# Using Force From Email

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

Why other plugins change your sender address, what Force From Email and Force From Name do about it, and which mailers lock the From address.

You set a **From Email** in CRM-NG SMTP, yet some emails still arrive from a different address. This article explains why, what **Force From Email** and **Force From Name** do, and why some mailers lock the sender for you. It is for anyone whose emails show the wrong sender, or fail with "sender not allowed" errors.

 

## Why other plugins override the From address

 

WordPress lets any plugin choose the sender of the emails it creates. A form plugin may send "from" the visitor who filled in the form. A shop plugin may have its own "From address" setting. A membership plugin may use the site's administration email.

 

Without forcing, CRM-NG SMTP follows a simple rule:

 
- If a plugin sets its own From address, CRM-NG SMTP **keeps it**.
- If no plugin sets one, so WordPress would use its default `wordpress@yourdomain`, CRM-NG SMTP uses your **From Email** instead.

 

The same rule applies to the sender's name and **From Name**.

 

## Why that can cause problems

 

Most mail services only send from addresses or domains you have verified with them. If a plugin sets a From address on another domain, such as a visitor's Gmail address, your mail service may:

 
- refuse the email with a "sender identity" or "send as denied" error, or
- send it, but the recipient's server sees it as forged and files it as spam.

 

## What Force From Email does

 

On **CRM-NG SMTP → Settings → General**, switch on **Force From Email**. The screen explains: **If checked, the From Email setting above will be used for all emails, ignoring values set by other plugins.**

 

Every email then leaves from your **From Email**, whatever other plugins ask for. This keeps your sender consistent and matches the address your mail service and DNS records expect.

 

**Force From Name** does the same for the sender's name: **If checked, the From Name setting above will be used for all emails, ignoring values set by other plugins.**

 

Press the save button after changing either.

 

> **Keep replies working:** Forcing the From address does not stop people replying to the right person. Well-built form plugins put the visitor's address in the **Reply-To** header, which is not changed. Check your form plugin's notification settings for a Reply-To option.

 

## When not to force

 

Leave **Force From Email** off if you deliberately send from several verified addresses, for example `sales@` for quotes and `support@` for tickets, and your mail service allows all of them. Forcing would send everything from one address.

 

## Mailers that lock the From address

 

Some mail services only ever send as the account that is connected. For these, CRM-NG SMTP enforces the sender for you.

 

### Zoho Mail

 

The From address is always the **Mailbox Email Address** you entered, or an alias set up on that mailbox in Zoho. The **From Email** field is hidden, and **Force From Email** is switched off and greyed out with the note that the provider forces the From Email automatically. **From Name** and **Force From Name** still work. See [Zoho Mail mailer](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/mailer-zoho/).

 

### 365 / Outlook

 

Emails are always sent as the mailbox in your **From Email** field, which must be a mailbox in your Microsoft 365 tenant. A From address set by another plugin can never choose a different mailbox. This is a deliberate safety measure: the app permission could otherwise send as anyone in your organisation. The **From Name** field is greyed out for this mailer, so the sender name comes from the email as WordPress or the sending plugin built it. See [365 / Outlook mailer](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/mailer-microsoft-365/).

 

### Google / Gmail

 

Google sends from the connected account, or from a "send mail as" alias you have added and verified in Gmail. You can set **From Email** to one of those aliases. If you want different plugins to use different aliases, switch **Force From Email** off and use only registered aliases in those plugins. See [Google / Gmail mailer](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/mailer-gmail/).

 

## Fixing it in wp-config.php

 

To lock these settings so nobody can change them from the screen, use `CRMNG_SMTP_MAIL_FROM_FORCE` and `CRMNG_SMTP_MAIL_FROM_NAME_FORCE`. See [Securing settings with wp-config constants](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/secure-settings-constants/).

 

## Related

 
- [Sender name, address and the Force settings](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/sender-name-and-address/)
- [Error: From address does not match a verified Sender Identity (SendGrid)](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/error-sendgrid-sender-identity-mismatch/)
- [Error: ErrorSendAsDenied (Microsoft 365)](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/error-send-as-denied/)
- [Error: 553 Sender address rejected: invalid sender email address](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/error-553-sender-address-rejected/)
- [Emails landing in spam](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/emails-landing-in-spam/)