Troubleshooting email deliverability

If you experience issues with email or the behaviors below, see:
An email message isn't delivered to or from Zendesk Support
You don't receive emails to or from end users
Emails don't create tickets
An email is detected as spam
This article covers these topics: You don't receive emails from your customers To resolve tickets not created from an email:

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Step 1: Verify which email address your end user contacted
To resolve a missing ticket or comment after an email arrives:

Ask the sender to send you a copy of the email
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:

Check the forwarding status of your email address in your email channel

To fix errors, see How to fix the Forwarding check failed error


Step 3: Verify your Suspended tickets view
To resolve messages from customers that don't create a ticket:

Check whether the email appears in the Suspended tickets view, and check multiple pages if necessary
If the email appears suspended, see Causes for ticket suspension


Recover any ticket of your choice

When you recover an email, you inform the spam filter that the email is legitimate. This action functions similarly to 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 doesn't 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 email delivery issues. To troubleshoot further, see:

Customer emails don't show up in Zendesk
Common email channel problems
What does "Detected as spam" mean

Customers don't receive emails sent by your agents To resolve instances where end users don't receive agent emails: Step 1: Check the email delivery status
Check the ticket 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 don't receive emails, it's 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 shouldn't be deactivated.
To ensure a trigger sends emails:

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


To manage your triggers if no trigger appears in the ticket:

Check your triggers with the Filter button, and check that triggers with Notify requester in the title aren't deactivated
If these triggers are deactivated, select the checkbox for each trigger and click Activate

If no triggers named Notify requester appear, Create your triggers again and match each of your trigger conditions to About the standard ticket triggers


Step 3: Verify email forwarding
To verify email forwarding if the trigger sends emails and you use your own email domain:

Check the forwarding status of the email address in your email channel

Make sure no forwarding error appears. If errors appear, see How to fix the Forwarding check failed error.

Step 4: Verify the SPF record
An 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.

Check the SPF of the email address in your email channel

Check the SPF record for your domain, such as example.com, with external tools such as MxToolbox

If include:mail.zendesk.com doesn't appear for your domain, or your SPF returns errors, customers may not receive your emails

To resolve errors, contact your domain admin 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, combine them all into a single SPF TXT record.
See these articles for your admin:

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 isn't mandatory but it's highly recommended.

Add the two Zendesk domain keys to the DNS records of your email domain
Activate digital signatures in Zendesk. See 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
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 admin to ensure a DMARC policy is configured for your domain.
For policy recommendations, it's best practice to start with a policy of p=none to monitor your email traffic. After you verify that all legitimate emails, including those sent from Zendesk, authenticate properly 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 server may block incoming emails. You may not receive a bounce-back notification in your Suspended tickets view.
To verify the status with the recipient:

Contact the recipient with details from the blocked email
Ask the recipient to check their spam inbox
If the email isn't in spam, ask the recipient to verify why their server blocked your email
Ask the recipient if they can change their settings to accept future emails from your agents

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

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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?



Open the affected ticket events by adding /events
to
the end of the ticket URL.


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?



Check your triggers with the Filter
button, and check that triggers with Notify requester
in the title are not deactivated.


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?



Check the forwarding status of the email address
in your
email channel.

Make sure no forwarding error appears.


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


Check the SPF of the email address in your email channel.

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?



Add the two Zendesk domain keys to the DNS records
of
your email domain.

Activate digital signatures in Zendesk.


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


Ask the sender or customer to send you a copy of the email.

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?



Check whether the email appears in the Suspended
tickets
view, and check multiple pages if necessary.


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.


