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When Exim is not sending mail, first identify one message ID in Exim’s logs, then determine whether the failure is in daemon submission, queue processing, DNS, outbound SMTP connectivity, TLS or authentication, relay policy, or the recipient’s server. A message accepted locally with SMTP 250 can still be queued or rejected later. The exact delivery record—not repeated configuration changes—shows which layer needs correction.
Use one message ID as your starting point
“Exim is not sending” describes several different states. The daemon may be stopped, a local application may be submitting to the wrong socket or port, a message may be waiting for its retry time, DNS may not return a usable destination, TCP port 25 may be blocked, authentication may fail, or the recipient may reject the message. Treating all of those as one problem leads to unsafe fixes such as opening an unauthenticated relay.
Choose one recent message that demonstrates the problem and copy its Exim message ID. Follow that ID through the main log, reject log, panic log, and any per-message log your installation keeps. Exim writes a delivery line for each delivery attempt for each address, so the ID lets you connect the original submission with the later result.
On a systemd-based installation, begin with commands similar to these (the service name and log locations vary by distribution):
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sudo systemctl status exim4
sudo journalctl -u exim4 --since "30 minutes ago"
sudo tail -n 100 /var/log/exim4/mainlog
sudo tail -n 100 /var/log/exim4/rejectlog
sudo tail -n 100 /var/log/exim4/paniclogIf your package uses a different service name or stores logs elsewhere, use the package’s configured paths. Do not infer success from the absence of an error in a web application: the Exim log is the authoritative record of what happened after submission.
Check that Exim is running and accepting the intended submission
Verify the service and listener
Confirm that the daemon is active and that something is listening on the interface and SMTP port your clients use:
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sudo ss -ltnp | grep ':25'Exim normally listens for incoming SMTP connections on the standard SMTP port on the host’s running interfaces when started as a listening daemon. A configuration can restrict interfaces, use another port, or run Exim from an inetd-style service instead. Check the effective configuration and the service unit rather than assuming the default.
If the service is inactive, inspect the last startup error before restarting it. Syntax errors, unreadable certificate files, permission problems, or an invalid router or transport can prevent startup. Correct the reported configuration error, validate the configuration with the tools supplied by your package, and then restart the service. A restart without reading the error only hides the first useful clue.
Separate local submission from SMTP delivery
A local process can hand a message to Exim even when Internet delivery is impossible. Conversely, an SMTP client can be pointed at a port on which no Exim listener exists. Confirm the actual submission path used by the application: local command-line submission, a local SMTP socket, or an authenticated submission endpoint. Check that the client’s hostname, port, encryption mode, and credentials match the Exim service that is listening.
A local SMTP 250 response means Exim accepted responsibility for the message. It does not prove that the recipient’s server accepted it. Use the same message ID to determine what happened after acceptance.
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Determine whether the message is queued, deferred, failed, or frozen
List the queue and inspect the selected message:
sudo exim -bp
sudo exim -Mvh <message-id>
sudo exim -Mvl <message-id>The header view shows the message metadata; the per-message log shows delivery attempts and the current error. Do not remove a message merely because it appears in the queue. First record the recipient, sender, age, and last error.
| Log result | Meaning | Next action |
|---|---|---|
=> |
Delivery succeeded for that recipient. | Check whether another recipient address in the same message has a separate result, and check the recipient’s filtering or application if the user still cannot see the mail. |
== |
Delivery was deferred temporarily. | Read the remote response and retry state. Correct the underlying temporary condition, then run a controlled queue attempt. |
** |
Delivery failed permanently and a bounce is normally generated. | Use the logged SMTP response, address, and routing decision to correct the permanent error before resending. |
| Frozen | Exim has stopped ordinary retry handling for the message after recording a delivery problem or bounce condition. | Inspect the per-message log and decide whether to fix and thaw, return, or remove the message according to your mail policy. |
“Retry time not reached” is not a successful-delivery message. It means Exim has a temporary failure recorded and is honoring its retry schedule. Queue-only operation, a queue runner that is not running, a locked spool file, or a remote server’s temporary response can all leave mail waiting.
Run a controlled queue attempt
Exim’s command-line modes distinguish the listening daemon from queue processing. The -bd mode starts a listening daemon; the -q option runs the queue. Your service manager may already start both functions through its unit file, so do not launch a second daemon blindly.
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Record the message ID and current per-message log entry.
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Check whether a queue runner is configured and active. Look at the service status and recent log timestamps rather than assuming that queued messages will be attempted immediately.
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Run one queue pass using the queue command appropriate to your installation, for example:
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sudo exim -q -
Immediately follow the message ID in the main and per-message logs. The new line normally reveals the DNS, connection, TLS, authentication, or remote-policy error that caused the defer.
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Use a forced queue run only when you understand the operational impact and your Exim build supports it, for example
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Do not repeatedly force the queue against a recipient that is returning a temporary error. That can create needless connection attempts and obscure the original failure. Fix the cause, then let the normal retry policy proceed.
Match the exact transport error to the correct fix
DNS lookup or routing failures
If the log reports that Exim cannot look up the recipient domain, cannot obtain a usable MX or A result, or cannot route the address, test DNS from the mail server itself. A resolver working on your workstation does not prove that the server’s configured resolver can answer. Check the recipient domain, the server’s resolver configuration, and whether the result is a temporary DNS failure or a permanent “no such domain” condition.
A temporary lookup failure should remain a defer and be retried after DNS recovers. A permanent routing or recipient failure should not be “fixed” by repeatedly running the queue; correct the address or routing configuration instead.
Connection refusal, timeout, or unreachable host
Connection refusal means the destination or an intermediate firewall actively rejected the TCP connection. A timeout commonly indicates filtering, a down host, or a path problem. Verify outbound firewall rules and any cloud or hosting-provider egress policy, especially for TCP port 25. Some Internet providers block port 25 for residential or newly provisioned servers. If egress is blocked, changing Exim routers cannot restore direct delivery; request removal of the restriction or use an authorized smarthost that your provider permits.
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Test reachability from the server, not from another network. A successful DNS lookup followed by a failed TCP connection identifies a network or remote-service problem rather than an Exim address parser problem.
TLS negotiation and authentication failures
Read the complete remote response and the transport details. Certificate validation errors can result from an incorrect system clock, an incomplete trust store, a hostname mismatch, or a server presenting an unusable certificate. Authentication failures usually mean the username, password, authentication mechanism, or submission endpoint does not match the remote service’s requirements.
If your configuration uses a smarthost or fallback hosts, verify that the selected host, port, TLS requirement, and credentials belong together. Do not respond to an authentication error by allowing unauthenticated relay. Correct the credential or transport setting and protect the secret with the permissions expected by Exim.
Unexpected remote disconnects and SMTP responses
A remote server can close the connection after greeting, during TLS, after the envelope, or after message data. The stage in the log matters. A disconnect during connection points toward network, protocol, or remote availability issues; a rejection after the envelope or data points toward recipient policy, sender policy, content filtering, or authentication. Preserve the remote SMTP response code and text when escalating—the same “connection failed” summary can hide very different causes.
Validate the server’s identity and DNS records
Internet delivery depends on more than Exim’s local router syntax. Confirm that the server has an externally valid fully qualified domain name (FQDN), that the system mail name is set to that name where your distribution expects it, and that forward and reverse DNS are consistent when recipient systems require it. A hostname that resolves only inside a private network can produce rejections or poor trust decisions even when the SMTP connection itself works.
- Hostname: Check the name returned by the operating system and the name Exim uses in its SMTP greeting.
- Forward DNS: Ensure the mail host name resolves publicly to the server’s address.
- Reverse DNS: Ask the address provider to set a PTR record that maps back to the intended host name where applicable.
- Recipient-domain DNS: Verify that the destination publishes usable MX records or an address fallback.
- Network policy: Confirm that local, cloud, and upstream firewalls permit outbound SMTP and that no provider restriction is silently dropping it.
These are deployment prerequisites, not merely Exim configuration options. If all destinations fail in the same way, investigate identity and egress before changing individual recipient routes. If only one domain fails, compare its DNS and SMTP response with a domain that succeeds.
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Fix “relay not permitted” without creating an open relay
A relay refusal means the current sender, source host, destination, or authentication state does not satisfy the configured access-control list (ACL), router, or submission policy. It is a policy decision, not proof that Exim cannot deliver mail.
When the sender is a local application
Confirm that the application submits through the local path intended for trusted software. Check the envelope sender, the local domain list, and whether the application is connecting from an address allowed by the ACL. If the application was moved to another host, its source address may no longer be trusted.
When the sender is a remote mail client
Use the authenticated submission service and the credentials configured for that account. Verify the client’s port and encryption mode, then look for the authentication result in Exim’s reject or main log. A client connecting to the public MX listener without authenticating should not be granted unrestricted relay access.
When only external recipients are refused
Check whether the destination is outside the domains your server is configured to handle and whether the ACL permits authenticated users to relay. Keep the permission narrow: authorize the intended users or networks, require authentication where appropriate, and leave unrelated destinations denied. Never solve a relay error by allowing every source address to send to every domain.
Use the failure pattern to choose the next test
| Observed pattern | Likely layer | Focused check |
|---|---|---|
| No message ID appears after submission | Client, local submission path, or daemon availability | Check the application’s SMTP response, Exim service status, listener, and reject log. |
| All messages remain queued with no new attempts | Queue runner, queue-only mode, or spool lock | Inspect service scheduling, queue-run configuration, and the latest queue log entries. |
| Local recipients work; every external domain defers | DNS, outbound network, port 25, host identity, or remote routing | Test recipient DNS and TCP reachability from the server; verify FQDN, reverse DNS, and provider restrictions. |
| One destination returns a temporary SMTP code | Remote availability or temporary policy | Keep the message queued, record the response, and allow retry after correcting any local transport issue. |
| One destination returns a permanent rejection | Address, sender policy, recipient policy, or content decision | Use the exact code and text; correct the address or policy rather than forcing retries. |
| Authenticated clients receive relay refusal | Submission ACL or authentication configuration | Verify credentials, client source, submission port, and the ACL branch that handles authenticated users. |
| Messages become frozen | Unresolved delivery failure or bounce handling | Read the frozen message’s recorded error, then thaw, return, or remove it according to policy. |
Recover safely after correcting the cause
After fixing DNS, network access, identity, credentials, or ACL policy, confirm the change with one test message to a controlled external address. Watch its message ID from submission through the next queue attempt. A successful => line establishes delivery to that recipient; it does not establish that every destination or every recipient address is healthy.
Leave deferred messages in the queue when the error is temporary and the retry policy is functioning. If a message is frozen, inspect the recorded failure before thawing it. Removing a message with exim -Mrm <message-id> is irreversible for that queue copy, so use it only when you have confirmed that the message should not be delivered or has been replaced safely. Do not delete spool files manually.
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For a permanent bounce, preserve the bounce details for the sender or administrator. The remote response, recipient address, and Exim router decision are more valuable than a generic claim that “mail was lost.”
Prevent the same outage from returning
- Monitor the Exim main, reject, panic, and queue-related logs and alert on sustained deferrals or frozen messages.
- Keep the server hostname, system mail name, forward DNS, and reverse DNS aligned.
- Document whether the server delivers directly or through a smarthost, including the required port, TLS mode, and credential owner.
- Record provider restrictions on outbound port 25 and the procedure for requesting an exception.
- Keep relay permissions limited to authenticated users or explicitly trusted sources.
- Test both a local recipient and an external recipient after network, DNS, or Exim configuration changes.
- Retain message IDs and remote SMTP responses when handing an incident to a hosting provider or recipient administrator.
The fastest reliable diagnosis is always evidence-led: find the message ID, identify the latest delivery symbol and exact error, classify it as temporary or permanent, and repair only the layer that produced that error.
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