How To Fix WordPress Not Sending Email: 4 Easy Ways

If your WordPress website isn’t sending emails, you’re not alone. Many website owners face this issue when they stop receiving important emails – like contact form messages, password reset links, or WooCommerce order notifications. This can be frustrating, especially if visitors or customers rely on these emails to interact with your site.  One reason for this problem is that most WordPress Hosting providers (excluding Hosted®) don’t offer email hosting. Their focus is hosting your website, not handling emails. While some allow basic emails, like password resets or order confirmations, these often don’t work reliably.

So, what can you do? This is what we will show you today. In this guide, we’ll help you figure out why your WordPress not sending email and, more importantly, how to fix the problem. Whether running a blog, a business site, or an online store, you’ll find easy-to-follow solutions to ensure your emails reach the inbox every time.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• WordPress not sending email issues arise because of server issues, incorrect settings, or spam filters.
• As many hosting providers don’t support email sending by default, you will need an SMTP service.
• If emails are going to spam, check the email address, whitelist it, and set up authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
• Use a professional email address instead of a generic one to improve deliverability.
• Switching to an SMTP provider ensures emails are sent reliably. 
• Installing an SMTP plugin like WP Mail SMTP makes email setup easier.
• Contact form plugins may send emails in a way email providers block as spoofing; fixing the From and To fields can help.
• Prevent email issues by checking form plugin settings and using the site’s admin email.
• Test email delivery using the Check & Log Email plugin to diagnose sending issues.
• Configure SMTP settings properly and send a test email to ensure WordPress emails work correctly.

Why WordPress Site Not Sending Emails

Before addressing the issue, verify that your WordPress site can send emails properly. To check if your site is sending emails correctly, you can use the Check & Log Email plugin. Here’s how:

From your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins → Add New Plugin. Search for Check & Log Email. Once it appears, click Install Now, then activate the plugin.

After activation, go to Check & Log Email → Test Email. Write an email address where you want to receive the test email. Then, click Send test email.

Now, check the inbox of the email address you provided, including Spam or Junk folders, to confirm receipt of the test email. However, if your WordPress not sending email, there are a few common reasons behind it.  Let’s go through each issue and find out how to fix it. 

Emails Going to Spam 

Sometimes, WordPress emails get sent but don’t reach the inbox. Instead, they land in the Spam folder. This can happen because email providers like Gmail and Outlook use strict filters to block unwanted messages. 

If users report that they aren’t getting your emails, the first step is to ask them to check their Spam folder. If the emails are there, email providers don’t fully trust them. This could be because: 

• The email is coming from an address that looks untrustworthy. 
• The email does not include important authentication records like SPF, DKIM, or DMARC (we’ll discuss these later in this guide). 
• The email content includes words or links that trigger spam filters. 

Fixing this issue often requires using a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) service instead of WordPress’s default email function. We’ll also cover how to do this later in this tutorial. 

Temporary Block

For several reasons, web hosting providers may disable the PHP mail() function. For example, hosts may limit the number of emails sent per hour to combat spam. Surpassing these limits can result in the suspension of email-sending capabilities.

Additionally, the mail() function can be exploited by malicious scripts to send unauthorized emails. To reduce this risk, some hosts disable the function entirely.

If your website relies on the PHP mail() function, it’s essential to consult with your hosting provider to understand their policies and explore alternative email-sending methods, such as using authenticated SMTP services.

Server Isn’t Configured Correctly 

WordPress uses a built-in PHP function called mail() to send emails. However, many web hosting providers disable it to prevent spam (as mentioned earlier) or don’t have this function set up properly.

If your server isn’t configured to send emails, your WordPress site won’t be able to deliver them.

Low Sender Reputation

If your WordPress site is on a shared IP address, mail deliverability can be impacted by other users on the same server.  When multiple accounts share an IP, spam complaints against other senders can negatively affect the entire server’s reputation.

As a result, your WordPress emails may be flagged as spam and end up in recipients’ junk folders. To prevent this, consider using a dedicated IP for email sending or a reputable SMTP service to improve email reliability.

Your Contact Form Plugin Is Sending ‘Spoof’ Emails 

Another common issue happens when contact form plugins send emails on behalf of users. For example, if someone fills out your form with their email address, your WordPress site tries to send an email using their address. However, since your server doesn’t own the gmail.com domain, email providers may block or mark the email as suspicious. This is known as email spoofing.

<!-- Example email address -->
user@gmail.com

Additionally, many popular plugins for contact forms (including Contact Form 7 and Gravity Forms) can run into this issue if there’s an issue with the plugin’s configurations.

Fix this by configuring your forms to send emails using your domain’s email address. Also, check your plugin’s settings to ensure everything is set up correctly. 

Addressing these issues can improve email delivery and ensure WordPress emails reach inboxes instead of getting lost or marked as spam. Next, we discuss how to properly configure email settings to prevent WordPress email not working problems.

4 Ways to Resolve the WordPress Not Sending Email Issue

In this section, we show you how to verify your email settings in the WordPress dashboard, prevent WordPress emails going to spam, set up SMTP for reliable email delivery, and properly configure your contact form plugin to ensure emails are sent correctly.

Verify Email Settings in WordPress Dashboard

A simple yet common reason for WordPress not sending email issues is an incorrect or missing administration email address. WordPress cannot send notifications when the email address is not set correctly.

To resolve this, follow these steps: 

Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard. Navigate to Settings → General. Locate the Administration Email Address and ensure the provided email address is correct and active. If it’s incorrect, update it. Then, click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

When you verify and update this setting, you ensure that WordPress uses the correct email address for outgoing communications.

Stop WordPress Emails from Going to Spam

If your WordPress emails land in the spam folder instead of the Inbox folder, email providers may think they are untrustworthy. This usually happens when your email is improperly set up or lacks authentication. To fix this, follow these steps: 

Whitelist the Email Address 

The easiest way to prevent emails from going to spam is to ask users to whitelist your email address. To do this, they should add your email to their contacts or safe sender list in their email settings.

Here’s how they can do it in Gmail: 

Open Gmail and click the search bar at the top. Click Filter on the right.

In From, enter the email address and click Create Filter.

Mark the checkbox Never send it to Spam to whitelist the sender. Optionally, check Always mark it as important to highlight these emails. Then, click Create filter to save.

This ensures emails from this sender go to your Inbox instead of Spam. 

If your important emails end up in the users’ Spam folders, ask them to mark your email as Not Spam. To do this, they must open Gmail and go to Spam. Find the email and click Not Spam at the top. Gmail will move the email to the Inbox and improve future email filtering.

Alternatively, your audience can add the sender (YOU) to their Google Contacts. When your email is in their contacts, it tells their email provider that your messages are safe, reducing the chance of being marked as spam.

Use a Safer Email Address 

The email address you use matters. Many website owners use generic email addresses like: 

info@yourwebsite.com
contact@yourwebsite.com

But these are often flagged as spam because spammers commonly use them. Instead, it’s better to use a professional email address that is linked to a real person or business, such as: 

support@yourwebsite.com 
hello@yourwebsite.com 
yourname@yourwebsite.com.

Another good practice is to use an email alias. This allows you to manage replies without exposing your specific email address. For example, you can create an alias like support@yourwebsite.com that forwards emails to yourname@yourwebsite.com. 

Set up Email Authentication 

Your WordPress emails may land in spam if your domain name is not properly authenticated for sending emails. If this is the case, email authentication helps email providers verify that your messages are legitimate and not spoofed or faked. If your emails aren’t authenticated, they are more likely to go to spam or be rejected completely. 

To fix this, you need to set up 3 key authentication protocols: 

• Sender Policy Framework (SPF): Tells email providers which servers can send emails on behalf of your domain. 
• DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM): DKIM adds a digital signature to your emails, proving they haven’t been altered in transit. 
• Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC): Helps prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks.

Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC by signing in to your domain registrar account. Go to your domain’s DNS settings and add or update the TXT record for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

However, if you sign up with Hosted®’s Email Hosting service, the SPF and DKIM are configured automatically. However, DMARC must be set up manually, as it is primarily a policy-related setting that determines where email reports are sent.

To ensure proper functionality, the designated mailbox specified during configuration must exist, as it may receive a high volume of reports, including potential spam.

Once these records are set up, email providers will trust your emails more, improving deliverability and keeping them out of the spam folder.

Set up SMTP in WordPress to Send Email 

If your WordPress not sending email, your server may not be set up to handle email delivery. This is a common issue because most web hosting providers don’t configure their servers for email sending. Instead of relying on the built-in PHP mail() function, which is often unreliable, you can use a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) provider. 

SMTP is the standard method for sending emails. When you use this, your emails are sent through a dedicated mail server, independent of your web hosting server. This setup helps bypass any limitations imposed on the PHP mail() function.

SMTP providers help improve email delivery rates, provide authentication to enhance security and prevent spoofing, reduce the chance of messages going to spam, and allow you to track emails sent from your site. Since each SMTP service requires different settings, proper configuration is essential to work effectively.

Here’s how you can set up SMTP in WordPress:

First, install an SMTP plugin to integrate with email servers. In this example, we use WP Mail SMTP because it’s popular, beginner-friendly, and works with various email providers, including Gmail (Google SMTP), Hosted Email, SendGrid, and Mailgun.

This tutorial focuses on configuring SMTP using the Hosted® email service. To follow along:

Login to the Hosted® cPanel and go to Emails → Email Accounts.

Click Manage.

Next, click the right arrow (>) to expand the options and copy your email address. This will be your SMTP username – it will appear shortly. If you don’t remember your email password, click Manage to reset it.

After that, click Connect Devices next to your email account.

Locate the outgoing server’s details (hostname and port) and take note of them. You will need these details to configure WP Mail SMTP.

To set up WP Mail SMTP in WordPress, follow these steps: 

Go to WordPress Dashboard → Plugins → Add New Plugin. Search for WP Mail SMTP and click Install Now. After installation, click Activate.

The setup wizard will open automatically. Click Let’s Get Started to begin.

Select Other SMTP as your mail option to configure SMTP manually and click Save and Continue.

Once the plugin is installed, you need to enter your SMTP details to enable email sending: 

Fill in SMTP Host with your outgoing server hostname (e.g., mail.hosted.com). Select TLS (recommended) or SSL as Encryption. Choose SMTP Port: 

• Use 465 for SSL. 
• Use 587 for TLS.

Ensure you activate Enable Authentication for secure email delivery. Use your admin email address from Hosted® as the SMTP Username. Then, enter the admin email account password in the SMTP Password field.

In From Name, enter your website name, enabling Force From Name to ensure consistency. Then, in From Email, use your admin email address; however, Force From Email prevents other plugins from changing it. 

After entering these details, click Save and Continue to apply the changes. 

On the next screen, you will see that WP Mail SMTP offers extra features to improve email performance. By default, the following options are enabled: 

• Improved Email Deliverability: Ensures your emails bypass spam filters and reach the inbox. 
• Email Error Tracking: Helps diagnose email-sending issues (such as WordPress not sending email), if they arise. 
• Week Email Summary: Provides statistics about all the emails you’ve sent.

These features help maintain a smooth email-sending experience in WordPress. However, you may need to upgrade the plugin to use premium features.

Then, click Save and Continue.

If you want to assist in making WP Mail SMTP better for everyone, check Yes, count me in. Otherwise, keep it unchecked and click Save and Continue to proceed.

Here, you can enter your license key and click Connect. However, if using a free WP Mail SMTP plugin, click Skip this Step.

After that, click Finish Setup to complete the configuration process.

After setting up SMTP, you should verify that everything works correctly. WP Mail SMTP provides an option to send a test email.

To do that, go to WP Mail SMTP → Tools → Email Test. Provide an email address where you want to receive the test email.  Then, click Send Email.

Check your Inbox and Spam folders to confirm the test email was received. If the test email is successfully delivered, your SMTP setup works correctly.

To ensure you don’t face WordPress not sending email problems again, regularly test your SMTP settings, update authentication details as required, and use a domain-based email for professional email communication.

Configure Your Contact Forms Plugin to Send Emails Correctly 

If your WordPress contact form not sending emails, the problem may be with the plugin’s settings. Many WordPress form plugins don’t send emails correctly because of incorrect configurations. To fix this, you should adjust the email settings in your form plugin. Below, we discuss the steps for one of the most famous WordPress contact form plugins. 

Contact Form 7 is one of the most widely used form plugins, but it often runs into email delivery issues. When a user submits a form, the plugin attempts to send a notification email. However, the email may not be sent if the From or To email fields are incorrect or if plugin settings are misconfigured.

To fix this, review and adjust the email settings within the plugin. To do this:

Go to WordPress Dashboard → Contact → Contact Forms. Find the form you want to edit and click Edit.

Then, open Mail in the form settings. Locate the From and To email fields. Ensure From uses an email that matches your website’s domain name and To is correctly formatted with a valid email address.

Contact Form 7 provides explanations for errors and solutions if you see warning messages. Clicking the suggested links will guide you on how to fix the misconfigured fields.

For better email reliability, consider using an SMTP plugin like WP Mail SMTP (we discussed this in detail above). This ensures emails are properly authenticated and reach the recipient’s inbox instead of being marked as spam.

FAQs

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