How do I connect an email provider?

Where: Settings → Readers & money → Connections → Email & SMS

Open this page: admin.<your-site>/settings/connections/email (replace <your-site> with your site address)

Before you start

• Only the owner can add or change email services.
• Pick one. You can change it later.
• Use a From address you own. For Brevo use an address on your own domain, for example news@yoursite.com.

Steps

1. Open Settings → Readers & money → Connections → Email & SMS → Email.
2. Press Add email service. The sheet asks How should your site send email?
3. Pick one:
   • Keynate Email (included). If it says Ready, it is already sending for you. Press Keep using Keynate Email. You don't need to add anything. If it says Coming soon, pick one of the others for now.
   • Gmail or Google Workspace. Free. Good for sign-in codes and small newsletters.
   • Zoho Mail. Send from your Zoho Mail address.
   • Brevo. Free for up to 300 emails a day. Good for newsletters.
4. For Gmail, Zoho or Brevo the sheet shows 3 quick steps and a button that opens the right page in a new tab. Do the 3 steps, then come back and fill in the form:
   • Gmail: (1) In your Google account open Security and turn on 2-Step Verification. (2) Open App passwords, type Keynate as the name and press Create. (3) Copy the 16-letter password and paste it in App password (16 letters). Also type Your Gmail address. The app password is not your normal Gmail password. Spaces are fine. On a work account without App passwords, ask your Google Workspace admin to allow them.
   • Zoho Mail: (1) In Zoho open the App passwords page in your Zoho account security settings. (2) Press Generate new password, type Keynate as the name and press Generate. (3) Copy the password and paste it in Zoho app password. Type Your Zoho Mail address. Under Where is your Zoho account? pick India (zoho.in), Everywhere else (zoho.com) or Europe (zoho.eu). Look at your Zoho Mail web address if you are not sure.
   • Brevo: (1) In Brevo add your domain under Senders, Domains & Dedicated IPs → Domains. (2) Open SMTP & API → API keys, create a key and copy it. (3) Paste it in API key. Use an Email address readers see on the verified domain.
5. Check From name. Under More options you can add a Reply-to address and turn on Make default.
6. Press Connect.
7. Under Send a test to, type your own email, then press Test connection on the new card. The screen says "Sent. Check the inbox (and the spam folder)."
8. In the card menu, use Make default, Turn off or Remove.

Other services (More options)

1. In the sheet open More options (Another email service).
2. Pick SMTP server, Amazon SES, Resend, Postmark, SendGrid or Mailgun.
3. Fill the fields:
   • SMTP server: SMTP server, Port (usually 587), Security (STARTTLS (port 587) or SSL/TLS (port 465)), Username, Password.
   • Amazon SES: AWS region, Access key id, Secret access key. Use an IAM user that can only send email.
   • API services: paste the API key. Mailgun also asks for the sending domain.
4. Enter From email, From name and, optionally, Reply-to email. Press Connect and send a test as above.

Good to know

• Saved secrets are never shown again.
• The Keynate Email card shows a status chip (Ready, Limited, Paused, Needs attention, Can't connect, Getting ready), the sender address and this month's use. Sign-in codes are not counted in the monthly total.
• Edit sender changes the From name, Reply-to and, once your own domain is verified, the part before the @.
• The switch Use Keynate Email when my own provider can't send lets Keynate Email step in as a backup.
• If Keynate Email isn't switched on for your site yet, the sheet says Coming soon. Pick Gmail, Zoho Mail or Brevo meanwhile.
• SES and Amazon SNS: subscribe the Bounce and complaint webhook URL to your SES topic.

Common problems

• "Enter the SMTP server name, e.g. smtp.yourmail.com."
• "Use a number between 1 and 65535 (usually 587)."
• "The provider refused these details. Check the username and password."
• "This server is on a private network. Use your provider's public server name."
• "Removing means messages stop going out through it. If it's the default, readers can't get email codes until you pick another."
• "Enter an email like news@yourdomain.com."
• "Enter the SMTP password." Copy it from your mail service.
• "Paste the access key id from AWS IAM." / "Paste the secret access key. AWS shows it only once." Make a new key in AWS if you lost it.
• "The mail service refused these details. Check the username and password."
• "Enter the email address to send the test to."
• "Paste the API key from your email service." / "Enter the sending domain you added in Mailgun, like mg.yoursite.com."

Questions

Related

• Email & SMS
• Sending domain (DNS)
• Delivery log