# Installing and activating CRM-NG SMTP Email

Source: https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/install-and-activate/
Updated: 2026-10-19 · By Duane Garner

Install the plugin, activate it, and understand the first screen and notices you see afterwards.

This article shows you how to install CRM-NG SMTP Email on a WordPress site and what to expect the first time you open it. It is for site owners and administrators setting the plugin up for the first time.

 

## Before you start

 
- You need an administrator account on the site (on a multisite network, see [Using CRM-NG SMTP on a WordPress multisite](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/multisite/)).
- Your server must run **PHP 7.4 or newer** and **WordPress 5.5 or newer**. If it does not, the plugin stays switched off and shows a notice. See [Supported PHP and WordPress versions](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/supported-php-versions/).
- Have the plugin's `.zip` file ready. Do not unzip it.

 

## Install the plugin

 
1. Open the plugin uploader
  In the WordPress admin, go to **Plugins → Add New Plugin** and click **Upload Plugin** at the top of the page.
2. Choose the file
  Click **Choose File**, pick the CRM-NG SMTP Email `.zip` file, then click **Install Now**.
3. Activate it
  When WordPress says the plugin was installed, click **Activate Plugin**.
4. Find the menu
  A new **CRM-NG SMTP** item appears in the admin sidebar. Click it to open **CRM-NG SMTP → Settings**.

 

If you manage the site from the command line, WP-CLI does the same job:

 

```
wp plugin install /path/to/crm-ng-smtp.zip --activate
```

 

## What the first screen shows

 

The plugin opens on **CRM-NG SMTP → Settings → General**. Nothing is sent through a mail service yet, because no mailer is chosen. You will see:

 
- The sender fields (**From Email**, **From Name** and their **Force** options, plus **Return Path**).
- The **Mailer** list with **Default (none)** selected, and the warning *"You currently have the Default (none) mailer selected, which won't improve email deliverability."* That warning goes away once you pick and configure a real mail service.

 

Until you pick a mailer, WordPress keeps sending email the way it did before: through your web host's built-in PHP mail. That often lands in spam, which is why you installed this plugin. See [Default (PHP mail) — why to avoid it](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/mailer-default-php-mail/).

 

You can also check **Tools → Site Health** in WordPress. Its "Is CRM-NG SMTP mailer setup complete?" check reports the setup as incomplete until a mailer is configured. See [Site Health checks](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/site-health-checks/).

 

## The notice when another mail plugin is already sending

 

If another mail plugin is already sending this site's email (for example the Email Delivery part of CRM-NG Marketing), CRM-NG SMTP installs in a **standby** state. It does not touch your email, so nothing breaks the moment you activate it. At the top of the plugin's screens, a blue notice names the plugin that is sending and says that CRM-NG SMTP *"is installed but not sending anything."*

 

That is expected. You can set CRM-NG SMTP up and test it while the other plugin keeps working. When a test email through CRM-NG SMTP succeeds, a **Make CRM-NG SMTP send my email** button appears. The whole process, and how to go back, is in [Switching from another mail plugin (hand-over)](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/switching-from-another-mail-plugin/). If you want to copy the old plugin's settings instead of typing them again, see [Importing your settings](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/import-from-wp-mail-smtp/).

 

If a different mail or SMTP plugin is active, you see a conflict notice that names it instead. Two plugins that both rewrite outgoing email cause unpredictable results. See [Testing for plugin and theme conflicts](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/plugin-and-theme-conflicts/).

 

## Next steps

 
1. Pick a mail service: [Choosing a mail service](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/choose-a-mailer/).
2. Fill in the General tab: [Setting up CRM-NG SMTP in five minutes](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/first-setup/).
3. Prove it works: [Sending a test email](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/send-a-test-email/).

 

## Related

 
- [Setting up CRM-NG SMTP in five minutes](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/first-setup/)
- [Switching from another mail plugin (hand-over)](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/switching-from-another-mail-plugin/)
- [Supported PHP and WordPress versions](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/supported-php-versions/)
- [Troubleshooting email delivery](https://catalystgroup.gg/docs/email-delivery/troubleshooting/)