# Troubleshooting failed warmup

> Warming fails when authentication is wrong, the mailbox cannot send or receive, placement stays in spam, or a bounce trips an automatic hold. This page is the EmailPal checklist — not a calendar wait.

Source: https://emailpal.io/help/troubleshooting-failed-warmup

## What "failed warmup" means

A mailbox cannot complete its scheduled warming actions. On EmailPal that usually looks like a hold, a bounce, paused warming, or a placement rate that never moves toward campaign-ready.

Warming is $0.60/mo and talks to real Gmail, Yahoo and AOL accounts. If those conversations cannot leave or come back, the ramp stalls.

## Checklist

1. **DNS is actually public.** Open the domain in the dashboard. SPF, both DKIM selectors, DMARC and MX must be green against public resolvers, not just our nameserver. See [DNS verification failed](/help/dns-verification-failed) and [DKIM not validating](/help/dkim-not-validating).
2. **The mailbox can send.** SMTP credentials work. If you connected Gmail or Outlook, the connection is still authorized. See [Warm Gmail, Outlook or your own server](/help/warm-gmail-outlook-or-your-own-server).
3. **The mailbox can receive.** Warming is a conversation. If IMAP is down or MX is wrong, replies never land and the mailbox looks dead.
4. **Warming is not paused.** Resume it from the mailbox row. See [Enable, pause or resume warming](/help/enable-pause-or-resume-warming).
5. **You are not blasting on top of the ramp.** Campaign volume during warmup is the most common self-inflicted failure.
6. **The list is clean if you already started sending.** A burst of bounces will hold warming. Verify first: [How to verify an email list before sending](/help/how-to-verify-an-email-list-before-sending).

## Bounce holds

A warming bounce can disable the ramp so we do not keep hitting a mailbox that is rejecting. See [Warmup bounce and disabled warmup](/help/warmup-bounce-and-disabled-warmup).

## When to replace the mailbox

If DNS is perfect, the mailbox sends and receives, and placement is still junk after a full standard ramp, the domain may already be burned. Do not keep pushing volume. Register a new domain or claim [pre-warmed inventory](/help/pre-warmed-inboxes-by-emailpal) instead of "trying harder" on a bad name.

## FAQs

### Does restarting warming reset reputation?

No. Providers still remember the domain. Restarting only resumes the conversations.

### Why do I receive more warmup mail than I send?

The network replies to you. Receiving more than you send is normal. See the related question in [Email warming by EmailPal](/help/email-warming-by-emailpal).

## Need more help?

[Open a support ticket](/help/open-a-support-ticket) with the mailbox address and a screenshot of the warming row.