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How to run an email server test

Send one email to a one-time address and get a full report on your server, records and spam score

Updated 11 October 2026

An email server test looks at one message the way a receiving server does. You send any email to a one-time address, and SpamCipher reports what it saw: the sending IP and its reverse DNS, whether TLS was used, whether SPF, DKIM and DMARC passed, whether the IP is on a blocklist, and the spam score with the rules that fired. It is the quickest way to find a technical problem, and it works for any mailbox, not only the ones connected to SpamCipher.

Note: What it costs: tests come with your plan. SpamCipher ONE includes 100 a month; more can be added on Plan & Usage.
Note: Placement test or server test? A placement test tells you where mail lands. A server test tells you why. Run the server test when a placement test comes back poor.

Before you start

  • A mailbox you can send an email from
  • About 4 minutes

Run the test

Step 1: Open Email Server Test

  • In the left menu, point to the inbox icon to open Inbox Management.
  • Click Email Server Test.

Step 2: Start a test

  • Click + New test, or Start your first test if you have none yet.
  • A one-time address appears with a Copy button. It is good for one message.

Step 3: Send an email to the address

This step happens outside SpamCipher.

  • From the mailbox you want to check, send any email to that address. The subject and text do not matter, but sending a real campaign email shows you its real spam score.
  • The report lands on this page within about a minute.

Read the report

Step 4: The verdicts

  • The report lists the sending IP, its reverse DNS, the HELO name and whether the connection used TLS.
  • SPF, DKIM and DMARC each show pass or fail, with the record that was found.
  • Blacklisted says whether the sending IP is on a blocklist.
  • The spam score is from SpamAssassin, with every rule that added to it. Anything above 5 is treated as spam by many servers.

Troubleshooting

The report never arrived

The address is good for one message and expires after a day. Check you sent to the exact address, then start a new test.

SPF fails although the record is published

The email was sent from a server the record does not list, often a CRM or a help desk sending as your domain. Add that sender to the record, or send the test from the mailbox you actually use.

The spam score is high and I do not know why

The rules under the score say what fired. A missing unsubscribe link, an all-image body, a link to a flagged domain and a subject in capitals are the usual ones.