E-mail & SMTP Settings
3 min read
Academy & Exam OS sends e-mail through your own SMTP mailbox. You configure it once in the staff area; the settings are stored encrypted in the database and nothing needs to be edited on the server.
Prerequisites: an owner or administrator account, and the SMTP details of the mailbox the site will send from (from your e-mail or hosting provider).
What sends e-mail #
- account e-mail verification on sign-up;
- password reset links (valid for 30 minutes);
- Communication Hub announcements to recipients who opted in to e-mail (delivered by the background worker);
- a plain confirmation after an online payment.
Until SMTP works, students cannot verify their address or reset a password themselves. Staff can verify an address manually from the person’s profile under People & Permissions (Mark email as verified).
The settings #
The Email / SMTP page (under System / Integrations, address /staff/settings/email) has these settings:
| Setting | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Delivery transport | SMTP for production. Local test mailbox (development only) is preselected until SMTP is set up; it writes messages to a file instead of sending them and can be saved only on a development installation. |
| SMTP host, port | Your provider’s mail server. Port 587 with STARTTLS is the usual choice; 465 with implicit TLS is the alternative. |
| Encryption | STARTTLS, implicit TLS or none (none is for local testing only) |
| SMTP username, password | The sending mailbox’s credentials. The password is stored encrypted and never shown again. |
| From name, From e-mail | What recipients see. Use a mailbox on your own domain that your provider allows you to send from. |
| Reply-to (optional) | Where replies should go |
| Connection timeout | Seconds to wait for the mail server (5–60) |
Configure SMTP #
- Open System / Integrations → Email / SMTP.
- Fill in the settings described above.
- Save the settings.
- Click Send test email to me.
Expected result: a test email is sent only to your own signed-in account’s address, and the result is shown immediately. Check that it arrives, including in the spam folder.
Improve deliverability #
- Configure SPF and DKIM for the sending domain at your DNS provider, so that receiving servers accept your messages.
- Use a real mailbox as the From address; many providers reject mail whose sender does not exist.
Your e-mail provider’s limits and deliverability are outside the scope of Academy & Exam OS support.
Troubleshooting #
- The test email fails: read the error shown, then check the host, port and encryption combination and the credentials.
- The test succeeds but students receive nothing: check the spam folder and SPF/DKIM, and check that the From address is a real mailbox.
- Announcements are not e-mailed: the Communication Hub’s e-mail channel must be switched on, the recipient must have opted in, and the communication worker must be scheduled. See Communication Hub and Cron Jobs & Background Worker.
Related documents #
Watch the Video Tutorial #
The “E-mail (SMTP)” part of Academy & Exam OS Video Tutorial 02: First-Time Setup & Licence Activation shows this (watch from 4:12 on YouTube). All Academy & Exam OS video tutorials.
