How to Configure WordPress Email to Use SMTP Server?

By default, WordPress uses the PHP mail() function to send emails. However, many hosting providers disable this function on shared servers to prevent email abuse. In such cases, you will need to use an SMTP server to send emails from your WordPress site. Don’t worry about the PHP mail() function, as it is already enabled and configured correctly on our shared servers. Any spam emails will be detected and the domain will be blocked from sending further emails. If you need to send bulk emails, you can consider using a third-party email service such as Mandrill or Zoho, but please note that you will have to pay for this service depending on the number of users/accounts or emails sent.

Email Account

Our Managed WordPress hosting offers an email service for each domain. You can create email accounts using your domain name, such as “account@yourdomain.com”. If you don’t have an existing email account with your WordPress domain, follow the steps below to add new email accounts:

1. Login to your cPanel and navigate to the “Email Accounts” section.
2. You will be directed to the “Add Email Account” form, where you need to provide the required information to create your new email account.

Now you can use your new email account in WordPress.

Using New Email Account in WordPress

Before using the new email account in WordPress, you need to gather the following information:

1. SMTP server hostname
2. SMTP server secure ports

Your SMTP server can be mail.yourdomain.com or you can use the IP address or server name listed in your welcome email. The available SMTP ports are 25, SSL port 465, and default port 587. We recommend using port 25 for non-encrypted connections and port 465 for encrypted connections. Please note that you need to login to your WordPress Admin Dashboard to perform these steps.

Once you have collected the required information, you can install and activate the WP Mail SMTP plugin. After installation, a new option called Email will appear under Settings.

To configure WordPress email to use the SMTP server, simply go to WordPress Dashboard >> Settings >> Email. You will see several available configurations on the screenshot below. Replace yourdomain.com with your own domain name.

The following options can be configured:

• From Email – the email address you want to send emails from, such as “email@yourdomain.com”.
• From Name – the name that recipients will see as the sender of the emails.
• Mailer – choose whether to use the default Mail function or SMTP.
• Return Path – check if you want to match the return path in your emails to the sending email.
• SMTP Host – the hostname of your SMTP server.
• SMTP Port – the port on which your server operates.
• Encryption – select SSL/TLS encryption if available for that hostname.
• Authentication – check if your SMTP server requires authentication.
• Username – the username for your SMTP server.
• Password – the password for your SMTP server.

Instructions

First, enter the email address of your new email account and provide a from name. If you don’t add a from name, the WP Mail SMTP plugin will use the default “WordPress”. Make sure to check the option “Send all WordPress emails via SMTP”.

Under the SMTP section, enter the SMTP server hostname and secure port number. If your website has a valid SSL certificate, select “Use SSL encryption” as the encryption method. The plugin will require your SMTP login credentials for email functions. Check “Yes: Use SMTP authentication” under the Authentication section and provide your SMTP login credentials.

Once you have completed the setup, click on the “Save Changes” button to store your settings. You will see a “Settings saved” message.

Testing your SMTP Configuration

The WP Mail SMTP plugin provides an email testing tool that sends test emails to the provided email address. If the test email is received by the given email address, then you can confirm that the WP Mail SMTP plugin is working. If you have properly configured the email settings, the plugin should work fine.

If you need further assistance, please reach out to our support department at help@webhostingpeople.net.