How to Use SMTP Server to Send WordPress Emails (Step by Step)

I still remember the first time I tested my WordPress contact form, and the email never arrived. Later, users started telling me they weren’t getting password reset links either. It was frustrating, and I quickly learned that WordPress’s default email system just isn’t very reliable.

The easiest way to fix this is by using SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). Once I set it up, emails started going straight to the inbox instead of disappearing or landing in spam.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through step by step how to set up SMTP in WordPress. You’ll see why the default system fails, how to choose the right SMTP service, and how to configure everything so your emails always reach your users.

Why Use an SMTP Service in WordPress?

Using an SMTP service in WordPress makes sure your emails actually get delivered.

By default, WordPress uses the built-in PHP mail() function to send emails, which depends on your web server acting as a mail server.

But most shared hosting providers either don’t configure it properly, disable it for security reasons, or place strict limits on outgoing messages.

In fact, data shows that nearly 20% of standard PHP emails fail or are routed to spam folders, which often means important messages like password resets, notifications, or form submissions fail to reach your inbox.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is a more reliable method that routes your emails through a proper mail server instead of PHP mail. This improves deliverability and helps you avoid hosting restrictions.

When setting up SMTP, you usually have two options:

• Use your hosting provider’s email system – This is included with most web hosting plans and works fine for basic site emails (like password resets or form submissions).
• Use a separate email service (third-party provider) – Services like Constant Contact, Brevo, or Mailgun specialize in email delivery. These are the best options if you need to send a lot of emails or want the highest reliability.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through setting up SMTP using the email account provided by your WordPress host:

Let’s get started!

Create Email Accounts with Your WordPress Host

Most WordPress hosting providers offer email services for each domain you host with them. This means you can create email accounts with your own domain name, like yourname@yoursite.com.

Using your website’s domain will help you engage your subscribers from your email list and help you stay on-brand by sending messages with your domain name rather than a personal inbox.

I have personally tested and verified the following steps on a Hostinger account, so I’ll show you how to do the same.

Your hosting service provider may use a different account management system, but the basic process is the same on most hosting services.

You’ll first want to log into your hosting account and click ‘Emails’ to create a new email under your domain. Then, go ahead and click ‘Manage’ next to your domain.

After that, you’ll want to click the ‘Create email account’ button.

This will allow you to set up a business email under your domain name rather than the default version that WordPress gives you.

You’ll then see a simple form where you need to fill out the information required to create your email account.

Since we will be using this account to send WordPress emails, we recommend that you create an email account like wordpress@example.com. Make sure to replace example.com with your own domain name.

Then, you can enter your email name, create a strong password, and click ‘Create.’

From here, you’ll be asked to configure third-party email services to connect to.

That said, you can choose ‘Other’ if you don’t want to use any of the given services.

Let’s copy the SMTP Host and Port since you’ll need to add that information to the settings of your WordPress SMTP plugin to start sending emails reliably.

The SMTP Host is the address for your mail server, and the SMTP Port is the specific channel used for secure communication. Think of it like a specific apartment number (the Port) at a building’s street address (the Host).

Finally, go ahead and click on ‘Complete, I’ve set up my client.’

If you’re using another hosting provider, like Bluehost or SiteGround, you can check the support section on your host’s website for this information. Most likely, there will be an article providing this information.

If you don’t find it, then you should contact the hosting support to request this information.

Configure SMTP for Your Branded Email Address

Unfortunately, WordPress doesn’t offer built-in SMTP settings. If you want to configure SMTP in WordPress for emails, then you must install an SMTP plugin.

Using a WordPress SMTP plugin ensures your emails actually reach your users’ inboxes by connecting directly to a dedicated mail server. It will replace the default method of sending emails through WordPress, which uses the unreliable PHP mail system.

Used by over 3 million websites, including us, the WP Mail SMTP plugin is the best SMTP plugin for WordPress.

It allows you to easily fix your emails by sending them through an email provider, which is a much more reliable way of sending emails than your web server. Read our full WP Mail SMTP review for more insights into its features.

With that in mind, let’s install and activate the WP Mail SMTP plugin. If you need help, you can refer to our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you can navigate to WP Mail SMTP » Settings from your WordPress dashboard to configure the plugin.

First, you’ll need to enter the email address you just created in the ‘From Email’ field. It’s important that this email matches the account you are setting up, as mail servers require this for authentication to work correctly.

After that, you can add a ‘From Name’ that will be used as the sender name.

The next step is choosing the mailer.

Go ahead and check the ‘Set the return-path to match the From Email’ box next to ‘Return Path.’ This option sets the return path to match the sender’s email address. If you leave it unchecked, bounced messages and non-delivery receipts will be lost.

Then, you can click the ‘Other SMTP’ option. If you have another mailer service, you can select that instead.

Next, you’ll need to set up SMTP options by filling out this data:

1. SMTP Host – Enter your SMTP host, which is typically mail.yourdomain.com (don’t forget to replace yourdomain.com with your own domain name).
2. Encryption – Choose an encryption method to keep your emails secure. Most hosting providers support SSL encryption, while TLS is the modern security standard and should be chosen if your web host supports both.
3. SMTP Port – Enter the correct port number based on your encryption: 465 for SSL and 587 for TLS (recommended if supported).

If you’re unsure about any of these details, you can find them in your hosting provider’s documentation or by contacting their support team.

Next, you’ll want to turn on the authentication toggle and provide your SMTP username and password. Normally, your email address is also your SMTP username.

Then, go ahead and give your SMTP account a password.

Finally, don’t forget to click the ‘Save Settings’ button to store your changes.

Keep in mind that if you have another mailer service, you can add that service as a backup connection. This means that if an email fails to send using your primary connection, WP Mail SMTP will automatically try to send it again using your backup connection.

If you’d like to add another mailer service, just hit the ‘additional connection’ link shown in the screenshot above, and WP Mail SMTP will guide you through the process.

And if you don’t have Hostinger, these steps will look a little different. In that case, you may want to check out our ultimate guide on how to set up WP Mail SMTP with any host.

Test Your SMTP Plugin Settings

Now that you have set up WP Mail SMTP to send emails, let’s test if everything is working fine. To get started, you can head over to WP Mail SMTP » Tools from the WordPress admin panel.

Under the ‘Email Test’ tab, you’ll need to provide an email address where you would like to receive a test email. This could be any valid email address that you can access.

Go ahead and toggle the HTML button to ‘ON.’ After that, you can click the ‘Send Email’ button to continue.

WP Mail SMTP will now send an email message using the SMTP settings you entered earlier.

If you check your inbox, you should see a success message informing you that the email was sent successfully.

Troubleshoot WordPress Email Issues

The most common reason for errors when sending emails using SMTP is incorrect configuration – especially the SMTP host, port, username, or password.

For example, a connection timeout usually means your port is blocked by your hosting provider or firewall. Whereas an Error 550 often indicates an authentication issue (such as incorrect login details) or that your server isn’t authorized to send emails for your domain.

So, make sure you’re using the correct SMTP host, port, and login credentials provided by your email service.

You should also double-check that you’ve selected the correct encryption method. SSL works in most cases, but some providers may require TLS instead.

If your emails are still not being delivered, then it’s a good idea to contact your hosting provider or email service for help. For more details, you can see our guide on how to fix the WordPress not sending emails issue.

Resend Emails Manually

Even if there aren’t any SMTP configuration errors, you may still experience temporary issues.

For example, the recipient’s email server might be bouncing emails, or the mailer service may place a cap on the number of emails you can send per day. If you exceed the allowed number of emails sent in a given time frame, the emails may be rejected.

If you are using the Pro version, you can simply resend it to those specific recipients. All you have to do is head over to WP Mail SMTP » Email Log from your WordPress dashboard.

Simply check all of the boxes next to the emails that failed to resend. Then, under the ‘Bulk Actions’ dropdown menu, you’ll want to select the ‘Resend’ option and click ‘Apply.’

This will open a pop-up message asking you to confirm whether you want to resend the selected emails.

Go ahead and hit the ‘Yes’ button.

Finally, you’ll receive a confirmation message on the screen that the emails are in the queue and will be resent shortly.

You can click ‘OK.’

There you have it! Now you know how to successfully use an SMTP server to send WordPress emails.

Pros and Cons of Using Web Host Mail Servers for WordPress Emails

You might be wondering whether using your web host’s mail servers to send WordPress newsletter emails is the best option in the long run.

✅ Pros of Using Web Host Mail Servers for WordPress Emails	❌ Cons of Using Web Host Mail Servers for WordPress Emails
You can send emails using your own domain, which looks more professional.	Many hosting providers limit how many emails you can send.
It’s included in your WordPress hosting plan, so there’s no extra cost.	Not suitable for newsletters or bulk emails because of those limits.
Easy to set up since it’s built into your hosting account.	Mail servers on shared hosting can be unreliable, causing delays or failed delivery.
	Emails are more likely to end up in spam compared to dedicated email services.

What This Means for Your Site 🤔

While using your web host’s mail servers is convenient and cost-effective, it’s not always the most reliable option, especially as your site grows.

If you start noticing delays or delivery issues, then it’s a good idea to switch to a dedicated email service like Google Workspace, Mailgun, or SendGrid. These platforms are built for better deliverability, helping your emails reach inboxes instead of spam folders.

Frequently Asked Questions About WordPress SMTP

Still have questions about setting up SMTP in WordPress? We’ve answered some of the most common questions from our readers below.

What is SMTP and why do I need it for WordPress?

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is the standard way emails are sent on the internet. WordPress’s built-in email function doesn’t use proper authentication, which means messages often get blocked or end up in spam.

An SMTP plugin connects your site to a real email server. This adds authentication and makes sure your emails are delivered reliably.

Is WP Mail SMTP free to use?

WP Mail SMTP has a free version that works well for most small business websites. It includes integrations with popular mailers like SendLayer, Brevo, and Gmail.

There’s also a WP Mail SMTP Pro version that unlocks advanced features. These include email logging, detailed reports, and additional integrations with services like Amazon SES and Microsoft 365.

What is the best SMTP provider for WordPress?

If you just run a small business site, you can usually use the email account provided by your web host for things like contact form notifications and password resets.

For better reliability, though, we recommend using a dedicated email service like SendLayer or Brevo. These services are built for sending emails and have much higher deliverability rates than standard web host email servers.

What should I do if my emails are still failing after setup?

First, open the WP Mail SMTP settings and make sure your Host, Port, Username, and Password are entered correctly. Even a small typo can cause failures.

If everything looks right, you can check the ‘Email Log’ feature (available in WP Mail SMTP Pro). The error message there will often explain why the mail server rejected your email and help you fix the problem.

More Guides to Using Emails in WordPress

We hope this article helped you learn how to use an SMTP server to send WordPress emails. Next, you may also want to see our guides on:

• WordPress Email Marketing Automation
• Tested and Easy Ways to Grow Your Email List Faster
• How to Send Email in WordPress Using the Gmail SMTP Server
• How to Set Up WordPress Email Tracking
• Email Verification Tools to Clean Email Lists

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