By default, WordPress sends mail through PHP's mail() function, which most hosts
route through their own local mail transport rather than a configurable SMTP
server — installing the free WP Mail SMTP plugin is the standard way to send
through a specific server instead, including the gateway.
- Install and activate WP Mail SMTP from the WordPress plugin directory.
- Go to WP Mail SMTP → Settings, and under Mailer, choose Other SMTP.
- Enter the gateway's inbound server settings:
- SMTP Host — the gateway's server address.
- SMTP Port — 587 or 465.
- Encryption — TLS for 587 (STARTTLS), or SSL for 465.
- Authentication — on, with your account email as the SMTP username and your mailbox password.
- Save, then use the plugin's built-in Email Test tab to send a test message and confirm delivery.
If your host already routes outgoing mail through Postfix, Exim, or a control
panel like cPanel or Plesk at the server level, you may be able to configure the
gateway there instead — see the relevant guide for your setup — rather than adding
a plugin just for this.