# Setting up CRM-NG SMTP in five minutes

Source: https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/first-setup/
Updated: 2026-10-19 · By Duane Garner

A walk-through of the General tab: sender address and name, Return Path, choosing a mailer, saving, and sending a test email.

This article walks you through the one screen you need to get CRM-NG SMTP sending: the **General** tab. It is for anyone who has just installed the plugin. There is no separate setup wizard: everything happens on this tab.

 

## Before you start

 
- The plugin is installed and active. See [Installing and activating CRM-NG SMTP Email](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/install-and-activate/).
- You have chosen a mail service and have its details to hand (an API key, an app password, or SMTP details). See [Choosing a mail service](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/choose-a-mailer/).
- You know which address the site should send from. Ideally it is on your own domain, such as `hello@yourdomain.com`.

 

## Step 1: Set the sender

 
1. Open the General tab
  Go to **CRM-NG SMTP → Settings → General**.
2. Enter the From Email
  Type the address your site's emails should come from. If you use a mailbox provider (Gmail, Outlook.com, Zoho and so on), this must be the address of that account or one of its aliases.
3. Decide on Force From Email
  Tick **Force From Email** if you want every email to use this address, even when another plugin sets its own. Most sites should tick it.
4. Enter the From Name
  This is the name people see in their inbox, such as your business name.
5. Decide on Force From Name
  Tick **Force From Name** to use this name for every email, whatever other plugins ask for.
6. Turn on Return Path if offered
  Tick **Return Path** so bounce messages come back to your From Email. If it stays unticked, bounce messages may be lost. This option matters for the **Other SMTP** mailer.

 

For a full explanation of each sender option and when forcing makes sense, see [Sender name, address and the Force settings](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/sender-name-and-address/).

 

## Step 2: Choose and connect a mailer

 
1. Pick the mailer
  Under **Mailer**, click the logo of the service you chose. The fields for that service appear below.
2. Fill in the service's fields
  Each mailer asks for different things: an **API Key**, a **Domain Name**, a **Region**, a **Client ID** and **Client Secret**, or SMTP details. Follow the article for your mailer, linked from [Choosing a mail service](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/choose-a-mailer/).
3. Save
  Click **Save Settings** at the bottom of the page. You should see *"Settings were successfully saved."*
4. Finish any sign-in step
  The Google / Gmail mailer needs one more step after saving: press the authorisation button and sign in with the Google account. Other mailers are ready as soon as you save.

 

> **Tip:** Some services need you to verify your domain or sender address on their side before they will send. Do that in the service's dashboard first, or your first test will fail with a "not verified" error.

 

## Step 3: Send a test email

 
1. Open the test page
  Go to **CRM-NG SMTP → Tools → Email Test**.
2. Enter an address
  In **Send To**, type a mailbox you can check. A personal address on a different provider (for example a Gmail address when you send from your own domain) gives the most honest result.
3. Send it
  Leave **HTML** on and click **Send Email**.
4. Check the result
  You should see *"Test email sent successfully! Check your inbox to confirm delivery."* Then open the mailbox and confirm the message arrived in the inbox, not spam.

 

If the test fails, the plugin shows a banner with the error and a link to a help article for it. See [Sending a test email](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/send-a-test-email/) for what each result means.

 

## Step 4: Tidy up the details

 

Once the test works, take a few more minutes for the things that keep mail out of spam and tell you when something breaks:

 
- Add SPF, DKIM and DMARC records for your domain: [Adding DNS records](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/dns-records/).
- Turn on failure alerts so you hear about problems quickly: [Email failure alerts](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/email-alerts/).
- Check the email log is on so you can see what was sent: [Setting up the email log](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/email-log-setup/).

 

## If another mail plugin is already sending

 

If CRM-NG SMTP showed a standby notice when you activated it, it is not sending yet, even after you save. Send a successful test, then press **Make CRM-NG SMTP send my email**. See [Switching from another mail plugin (hand-over)](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/switching-from-another-mail-plugin/).

 

## Related

 
- [Choosing a mail service](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/choose-a-mailer/)
- [Sender name, address and the Force settings](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/sender-name-and-address/)
- [Sending a test email](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/send-a-test-email/)
- [Securing settings with wp-config constants](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/secure-settings-constants/)