Title: email issues
Last modified: October 12, 2025

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# email issues

 *  [bob cavanaugh](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bobdavcav/)
 * (@bobdavcav)
 * [7 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/email-issues-27/)
 * 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](https://wordpress.org/support/users/r1k0/)
 * (@r1k0)
 * [7 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/email-issues-27/#post-18678170)
 * Hey [@bobdavcav](https://wordpress.org/support/users/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](https://wordpress.org/support/users/threadi/)
 * (@threadi)
 * [7 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/email-issues-27/#post-18678346)
 * 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/](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)

The topic ‘email issues’ is closed to new replies.

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 2 replies
 * 3 participants
 * Last reply from: [threadi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/threadi/)
 * Last activity: [7 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/email-issues-27/#post-18678346)
 * Status: not resolved

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