Answer

Check Settings

• Make sure you have specified a valid email address in your Author Profile.

• Make sure you have checked the appropriate options on the Settings > Feedback screen for Email notification, for both Comments and TrackBacks¹.

Check Plugins

Are you using any plugins which allow you to set options for these notifications? Since plugins typically override the default behavior of Movable Type, you should check any configuration settings for plugins as well to ensure they are properly enabled.

Check Spam Filters

With spam controls becoming more aggressive these days, sometimes the notifications can be mistaken for spam. Make sure they're not being trapped by your ISP's or email program's spam filters.

Check sendmail Path

If you have followed these procedures and notification emails are still not being sent, see if you need to change the path setting in mt-config.cgi² for the sendmail program on your server:

# By default, Movable Type looks for sendmail in three locations:
# /usr/lib/sendmail, /usr/sbin/sendmail, and /usr/ucblib/sendmail.
# If your sendmail is in a different location, you can adjust the
# SendMailPath configuration setting.
#
# SendMailPath /usr/sbin/sendmail

You may need to ask your host for the proper path to sendmail, so you can enter it into the section shown above. Remember to uncomment the setting³. Then save mt-config.cgi and upload it back to your server in ASCII mode.

If this still does not resolve the problem, check with your host to make sure sendmail is working properly on your server.

If your server does not have sendmail, you may be able to use SMTP instead. See Using SMTP instead of sendmail for more information.

¹ In versions prior to 3.2, make sure you have checked the options in Weblog Configuration > Preferences for Email new comments? and Email new Trackback pings?.

² In versions prior to 3.2, the configuration file is named mt.cfg.

³ To uncomment a setting means to remove the # from the beginning of the line where it appears.