Before you begin

You need to be logged in to DirectAdmin to create email accounts. If you have not accessed DirectAdmin yet, see our guide on how to access DirectAdmin from the client area.

Make sure you know:

  • The email address you want to create (e.g. sales@yourdomain.co.za)
  • A strong password for the account
  • How much storage space the account needs (optional)

Step 1: Access E-mail Accounts

  1. Log in to your DirectAdmin control panel
  2. Look for the E-mail Manager section on the main dashboard
  3. Click on E-mail Accounts

You will see a list of any existing email accounts for your domain.

Step 2: Click Create Account

  1. At the top of the E-mail Accounts page, click Create Account
  2. The email account creation form will appear

Step 3: Enter account details

Fill in the following fields:

  • Username: The part before the @ symbol (e.g. sales for sales@yourdomain.co.za)
  • Password: A strong password (minimum 8 characters, use a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols)
  • Re-type Password: Enter the same password again to confirm
  • Quota: The maximum storage space for this mailbox in MB. Set to unlimited or specify a limit (e.g. 1024 MB = 1 GB)
  • Send Limit: Maximum number of emails this account can send per hour (leave at default unless you have a specific need)

Choose a secure password that the user has not used elsewhere. Avoid common words, names, or predictable patterns.

Step 4: Create the account

  1. Review your settings to ensure everything is correct
  2. Click Create at the bottom of the form
  3. DirectAdmin will create the email account immediately

You will see a success message confirming the account was created.

Step 5: Configure the email client

Once the account is created, you or the account user can configure it in an email client (Outlook, Thunderbird, phone, etc.). The account details are:

  • Email address: username@yourdomain.co.za
  • Password: the password you just set
  • Incoming server (IMAP): mail.yourdomain.co.za, port 993, SSL/TLS
  • Outgoing server (SMTP): mail.yourdomain.co.za, port 465, SSL/TLS

See our email setup guides for step-by-step instructions:

How to choose the right storage quota

The storage quota determines how much email the account can store before it fills up. Consider the following guidelines:

  • Light use (personal, low volume): 250-500 MB
  • Standard business use: 1-2 GB (1024-2048 MB)
  • Heavy use (lots of attachments, archives): 5-10 GB or unlimited

If you are unsure, start with 1-2 GB and increase it later if needed. Setting a quota prevents a single account from consuming all your hosting disk space.

Creating multiple email accounts

To create additional email accounts, repeat the process above for each address. Common email accounts for South African businesses include:

  • info@ - general enquiries
  • sales@ - sales team
  • support@ - customer support
  • accounts@ - invoicing and payments
  • admin@ or postmaster@ - administrative

Common issues when creating email accounts

Username already exists

If you see an error saying the username already exists:

  • Check the E-mail Accounts list to see if the account was already created
  • If the account exists but you have forgotten the password, use change email password instead
  • Ensure you are not trying to create a duplicate of an existing account

Quota exceeds available space

If you cannot set the quota you want:

  • Check your total hosting disk space and how much is already used
  • You cannot allocate more space than your hosting plan includes
  • Consider upgrading your hosting plan if you need more storage

Cannot send or receive email after creating account

If the account was created but email is not working:

  • Wait a few minutes for DNS propagation if your domain was recently added
  • Verify your domain's MX records are pointing to the correct mail server
  • Check that your email client is configured with the correct settings
  • Contact support if email is still not working after 30 minutes

Accessing webmail

Every email account you create can be accessed via webmail without needing an email client:

  1. Go to mail.yourdomain.co.za (replace with your actual domain)
  2. Log in with the full email address and password
  3. Choose a webmail client (Roundcube is recommended)

Webmail is useful for checking email when travelling or from devices where you cannot install an email client.

Getting further help

If you need assistance creating email accounts or configuring email for your domain, contact 0724 Hosting support. We can help you set up your business email accounts correctly.