask the recipient to check their spam inbox
3. If the email is not in spam, ask the recipient to verify why their server blocked your email
4. Ask the recipient if they can change their settings to accept future emails from your agents

Email delivery depends on the recipient's relay server. Each company uses different filters and settings that are out of reach for Zendesk Customer Support.

If you do not receive emails sent by end users to Zendesk

If tickets were not created from an email, follow these steps:

• Step 1: Verify which email address your end user contacted
• Step 2: Verify the forwarding status of your support email address
• Step 3: Verify your Suspended tickets view

Step 1: Verify which email address your end user contacted

If no ticket or comment appears in Zendesk Support after an email arrives, follow these steps:

1. Ask the sender to send you a copy of the email
2. Make sure the support email address appears in your email channel

Step 2: Verify the forwarding status of your support email address

If you use a custom email domain:

1. Check the forwarding status of your email address in your email channel
2. Use this guide to fix any errors: How to fix the Forwarding check failed error

Step 3: Verify your Suspended tickets view

If messages from your customers do not create a ticket:

1. Check whether the email appears in the Suspended tickets view
   • You may need to check multiple pages
2. If the email appears suspended, see this article: Causes for ticket suspension
3. Recover any ticket of your choice

When you recover an email, you inform the spam filter that the email is legitimate. This works like the Not Spam or Not junk button in your email. You may need to recover a few emails. The system learns over time and will allow emails.

If your end user does not have an email provider with properly configured Sender Policy Framework (SPF), DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), or Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) settings, the enhanced sender authentication setting may flag their emails as spam.

Other reasons can cause issues with email delivery. For further troubleshooting steps, see these articles:

• Customer emails don't show up in Zendesk
• Common email channel problems

• What does "Detected as spam" mean

  THIS SECTION IS AI CONTENT. DON'T EDIT OR DELETE.

  What is an SPF record? Why should I use an SPF record?

  A Sender Policy Framework (SPF) record allows Zendesk to send emails on behalf of your domain or website. Without an SPF record that includes Zendesk in your domain, recipients or email servers may block emails sent from Zendesk.

  What is a DMARC configuration? Why should I use a DMARC policy?

  Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) works alongside SPF and DKIM to secure your domain or brand and ensure your emails reach your customers. Without DMARC, many strict email providers or clients may filter or reject your emails.

  How do I check the email delivery status? How do I see email delivery failure reasons?

  Check the recipients of the ticket for the delivery failure notice in the Zendesk Agent Workspace or Inbox. You view reasons for email delivery failure in the ticket next to the name of the user or customer.

  How do I ensure a trigger sends emails? How do I check if an auto-reply sent the email in a ticket?

  1. Open the affected ticket events by adding /events to the end of the ticket URL.
  2. Under the comment left by the assignee or agent, check if a trigger or notification rule sent the email.

  How do I activate deactivated triggers? How do I turn on auto-reply rules?

  1. Check your triggers with the Filter button, and check that triggers with Notify requester in the title are not deactivated.
  2. If these triggers are deactivated, select the checkbox for each trigger and click Activate.

  How do I verify email forwarding? How do I check the forwarding status of my support email address?

  1. Check the forwarding status of the email address in your email channel.
  2. Make sure no forwarding error appears.

  How do I verify the SPF record? How do I check the SPF of my email domain?

  1. Check the SPF of the email address in your email channel.
  2. Check the SPF record for your domain, such as example.com, with external tools like MxToolbox.

  How do I configure a DKIM signature? How do I digitally sign my email with DKIM?

  1. Add the two Zendesk domain keys to the DNS records of your email domain.
  2. Activate digital signatures in Zendesk.

  How do I verify which email address my end user contacted? How do I trace missing customer emails?

  1. Ask the sender or customer to send you a copy of the email.
  2. Make sure the support email address appears in your email channel.

  How do I check my Suspended tickets view? How do I view suspended emails from customers?

  1. Check whether the email appears in the Suspended tickets view, and check multiple pages if necessary.
  2. Recover any ticket of your choice to inform the spam filter that the email is legitimate.

  Why do customers not receive emails sent by agents? Why does the recipient server reject my emails?

  This issue happens when a delivery failure occurs, when no trigger or auto-reply sends the email, when email forwarding fails, when include:mail.zendesk.com does not appear in your SPF record, when DKIM records are missing, or when a strict DMARC policy rejects the traffic. To resolve SPF errors, ask your domain administrator to edit the existing TXT record to add include:mail.zendesk.com. If everything is correct, the relay server of the recipient may block incoming emails due to corporate filters outside the reach of Zendesk Customer Support.

  Why do emails from end users not create tickets? Why do I not receive emails sent by customers?

  This issue occurs if the end user contacts an email address that does not appear in your email channel, if your support email address has a forwarding failure, or if the messages land in your Suspended tickets view. Additionally, if the email provider of the end user lacks properly configured SPF, DKIM, or DMARC settings, the enhanced sender authentication setting may flag their emails as spam.

  Can I have multiple SPF records for my domain?

  No. You can only have one single SPF record per domain, but that single SPF record can include multiple sources. If you use multiple services to send emails, you must combine them all into one single SPF TXT record.

  What is the recommended DMARC policy for monitoring traffic? What is the best practice for a new DMARC setup?

  It is best practice to start with a policy of p=none to monitor your email traffic. Once you verify that all legitimate emails, including those sent from Zendesk, properly authenticate via SPF and DKIM, you can move to a stricter policy of p=quarantine or p=reject.