Category Archives: wordpress email issues

How to Change Sender Name in Outgoing WordPress Email

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Do you want to change the default sender name and email address for outgoing WordPress emails?

By default, WordPress uses ‘WordPress’ as the sender name for all outgoing WordPress notification emails. This doesn’t look very professional, and you may want to change that to your business name.

In this article, we will show you how to easily change the default sender name and email address in outgoing WordPress emails.

Changing sender name and email address in outgoing WordPress emails

Why You Should Change the Default Sender Information in WordPress?

WordPress sends several email notifications to the site administrator as well as other users on your website.

This includes important email notifications such as forgot password emails, website error and recovery emails, new user registration, and more.

By default, it uses ‘WordPress’ as the sender’s name and a non-existent email address ([email protected]) as the sender’s email.

Many spam filters block your WordPress emails, believing them to be junk. Sometimes it does not even make it to the spam folder, but is deleted immediately due to filters.

For more on this topic, look at our guide on how to fix the WordPress not sending email issue.

The outgoing email notifications are important, and you should use your own brand and email address. This increases the authenticity of your brand and increases name recognition among your users.

For instance, if you run an online store, then you would want customers to get email notifications with your store name as the sender.

See our guide on how to get a free business email address for your website in 5 minutes.

Let’s see how to change the default sender name and email address in outgoing WordPress email notifications.

Method 1. Changing Default Sender Name and Email using WP Mail SMTP

This method is easier and recommended for all WordPress users.

For this method, we’ll be using the WP Mail SMTP Pro plugin. It is the best WordPress SMTP plugin, used by over 3 million website owners.

This plugin allows you to easily change the default sender name and email address for outgoing WordPress emails. It also helps you fix the WordPress email deliverability problem.

The first thing you need to do is install and activate the WP Mail SMTP Pro plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to visit WP Mail SMTP » Settings to configure plugin settings. Under the Mail section, you can simply enter the email address and the name you want to use to send WordPress emails.

Change sender name and email in WordPress using WP Mail SMTP

Below, you can find the options to set up an SMTP server to send WordPress emails. By default, the plugin will use the PHP method provided by your WordPress hosting company which is less reliable.

We recommend using any of the listed SMTP services to properly send WordPress emails for higher guaranteed deliverability.

Select Mailer

If you choose an SMTP service, then follow the on-screen instructions to connect the plugin with your SMTP service provider.

Don’t forget to click on the ‘Save Settings’ button to save your changes.

Test Your WordPress Emails

WP Mail SMTP Pro also allows you to test your WordPress email settings. Simply go to the WP Mail SMTP » Tools page and switch to the ‘Email Test’ tab.

Test WordPress emails using WP Mail SMTP

From here, you just need to provide an email address that you can access and then click on the ‘Send Email’ button.

The plugin will now send a test email to the address you provided. You can check your inbox to make sure that you can receive WordPress emails and that it has the correct sender name and sender email address.

WP Mail SMTP works with all popular WordPress plugins like WooCommerce, WPForms, and more.

For more detailed instructions, you may want to see our article on how to use SMTP to send WordPress emails.

Method 2: Changing Default Sender Name and Email using WP Change Email Sender

This method is only recommended if you don’t use an SMTP service or if the first method is not working.

Using this method does not improve your WordPress email deliverability or make it easier to troubleshoot email issues. However, if your WordPress emails are working, then it will allow you to change the sender name and email address.

First thing, install and activate the WP Change Email Sender plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to go to Settings » General in your WordPress admin area. There you’ll find the ‘Email Sender Name’ and ‘Sender Email Address’ fields.

WP Change Email Sender

You will need to enter the name and email address you want to be used for outgoing WordPress emails.

Don’t forget to click on the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.

That’s all. Your WordPress notification emails will now show the name and email address you entered in the plugin settings.

There is no method provided by the plugin to test your email settings. You can do that by performing actions that generate WordPress notification emails, like creating a new user, requesting a password reset, and more.

Method 3: Changing Sender Name and Email Address using WPCode

Another excellent way to change your sender name and email address are by adding a code snippet. And we recommend WPCode, the easiest and safest way to add code to WordPress.

You usually need to add code to your functions.php file, but WPCode makes it simple and easy to add this code snippet with just a few clicks.

Not only that, but WPCode has many other snippets available to help customize your site. Plus, you can easily add your custom snippets.

First, you need to install the free WPCode plugin. For more information, check out our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Next, click on Code Snippets » Add Snippet to your WordPress admin dashboard. Simply type ‘sender’ into the search bar and press the ‘Use snippet’ button under ‘Change Outgoing Email Sender’.

WPCode Use Snippet

Then you’ll be taken to the Edit Snippet page.

Here you need to update the sender’s email and name in the code snippet.

WPCode Edit snippet

And then, switch the toggle to ‘Active’ and click on the ‘Update’ button.

One of the benefits of using WPCode is that it comes with a library filled with pre-made snippets. There’s a good chance you can find some to replace other plugins on your site, such as disabling automatic updates, allowing SVG files to be uploaded, or even using the Classic editor instead of the default block editor.

You don’t have to use the library, either. You can also add any other code you ever need by selecting ‘Add Your Custom Code (New Snippet)’ button instead of searching the library.

Add New Custom Snippet

Then, all you have to do is just paste your own code in and decide where it should run on your site.

For example, you can copy and paste this snippet below into the WPCode’s custom code snippet and customize it to change the sender name and email.

// Please edit the address and name below.
// Change the From address.
add_filter( 'wp_mail_from', function ( $original_email_address ) {
	return '[email protected]';
} );

// Change the From name.
add_filter( 'wp_mail_from_name', function ( $original_email_from ) {
	return 'Tim Smith';
} );

We hope this article helped you learn how to change the sender’s name and email address in outgoing WordPress emails. You may also want to see our guide on the best bulk email marketing services to bulk send emails to all your users and our comparison of the best WordPress page builder plugins to customize your site without any code.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Change Sender Name in Outgoing WordPress Email first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Use SMTP Server to Send WordPress Emails

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Are you having trouble receiving or sending emails from your WordPress site? One solution for that is to use third party email services such as Mailgun. However, these services will cost you extra money. In this article, we will show you how to use a SMTP server to send WordPress emails.

Using SMTP Server to Send WordPress Emails

The Problem with WordPress Emails

WordPress uses mail function in PHP to send emails. Many shared hosting providers do not have this function configured properly, or they have disabled it entirely to avoid abuse. In either case, this causes your WordPress emails to not be delivered.

The alternative solution is to use a third party email service to send out your emails. You can use services like Mailgun, Google Apps for work, or Sendgrid.

You will have to pay for your account, and the cost will vary depending on how many users/accounts you add or the number of emails you send. See our tutorial on how to fix WordPress not sending email issue.

What if we told you that there is another option, and most likely you are already paying for it?

Using Email Accounts by Your Host

Most WordPress hosting providers offer email services for each domain you host with them. This means you can create email accounts with your own domain name like [email protected].

First you will need to create an email account. For the sake of this example, we will show you how to create an email account in cPanel. Your hosting service provider may use some other account management system, but the basic process is the same on most hosting services.

Log into your hosting account, and click on email accounts under the mail section.

Email accounts

This will show you a simple form where you need to fill out information required to create your email account.

Since we will be using this account to send WordPress emails, we recommend that you create an email account like [email protected]. Make sure to replace example.com with your own domain name.

Creating email account in cPanel

After creating your email account, you are now ready to use it in WordPress. But before you do that, you will need the following information from your hosting service provider.

  1. SMTP Host for your email address.
  2. SMTP Port for secure login.

You can check the support section on your host’s website for this information. Most likely there will be an article providing this information. If you don’t find it, then you should contact the hosting support to request this information.

Using Your Branded Email Address in WordPress

You will now need to install and activate the WP Mail SMTP plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to visit Settings » Email to configure the plugin settings.

WP-Mail-SMTP Settings

First you need to enter the email address you just created. After that you can add a from name, this will be used as the sender name.

If you do not add a from name, then the plugin will use the default WordPress.

Next, you need to choose the mailer. Go ahead and click on the ‘Other SMTP’ option to select it.

Choose Mailer

After that, you need to check the box next to ‘Return Path’ option. This option sets the return path to match the sender email address. If you leave it unchecked, bounced messages and non-delivery receipts will be lost.

Next, you need to set up SMTP options.

SMTP settings

First you need to enter your SMTP host and port. You can obtain this information from your hosting provider. Typically, SMTP host is mail.yourdomain.com (replace yourdomain.com with your own domain name). For SMTP Port 465 is commonly used.

Next, you need to choose encryption. Most WordPress hosting companies support SSL and TLS. We recommend using TLS option when available.

After that turn on the authentication toggle and provide your SMTP username and password. Normally, your email address is also your SMTP username.

Your password is stored as plain text, which is not safe. Don’t worry, we will show you how to make more secure later in this article.

Don’t forget to click on the save settings button to store your changes.

Testing Your SMTP Settings

Now that you have set up WP Mail SMTP to send emails, let’s test if everything is working fine. On the plugin’s settings page, click on the ‘Email Test’ tab.

Send test email

You need to provide an email address where you would like to receive test email. This could be any valid email address that you can access. After that click on the Send Email button to continue.

WP Mail SMTP will now send an email message using the SMTP settings you entered earlier. You will see a success message when email is sent successfully.

Securing Your Email Password

You may need to enter your email account password in WP MAIL SMTP settings. This password is normally stored as plain text which is unsafe.

However, the plugin also provides you an option to make it more secure. To do that, you will need to add some code to your wp-config.php file. If you haven’t done this before, then please see our guide on how to edit wp-config.php file in WordPress.

First you will need to connect to your website using a FTP client or File Manager app in cPanel. Once connected, you will find your wp-config.php file in the root folder of your website.

You can edit this file using any plain text editor like Notepad or TextEdit.

Locate the line that says ‘That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging’ and add the following code just before it. 

define( 'WPMS_ON', true );
define( 'WPMS_SMTP_PASS', 'your_password' );

Don’t forget to replace ‘your_password’ with your actual SMTP password. After that, save and upload your wp-config.php file back to server.

You can now visit your WordPress admin area and go to Settings » WP Mail SMTP page. Scroll down to the SMTP options section and you will see password field is now disabled.

SMTP password disabled

Troubleshooting WordPress Email Issues

The most common reason for errors in sending emails using SMTP is incorrect SMTP host or port. Make sure that you are entering the correct host and port settings provided by your hosting provider.

Make sure that you select the correct encryption method. Usually SSL works on most environments, but we recommend that you check with your web host if your emails are not getting delivered.

Pros and Cons of Using Your Web Host’s Mail Servers for WordPress Emails

First and the most obvious advantage is that you can use your own branded email address for outgoing emails in WordPress.

Another advantage is that you have already paid for this service when signing up for your hosting account. You will not need to pay any extra money for sending and recieving emails.

However, some WordPress hosting providers enforce limitations on outgoing emails. This is why we don’t recommend using WordPress to send newsletter emails.

Another common problem with shared hosting providers is that their mail servers can be quite unreliable at times. If you notice delays in email delivery, then you should consider using third party email services like Google Apps for Work, Mailgun, or SendGrid.

We hope this article helped you learn how to use SMTP server to send WordPress emails. You may also want to see our list of the must have WordPress plugins for businesses.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Use SMTP Server to Send WordPress Emails appeared first on WPBeginner.