Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is an Internet standard for electronic mail (e-mail) transmission.



Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is an Internet standard for electronic mail (e-mail) transmission.

By default, Joomla uses the PHP mail() function to send emails from the server, but it is possible to change this to SMTP in the Joomla configuration. This is particularly useful if the server don't support the PHP mail() function. It's also a way to solve the Could not instantiate mail function error. Using SMTP to send email requires that you have a valid email address.

SMTP can be activated in Global Configuration (server tab), and the following fields should be set up:


Mailer: Select SMTP
SMTP Authentication: Yes
SMTP Security/SMTP Port: If your SMTP server uses SSL, select this option from SMTP Security and then enter the SSL Port required for your SMTP server
SMTP Username: Your SMTP Username, (normally your full email address)
SMTP Password: Password used to access your email
SMTP Host: Use localhost if the email account you're sending email from is on the same server as your Joomla site. Otherwise, enter your SMTP hostname.


Additional information on setting up SMTP with Joomla can be found here: http://www.cloudaccess.net/joo ... .html