Doc Summary
Introduction #
Email comes with lots of features at ProRedLine. In this doc we’ll explain how these work and how to configure certain settings to your liking. After reading this doc, you will know how disk usage for email works, how to use calendars & contacts, and more.
Email Disk Usage #
Email disk usage refers to the amount of storage used by your email accounts on the server. This includes not only the messages themselves, but also attachments and mailbox data stored as part of normal email use.
At ProRedLine, email storage is available on services that include email functionality, such as Email Hosting and Web Hosting. Mailbox usage is counted within the total storage available to the hosting package, which means email storage contributes to the overall storage usage of the service.
What Uses Email Storage #
Mailbox storage is used by the contents of the email account, including incoming and outgoing messages, attachments, sent items, spam or junk mail, and trash folders. Even messages that were deleted may still continue to use storage until they are permanently removed from Trash or similar folders.
In practice, this means a mailbox can continue growing over time even when old emails are being deleted casually, especially if large attachments remain stored in other folders.
Mailbox Limits and Package Storage #
Each email account can have its own mailbox limit. At ProRedLine, package-specific limits may apply to the maximum size of an individual inbox, depending on the service or plan. At the same time, all mailbox storage still counts toward the total storage available to the hosting package as a whole.
So while an individual email account may have its own cap, the combined usage of all mailboxes is still part of the normal total package storage.
If a mailbox reaches its assigned limit, incoming email may no longer be accepted for that account. In that situation, senders may receive bounce messages and email delivery can be affected immediately.
Where to View Email Disk Usage #
Email usage can be viewed in cPanel through the Email Accounts area. From there, you can usually see how much storage each mailbox is currently using and compare that against its assigned limit.
This makes it possible to identify which mailbox is using the most space and whether a specific account is close to becoming full.
Managing Email Disk Usage #
If storage usage becomes too high, the most common solution is to reduce the amount of data stored in the affected mailbox. This can usually be done by removing older messages, clearing Trash and Junk folders, deleting large attachments, or archiving older messages outside the mailbox if needed.
Useful ways to reduce usage include:
- deleting old emails that are no longer needed
- emptying Trash and Junk folders
- removing emails with large attachments
- archiving messages locally where appropriate
Regular cleanup helps reduce the risk of delivery problems caused by full mailboxes.
Spam, Trash, and Attachments #
Spam and junk mail can still use mailbox storage while it remains in the account. Depending on mailbox activity, these folders can grow significantly over time and should not be ignored.
Attachments are also a common cause of heavy email storage usage. Mailboxes that receive or keep many large files can fill up much faster than expected.
Why It Matters #
Email storage is separate from website files in terms of what it is used for, but it still counts toward the overall storage capacity of the hosting package. If storage usage grows too far, it can affect email reliability and, depending on the service setup, may also put pressure on the total package limits.
For that reason, it is a good idea to review mailbox usage periodically and keep storage under control, especially on accounts with multiple users or heavier daily email use.
Calendars and Contacts #
Calendars and contacts are additional email-related features that can be used alongside your mailbox. They allow you to manage appointments, store contact information, and keep basic personal or small-team organisation linked to your email account.
At ProRedLine, these features are available on services that include email functionality, such as Email Hosting and Web Hosting.
What They Are Used For #
Calendars can be used to create and manage events, schedule appointments, and keep track of upcoming activities. They provide a simple way to organise time-related information connected to your email account.
Contacts can be used to store email addresses, names, and other basic contact details. This makes it easier to select recipients when sending email and helps keep frequently used contact information in one place.
Both features are tied to the email account rather than being managed as separate standalone services.
Where They Are Managed #
Calendars and contacts are typically managed through webmail, such as Roundcube, rather than from the main cPanel dashboard itself.
In practice, this usually means:
- logging in to webmail
- opening Roundcube
- accessing the Calendar and Contacts areas from there
So while cPanel is used for email account management, calendars and contacts are generally handled inside the mailbox interface.
Synchronisation #
Calendars and contacts can also be synchronised with supported external applications.
This is typically done using:
- CalDAV for calendars
- CardDAV for contacts
These protocols allow compatible apps and devices to connect to the calendar or contact data associated with the email account. Connection details are available through the webmail environment (Roundcube).
Spam Filters #
Spam filters are used to identify and manage unwanted email before it reaches your inbox in the normal way. They help reduce the amount of spam, phishing, and other low-quality mail that reaches users, while allowing legitimate messages to be delivered as expected.
At ProRedLine, spam filtering is available on services that include email functionality, such as Email Hosting and Web Hosting.
How Spam Filtering Works #
Spam filters analyze incoming email and evaluate it using different indicators. This can include the reputation of the sender, the content of the message, technical email headers, and patterns commonly associated with spam.
Based on that analysis, an email is given a spam score. That score helps determine how the message should be handled. Depending on the result, the email may be delivered normally, placed in a Junk or Spam folder, tagged as suspicious, or in some cases rejected.
Default Behaviour #
By default, spam filtering is enabled and works automatically in the background. For most normal email use, the default configuration is sufficient and does not need to be changed.
In practice, this means most obvious spam is filtered while normal legitimate mail is still delivered to the mailbox as expected.
Server-Level and Mailbox-Level Filtering #
Spam filtering can work on more than one level.
At server level, filtering helps detect and handle unwanted messages before they are processed like normal email. This reduces the amount of obvious spam or malicious emails that reaches the mailbox and helps lower overall inbox noise.
At mailbox level, additional filtering may happen through webmail or the email client. For example, users may still mark messages as spam or not spam, and mailbox folders such as Junk can continue to help separate unwanted mail from normal inbox content.
These layers work together rather than replacing one another.
Spam Folder Behaviour #
Messages that are identified as spam are often placed in a Junk or Spam folder instead of being delivered to the main inbox. Depending on the mailbox setup and retention behaviour, those messages may later be removed automatically after a certain period.
Because filtering is not perfect, it is a good idea to check the spam folder occasionally to make sure legitimate email was not filtered by mistake.
Adjusting Spam Filter Settings #
Advanced users may have access to additional spam-related options, such as changing filter sensitivity, enabling more aggressive deletion behaviour, or managing allowlists and blocklists.
These settings should be changed carefully. If they are adjusted incorrectly, legitimate messages may be filtered too aggressively or delivery behaviour may become harder to predict.
Autoresponders #
An autoresponder is a feature that automatically sends a reply when an email is received. It is commonly used to let the sender know that their message has been received or to inform them that you are temporarily unavailable.
At ProRedLine, autoresponders are available on services that include email functionality, such as Email Hosting and Web Hosting.
What an Autoresponder Does #
An autoresponder sends a predefined automatic reply to incoming email. The original message is still delivered normally to the mailbox, and the autoresponder does not replace or redirect that message. Its purpose is simply to send a response based on the settings you have configured.
This makes autoresponders useful when you want to provide immediate information to the sender without manually replying each time.
Common Uses #
Autoresponders are often used for out-of-office notices, vacation messages, confirmation that an email has been received, or temporary service-related updates. In all of these cases, the goal is to manage expectations and provide the sender with quick information about your availability or response process.
Where to Find Autoresponders in cPanel #
Autoresponders can be managed in cPanel under Email > Autoresponders.
From there, you can create, edit, and remove autoresponders for the email accounts on your hosting service.
Creating an Autoresponder #
When creating an autoresponder, you normally select the email address it should apply to, define the subject and message content, and optionally set a start and end time. Once saved, the autoresponder becomes active based on the configured timing.
This allows the automatic reply to be used either continuously or only during a specific period, depending on the purpose.
Forwarders #
An email forwarder automatically sends incoming email from one address to another destination address. This allows you to receive messages sent to a domain-based email address without needing to actively use that mailbox as your main inbox.
At ProRedLine, forwarders are available on services that include email functionality, such as Email Hosting and Web Hosting.
What a Forwarder Does #
A forwarder receives email sent to an address on your domain and immediately redirects that message to another email address. This can be useful when you want mail sent to one address to arrive somewhere else automatically.
For example, a message sent to info@yourdomain.com can be forwarded directly to another mailbox such as you@example.com.
A forwarder does not act as a full mailbox by itself. Its role is to redirect incoming email, not to function as a normal stored inbox unless a mailbox also exists for that address.
Common Use Cases #
Forwarders are often used when multiple people need to receive the same incoming email, when a domain-based address should be monitored through another mailbox, or when you want to centralise incoming messages without logging in to webmail for every address.
They are especially common for addresses such as info@, sales@, or contact@.
Where to Find Forwarders in cPanel #
Forwarders can be managed in cPanel under Email > Forwarders.
From there, you can create, review, and remove forwarders for the email addresses linked to your domain.
Creating a Forwarder #
When creating a forwarder, you normally enter the source address on your domain and the destination email address that should receive the forwarded message. Once saved, the forwarder becomes active immediately.
If needed, multiple forwarders can be created for the same address so that more than one recipient receives a copy of the incoming email.
Forwarders vs Mailboxes #
It is important to understand the difference between a forwarder and a mailbox.
A forwarder redirects incoming email to another address.
A mailbox stores email for local access through webmail or a mail client.
If you want both behaviours, you may need to create an actual email account as well as a forwarder, depending on how you want the address to be used.
Forwarding to External Providers #
When forwarding email to an external provider, delivery does not depend only on your own setup. The receiving provider may still apply its own filtering rules, and forwarded messages can sometimes be treated differently from directly delivered mail.
In some cases, forwarding to external services may be more sensitive to spam filtering or authentication-related issues. This means forwarded email may not always behave exactly the same as mail sent directly to a mailbox hosted there.
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