email issues

  • bob cavanaugh

    (@bobdavcav)


    3 months ago

    Hi all,

    There’s no link to the site I’m working with because I’m having the same issue on two different sites which I have just gotten up and running using WordPress. The issue in both cases is that emails are not reaching addresses outside of the host. I run a website on the same host but am not having any issues. I run different plugins if that makes a difference, but this also appears to be affecting core WordPress emails, so not sure a plugin is at fault here. My support is advising me to make sure that my site is set up to use SMTP Mailer Functions. At least one of these sites currently has an SMTP Mailer plugin deactivated, I can’t remember if I deleted it from the other site or if it’s simply deactivated there as well. My question is why would I need this plugin if my site doesn’t use it and emails have been sending fine for a couple of years now? If it matters, my site uses Jetpack, I’m using Forminator on one site and Contact Form7 on the other.

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
  • r1k0

    (@r1k0)

    3 months ago

    Hey @bobdavcav,

    The reason why you no longer receive email when it worked before is likely because your hosting provider disabled or restricted the PHP mail() function.

    WordPress uses this function to send you emails. Many hosting providers restrict or limit outbound mail from PHP to fight spam. This function may be active, but emails from the server have caused legitimate emails to be rejected by external mail providers due to spam reputation issues.

    I recommend checking with your hosting provider’s support to confirm whether the PHP mail() is disabled.

    The alternative would be to use an SMTP plugin to configure your WordPress site to send emails through an authenticated SMTP server, as advised.

    Hope this helps and clarifies the issue.

    Moderator threadi

    (@threadi)

    3 months ago

    Times are changing, and so is the way mail servers check incoming emails. Nowadays, emails must be sent with SMTP authentication to ensure they reach the recipient safely. This is one way to ensure that emails are not classified as spam.

    Emails are often generated by WordPress but rejected by the email service provider. It is usually because emails from WordPress are sent unauthenticated. One solution is to use an SMTP plugin like this one: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-mail-smtp/ (and there are others)

    Another possibility would be an incomplete configuration of your domain for emails in the DNS. DKIM and SPF records are now considered mandatory by many email service providers. The plugin mentioned above would inform you if this information is missing. You would need to contact your domain host to resolve this.

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.