Mail & SMTP – SMTP Plugin for WordPress

Mail and SMTP is an SMTP plugin for WordPress that sends every email your site creates through your own mail server. Order confirmations, contact form messages and password resets all take the same route. A test button on the settings screen tells you at once whether it works.

Many sites lose emails without knowing it. WordPress normally hands each message to the hosting server, which sends it with little proof of who you are. Receiving servers often send those messages to spam or drop them. This plugin fixes that by using a proper mail account with a login, on your own domain.

Why WordPress emails go missing

By default, WordPress uses the basic mail function of your host. The message leaves with no real login behind it. Large email providers treat such mail with suspicion. Some land in the spam folder, and some never arrive. You usually find out only when a customer says that no confirmation came.

Sending through SMTP is like posting a letter at a proper post office with your return address, instead of slipping it under a door. The receiving side can see who sent it.

Who needs an SMTP plugin for WordPress

Any site whose emails matter. It works with WooCommerce, with our own Themeve Commerce, with form plugins, or with no shop at all. It suits:

• Online shops, where order and status emails are part of the service.
• Sites with contact forms, where a lost message is a lost customer.
• Membership, course and booking sites, where password reset emails must arrive.
• Agencies that set up client sites and want the admin emails to reach the owner.
• Any owner who has ever heard the words: I never got your email.

It needs WordPress 6.2 or newer and PHP 7.4 or newer, and it has been tested up to WordPress 7.1.

Signs you need an SMTP plugin for WordPress

• Customers say they never got their order confirmation.
• Contact form messages stop arriving, but visitors say they sent them.
• Staff cannot reset a password because the reset email never comes.
• Your own test orders land in the spam folder.

Any one of these is a sign that receiving servers do not trust your site's mail. Setting up an SMTP plugin for WordPress is usually the first and most useful fix, and it takes only a few minutes once you have your mail details.

Front end: what your visitors notice

The plugin adds nothing to your pages. It has no widget, no shortcode and no script for visitors. What changes is the email they receive.

Emails that go through SMTP

• Shop order and status emails.
• Contact form messages sent to you.
• New user and welcome emails.
• Password reset emails.
• Admin notices from WordPress itself.
• Emails from any other plugin that uses the normal WordPress mail function.

The plugin works at the point where WordPress prepares each message. That is why it covers mail from other plugins too, and not only mail sent while you are logged in to the dashboard.

What the reader sees

• Mail that comes from your own address, such as orders at your shop domain.
• The sender name set to your site name.
• A better chance of reaching the inbox instead of spam, when your mail account is set up correctly.

No plugin can promise inbox delivery to every provider. It gives your mail a real login and a clear sender, which is the base that delivery depends on.

Back end: the SMTP settings

Go to Settings, then Themeve Mail and SMTP. The main card holds six fields. Your email or hosting provider gives you the details, usually in its help pages or control panel.

SMTP host

The address of the mail server, for example the host name your provider lists for outgoing mail.

Port

A number. The field starts at 587, which is common for TLS. Many providers use 465 for SSL.

Encryption

A drop-down with three choices: TLS, SSL and None. Pick the one your provider names. TLS is the default. Use None only if your provider tells you to.

Username

The mail account name, often the full email address. If you leave this field empty, the plugin does not send a login.

Password

• The field is always shown empty for safety.
• Type a new password to replace the saved one.
• Leave it blank to keep the saved password.
• The password is stored apart from the other settings, not in the visible form.

From email

The address your emails should come from. Use an address on your own domain that matches your mail account. It looks more trustworthy than a free email address.

Back end: send a test email

Below the settings there is a card named Send test email. Type an address, press the button and check that the message arrives. The screen then shows a short result, either Test email sent or Email send failed. If it fails, go back and check the host, port, encryption and password.

• The test uses the same route as real mail.
• It is protected by a security check and works for administrators only.
• Test again whenever you change provider, password or hosting.

Back end: licence and updates

The settings card has a link to the licence screen. The plugin needs an active licence. Without it, emails are not routed through SMTP, and only the lock screen and the licence screen open. Once activated, updates appear in your dashboard under Updates while the licence is active.

Using SMTP for WordPress with your own domain

Using SMTP for WordPress is easiest when the mail account lives on the same domain as your site. The receiving side then sees a name that matches the website, and that builds trust. Ask your host or mail provider for the outgoing mail details, and keep them in a safe place.

Choosing a mail account

If you already have business email on your domain, use its SMTP details. Many hosting plans include mail accounts with SMTP. A dedicated address such as orders on your shop domain keeps shop mail apart from personal mail, and it is easy to check.

Keep your details safe

An SMTP plugin for WordPress holds a mail password, so treat it with care. Your SMTP password is sensitive. Only administrators can open the settings screen. If staff change, change the mail password and enter the new one in the plugin.

What this SMTP plugin for WordPress does not do

• It does not provide a mail server. You need an account from your host or mail provider.
• It has no email log or delivery report.
• It has no queue or retry system for failed messages.
• It does not edit the design of your emails. That stays with your shop or form plugin.
• If the host fields are empty, it leaves WordPress mail alone.

How it helps you run the business

• Order emails reach customers, so fewer people ask where their confirmation is.
• Contact form messages reach you, so fewer enquiries are lost.
• Password reset emails arrive, so members and staff can get back in without calling you.
• You get a clear yes or no from the test button, instead of guessing.
• You can move to a new mail provider by changing six fields, with no other change to the site.

A quick example

A cosmetics shop hears from several buyers that they never got order confirmations. The owner installs the plugin and enters the SMTP details from the shop's business email. A test email goes to a personal address and arrives in the inbox. The next day, order emails start reaching customers again.

Test the emails that matter

After the test email works, place a test order, send a contact form message and request a password reset for a test account. Check that each one arrives. Those are the emails your visitors depend on.

Setup steps

1. Download the plugin zip from your account after purchase.
2. In your WordPress dashboard, open Plugins, then Add New, then Upload Plugin, and choose the zip.
3. Press Install Now, then Activate.
4. Activate your licence on the licence screen.
5. Open Settings, then Themeve Mail and SMTP.
6. Enter the host, port, encryption, username, password and From email from your provider.
7. Press Save settings.
8. Type your own address in the test card and send a test email.
9. Place a test order or send a form message to confirm the real emails arrive.

Why choose this SMTP plugin for WordPress

The default WordPress mail needs no setup, but it also gives you no control and no sign when something goes wrong. With this plugin you decide which server sends your mail and which address it comes from. You can test it in a minute.

It is also small. There is one settings screen and one test card. You do not have to read through long menus, and a new team member can check the setup in a few minutes.

What is included

• The plugin zip, ready to upload from the Plugins screen.
• A licence for your site, with updates in the dashboard while the licence is active.
• SMTP settings for host, port, encryption, username, password and From email.
• The test email card.
• The licence screen.
• Documentation after purchase and support for six months.

It works with any theme and with any provider that offers standard SMTP. Once the test email arrives, your site's mail is on a firmer footing.

Mail & SMTP is built on the official WordPress documentation standards, and you can browse more of our WordPress plugins.