Queue Management
Monitor and manage the Postfix mail queue in real time with filtering, sorting, and queue operations.
The mail queue holds messages that are waiting to be delivered, have been deferred after a temporary failure, or have bounced permanently. CeyMail gives you a real-time view of the Postfix mail queue with tools to search, filter, and take action on individual messages or the entire queue.
Pro feature
Queue management is available on the Pro plan and above.
Queue overview
The top of the page shows six stat cards summarizing queue status:
| Queue | Description |
|---|---|
| Active | Messages currently being delivered |
| Deferred | Messages waiting for retry after a temporary failure |
| Hold | Messages manually held from delivery |
| Bounce | Messages that failed permanently |
| Maildrop | Locally submitted messages awaiting pickup |
| Total | Sum of all messages across all queues |
A breakdown section below the stats shows each queue's proportion of the total with a visual progress bar, making it easy to spot which queue is growing.
Viewing queue items
The queue items table shows each message with:
- Queue ID -- Postfix internal identifier
- Sender -- the envelope sender address
- Recipients -- destination addresses (up to 3 shown, with a "+N more" indicator if there are additional recipients)
- Size -- message size in human-readable format
- Arrived -- when the message entered the queue
- Status -- the queue the message is in, with reason details when available
Searching and filtering
- Use the search bar to find messages by queue ID, sender, or recipient
- Use the filter dropdown to show only messages in a specific queue (Active, Deferred, Hold, Bounce, or Maildrop)
- Click column headers (Sender, Size, Arrived, Status) to sort ascending or descending
The queue auto-refreshes every 5 seconds so you always see the current state.
Queue operations
Flush queue
Click Flush Queue to tell Postfix to retry delivery of all deferred messages immediately. This is useful when a temporary issue (DNS problem, recipient server downtime) has been resolved and you want to push out waiting mail without waiting for the automatic retry interval.
Clear queue
Click Clear Queue to permanently delete all messages from the queue. A confirmation dialog shows exactly how many messages will be removed. This action cannot be undone.
Destructive action
Clearing the queue permanently deletes all messages. Only do this if you're sure the queued messages are unwanted (e.g., spam backscatter or a misconfigured send).
Delete individual messages
Each queue item has a Delete button to remove a single message. A confirmation dialog shows the queue ID, sender, and recipients before deletion. This is useful for removing specific stuck or unwanted messages without affecting the rest of the queue.
Common scenarios
Large deferred queue: Usually means the recipient server is temporarily rejecting connections. Check the status reason column for details. Try flushing after the issue resolves.
Bounce messages accumulating: May indicate a misconfigured sender or invalid recipient addresses. Review the bounce reasons and consider cleaning up your mailing lists.
Messages in hold: These were manually held and won't be delivered until released. Review and either delete or release them.