How to find your SMTP settings (general guide for other providers)
If your email provider isn't covered in one of our dedicated guides, this article explains what each SMTP field means and generally where to find it.
Provider-specific guides:
What each field means
| Field | What it is |
|---|---|
| SMTP Host | The address of your provider's outgoing mail server, e.g. smtp.yourprovider.com |
| SMTP Port | The connection port - see common values below |
| Encryption | The security method the connection uses - should match your port |
| Username | Usually your full email address |
| Password | Your account password, or a separate app-specific password (see below) |
| From name | The name you want recipients to see as the sender |
| From email | The email address you want recipients to see as the sender |
Common ports and encryption
- 587 with TLS - the most common and recommended option today
- 465 with SSL - an older but still widely supported option
- 25, unencrypted - generally avoid this unless your provider specifically requires it; most providers are moving away from it
Where to look
Most providers list their SMTP settings under one of these areas of their account or admin settings:
- "SMTP Settings" or "Mail Settings"
- "Outgoing Server" or "Email Client Settings"
- "Developer" or "Integrations" (for some business/enterprise platforms)
If you can't find it in your account settings, searching "[your provider name] SMTP settings" will usually take you straight to their help documentation.
App-specific passwords
Increasingly, providers won't accept your normal account password for SMTP once two-factor authentication (2FA) is switched on - which is now the default for most business email accounts. Instead, look for a section called App Passwords (sometimes under Security or Account settings) to generate a separate password just for this purpose.
Still stuck?
If you can't locate your settings or the connection keeps failing, it may be a permission your IT admin needs to switch on rather than something in your account - this is common with managed business email accounts. Check with whoever manages your organisation's email before assuming the details you've entered are wrong.