WordPress How-To’s

Step-by-step procedures for the WordPress email tasks that come up: SMTP configuration on common hosts, DMARC rollout, app-password migration, OAuth setup for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, and forwarding configuration. Screenshots, command-line snippets, verification steps. Dated to the tested software versions.

How to connect Contact Form 7 to a Google Workspace Gmail

Route Contact Form 7 submissions through Gmail or Google Workspace using an SMTP plugin. Covers the App Password setup, daily limits, and when a dedicated transactional service is the better choice.
Read More: How to connect Contact Form 7 to a Google Workspace Gmail

WordPress SMTP with Amazon SES

Amazon SES as WordPress SMTP relay: production-access sequencing, Easy DKIM, SMTP-vs-IAM credentials, region choice, and the bounce/complaint loop.
Send Contact Form 7 Submissions to Multiple Email Addresses

Two methods: cc and bcc headers to send the same message to everyone, or pipe-separated dropdown values to route submissions to different recipients by category.
WordPress email test suite

Methodical test patterns for every WordPress email emission point: WP core, WooCommerce, contact forms, LMS, custom — trigger, wp_mail(), recipient.
The wp_mail_failed hook, what it catches, and what it doesn’t

What the wp_mail_failed hook actually fires on, the four failure classes it silently swallows, and a minimal WP_Error handler worth pasting into a log.
WooCommerce Transactional Email – The Complete Configuration Guide

Order confirmations, cart abandonment, provider integration, common failures. Configure WooCommerce email to fire the right message at the right time.
How to Set Up Email on WordPress

Most WordPress sites can’t send email reliably. This guide explains why, then walks through the external service, mailer plugin, and DNS setup that fixes it.
WordPress SMTP with Microsoft 365

Use Microsoft 365 as the WordPress SMTP relay. OAuth setup, the SMTP AUTH deprecation timeline (default-off December 2026), and when to migrate off.
WordPress SMTP with Google Workspace

Route WordPress mail through Google Workspace SMTP. The 2,000/day cap, DKIM alignment, App Password vs OAuth, and when to move to a transactional provider.
DNS for WordPress email: SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and the alignment problem

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records protect every sender on a WordPress domain. How to build them correctly, avoid the alignment trap, and migrate to p=reject without breaking sending.
How to change the WordPress email sender

Change the WordPress email sender three ways: the SMTP plugin’s From override, a mu-plugin filter snippet, or a dedicated plugin. Plus the DKIM-alignment trap.
Divi contact form not sending email: the diagnostic chain

Divi’s Contact Form module calls wp_mail() on submission. When mail does not arrive, five categories are at fault. Diagnose each in order, cheapest first.
WordPress payment form without a plugin

Take a one-off WordPress payment without WooCommerce. Three paths – a Stripe Payment Link, an embedded button, or a form handler with a Payment Link.
WordPress event registration without a plugin

Take event signups without EventOn or The Events Calendar. Two paths – embed Eventbrite/Lu.ma/Ti.to or an HTML form plus a Stripe Payment Link.
How to set up WordPress SMTP without a plugin

Route WordPress mail through an external SMTP server using wp-config.php constants and a short phpmailer_init snippet, with no mailer plugin required.
Create a WordPress contact form without plugins

Point a WordPress contact form at a third-party handler like Formspree or Basin. No form plugin, no SMTP required. Covers spam defence and AJAX submission.
How to use Gmail as an SMTP server without OAuth

Gmail SMTP works without OAuth via App Passwords. Setup, ports, daily send limits, and the DMARC trap when WordPress sends from a non-Gmail domain.
Mailtrap for WordPress: test outbound email without sending it

Mailtrap’s capture sandbox catches WordPress’s outbound email without delivering it. What a successful test proves about the sender, and what it doesn’t.
How to test whether WordPress email actually reaches the inbox

SMTP success and DMARC pass don’t guarantee inbox placement. The methodology, the tools (mail-tester, GlockApps, seed lists), and what each one cannot do.
Gmail OAuth vs. App Passwords: Which Should You Use?

App Passwords are simpler to set up; OAuth is more durable and Google’s preferred path. A technical comparison of both Gmail authentication methods.
Gmail App Passwords for WordPress SMTP

Gmail App Passwords let WordPress SMTP plugins authenticate without OAuth. Requires 2-Step Verification. Generate a 16-character code in Google Account.
Get OAuth credentials from Google for a WordPress SMTP plugin

What a WordPress SMTP plugin needs from Google: Client ID, Client Secret, a matching redirect URI, and the rules that survive every Cloud Console redesign.
How to set a Reply-To address in WordPress contact forms

WordPress form notifications default to your site’s address. Setting Reply-To routes replies to the submitter without touching From. Steps for CF7, WPForms, and Ninja Forms.
Swaks for WordPress: SMTP Testing from the Command Line

Swaks tests SMTP connectivity, AUTH, and STARTTLS from the WordPress command line and prints the full transaction transcript for mail-server diagnosis.
Check that WordPress can send emails

How to confirm a WordPress install can actually send mail, what each test proves at the wp_mail, MTA, and recipient layers, and how to read the three diagnostic states.
How to Read an SMTP Session Log

SMTP session logs record the conversation between your server and the relay. This guide annotates a real session line by line, covering EHLO through QUIT.
How to parse DMARC aggregate reports for a WordPress site

DMARC rua reports are gzipped XML. Parsing them tells you which servers send mail as your domain, what’s failing authentication, and what to fix.
Troubleshoot WordPress email

WordPress email not arriving? Diagnostic ladder from the fastest check (password reset) through SMTP errors, host limits, and SPF/DKIM/DMARC failures.