How to set up SMTP authentication in WordPress

Knowledgebase Article

How to set up SMTP authentication in WordPress

By default, WordPress does not use SMTP authentication to send out emails.

That means any emails originating from WordPress (forgot-password emails, contact form submissions, and more) are sent using the default cPanel address. This is in the form of cpanelusername@server-name.com. Emails from that address with a different 'From' header set may often get filtered into the recipient's spam folder or greylisted (delayed) by the recipient server.

This is where SMTP authentication comes in. Once that is set up in WordPress, emails will truly be sent from the address you use in the settings, leading to a higher chance of being delivered successfully and not in a spam folder.

Because WordPress does not yet have a native way to enable SMTP authentication, there are various plugins you can use to accomplish this. The one we will show you in this tutorial is called Easy WP SMTP:

https://wordpress.org/plugins/easy-wp-smtp/

Let's get started!

1) Login your WordPress dashboard and navigate to the Plugins > Add New page

2) In the search bar, type in Easy WP SMTP and click Install Now and then Activate next to it:

Installing the plugin

3) With the plugin now active, go to the Settings in the WordPress dashboard sidebar and then click on Easy WP SMTP:

Settings for Easy WP SMTP

4) On that page you will need to fill in the following fields:

From Email Address: This should be the address you want the emails to be sent from. You could use something like noreply@your-domain.com or info@your-domain.com.
From Name: You can set this to be the name of your website/organization or something similar.
Reply-To Email Address: This can be left blank, or you can specify a different address people should send to if they click 'Reply' on any WordPress emails.
SMTP Host: If you use your cPanel for your email service, you can find the SMTP host you should use in cPanel > Email Accounts > Connect Devices > Set Up Mail Client. It will be next to the 'Outgoing Server' field. If you use an external email service such as Outlook/Office 365 or G-Suite, you can refer to their documentation or support for the proper SMTP host value to use.
Type of Encryption: If you use your cPanel for your email service, select SSL/TLS. Otherwise, consult with the documentation or support of your external email service for which option to choose.
SMTP Port: If you use your cPanel for your email service, use 465. Otherwise, consult with the documentation or support of your external email service for which port to use.
SMTP Authentication: This option should always be marked Yes.
SMTP Username: Input the email address you will be sending from as the username.
SMTP Password: Input the email's password.

Here is an example of the filled in fields:

Settings filled in

5) Click Save Changes and then click the Test Email tab near the top of the page. There you can fill in an email address before clicking the Send Test Email button:

Sending a test email

If you receive the test email, you're all done!

Note: For external email services, the SMTP/outgoing port may need to be opened by our support first. Please contact us if you have any issue setting up SMTP with an external service.