SMTP or API Powered Email Sending with WordPress
Question: I am not receiving email from my WordPress website.
If you're not receiving email from your WordPress website, it's most likely that the emails are going out from the server, but ending up in the spam folder due to not having the proper SPF DNS record set, or not using a SMTP / API powered email plugin on the site.
Step 1) Check your domain's SPF DNS record. Our servers use the email relay service MailChannels to deliver emails sent from WordPress. Check your current DNS records at your registrar, or enter your plain domain (e.g. domain.com) in a lookup tool such as https://mxtoolbox.com/SPF.aspx
Example SPF record to add if you don't already have a one set:
v=spf1 include:relay.mailchannels.net ~all
If you already have an SPF record, simply add the MailChannels relay to the existing record rather than adding a separate record. For example:
v=spf1 include:sendgrid.net include:mailgun.org include:relay.mailchannels.net ~all
Step 2) After configuring the SPF record, wait at least an hour then test again and check your spam folder if the email does not appear in your inbox. If you do not see any email come to either, then most likely your email provider configuration is blocking emails entirely, bypassing your spam folder.
If you still do not see any email in your spam folder, contact your I.T. department who is responsible for your email provider configuration and ask them if the current configuration is blocking email from your website before it hits the spam folder, and if they can whitelist the relay.mailchannels.net domain. They should be able to view incoming email that is being blocked via your email provider's admin interface. Once they adjust the configuration you should be able to receive email.
If you require email delivery to be authorized to avoid spam via DKIM, it will require plugin-based email delivery via API or SMTP. This will also require DNS adjustments for SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. This is our standard configuration requirement for ecommerce, membership and e-learning websites that send email to users.
For normal WordPress sites [non-multisite network], the most popular option is https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-mail-smtp/. They have a paid version that is compatible with multisite networks as well, for the latest pricing see https://wpmailsmtp.com/pricing/.
The most common custom email configurations are listed below:
SMTP Based Email
- Microsoft O365 - Manual O365 Setup (only available with the Pro license or higher)
- Google Workspace / Gmail - One click gmail setup (only available with the Pro license or higher) or Manual gmail Setup
API Based Email
View all available email providers supported by WP Mail SMTP plugin
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Alternative Plugin Option: Gravity SMTP - https://www.gravityforms.com/gravity-smtp/
Integrate your WordPress website with secure and reliable SMTP providers and API-based services. All services listed above are supported, see documentation.
Note: Gravity SMTP is currently only available with a Gravity Forms Elite license. If you are a Tiny Frog customer, you may have access to this plugin through our developer license while you are a client.
