# Start or stop mail services

To start or stop a mail service, open the admin console and go to **Manage Server › Services**. The table lists XGEN-PLUS-WEB, SMTP-IN, SMTP-OUT, POP and IMAP, each with a Start/Stop switch. Move a switch, confirm with **Ok**, then reopen **Services** to check the new state. XGEN-PLUS-WEB controls the four mail services together.

## How to start or stop mail services

1. Open **Manage Server › Services**.
2. Read the **Info** column. It says **Running From** or **Stopped from** with a date and time.
3. Move the switch in the **Action** column of the service you want to change.
4. Read the question in the box, for example "Are you sure you want to stop Smtp-In?", and click **Ok**. Click **Cancel** to leave things as they were.
5. Reopen **Manage Server › Services** to confirm the new state.

## System services

The box **SYSTEM SERVICES** has three columns: **Service**, **Info** and **Action**.

| Service | What it does when you start or stop it |
|---|---|
| **XGEN-PLUS-WEB** | Starts or stops SMTP-IN, SMTP-OUT, POP and IMAP together. The confirmation box names all four. |
| **SMTP-IN** | Receives mail coming in to your domains. |
| **SMTP-OUT** | Sends mail out to other servers. |
| **POP** | Lets mail apps download mail over POP. |
| **IMAP** | Lets mail apps such as Outlook or a phone app sync folders over IMAP. |

| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| **Info** | **Running From** and the date and time it last started, or **Stopped from** and the date and time it last stopped. |
| **Action** | A switch labelled **Start** and **Stop**. The switch shows the state XgenPlus found when the page opened. |

Click a service name to open **System Services**, a window with that service's log. Click **Close** to leave it.

## Search services

Below the table, the box **Search services** shows the history of starts and stops.

| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| **SERVICE** | Choose **XGEN-PLUS-WEB**, **SMTP-IN**, **SMTP-OUT**, **POP** or **IMAP**. |
| **Search** | Fills the table with **Service name**, **Status** and **Date** for each start or stop. |

## Example

> After a planned maintenance window at acme.in, Rohit sees that **SMTP-OUT** is shown as **Stopped from** last night and outgoing mail is waiting. He moves the **SMTP-OUT** switch to **Start**, clicks **Ok**, and reopens **Services**. The line now says **Running From** with the current time.

## Good to know

<div class="callout limit"><div><b>Stopping a service affects every domain on the server.</b> While SMTP-IN is stopped no mail is received, and while IMAP or POP is stopped mail apps cannot connect. Choose a quiet time and tell your domain administrators first.</div></div>

- After you start or stop a service, reopen **Services** to see the current state. The **Info** line is read again from the server each time the page opens.
- Only a server administrator can change the switches.

Source: https://docs.xgenplus.com/server/start-stop-mail-services/