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✉️ Email Delivery

Documentation, reference material and tutorials for CRM-NG SMTP Email: setup guides for every mail service, troubleshooting, and one article per error message.

SendGrid

Updated

By Duane GarnerChief Executive Officer (CEO)
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Connect CRM-NG SMTP to SendGrid with a Mail Send API key and an authenticated sending domain.

This guide shows you how to send your WordPress email through SendGrid, a large transactional email service run by Twilio. It suits sites of any size, from a contact form to a busy shop. SendGrid's entry-level options change from time to time; check its plans page for what is currently free or on trial.

The SendGrid mailer sends through SendGrid's API with an API key. The key needs only one permission, Mail Send. You also prove to SendGrid that you own the address or domain you send from.

Before you start

  • A SendGrid account (sign up at https://sendgrid.com/). New accounts may be reviewed before they can send.
  • A domain you control, with access to its DNS records. A single verified address works for testing, but a domain gives far better delivery.
  • Administrator access to your WordPress site.

Setup

Step 1: Authenticate your domain

  1. Sign in to SendGrid

    Go to https://app.sendgrid.com/ and sign in.

  2. Open Sender Authentication

    Open Settings → Sender Authentication.

  3. Start domain authentication

    Choose Authenticate Your Domain, pick your DNS provider (or "Other"), and enter your domain. You can use a subdomain such as mail.yourdomain.com if you prefer.

  4. Publish the records

    SendGrid shows several CNAME records. Add them at your DNS provider exactly as shown.

  5. Verify

    Return to SendGrid and press Verify. When it succeeds, any address on that domain can send.

If you cannot change DNS yet, use Single Sender Verification on the same page to verify one address by email. Your From Email must then be exactly that address.

Step 2: Create an API key with Mail Send access

  1. Open API Keys

    Open Settings → API Keys (the plugin's Create API Key link goes to https://app.sendgrid.com/settings/api_keys) and choose Create API Key.

  2. Name it

    Use a name that identifies the site, such as "yourdomain.com WordPress".

  3. Restrict it

    Choose Restricted Access. In the list of permissions, set Mail Send to full access and leave the rest off. The plugin only needs this access level.

  4. Copy the key

    Press Create & View and copy the key, which starts with SG.. SendGrid shows it once.

Step 3: Connect in CRM-NG SMTP

  1. Choose the mailer

    In WordPress, open CRM-NG SMTP → Settings → General and set Mailer to SendGrid.

  2. Paste the key

    Paste the key into API Key.

  3. Enter the sending domain

    In Sending Domain, type the domain or subdomain you authenticated in SendGrid, for example mail.yourdomain.com. CRM-NG SMTP uses it for the domain check after a test email; leave it empty if you only verified a single sender.

  4. Set the sender

    Set From Email to an address on the authenticated domain (or your single verified sender) and set From Name. Tick Force From Email so other plugins cannot send from an unverified address.

  5. Save

    Press Save Settings.

Send a test email

Open CRM-NG SMTP → Tools → Email Test, enter your address in Send To, and press Send Email. In SendGrid, Activity shows the message and whether it was delivered. See Sending a test email.

The test page's domain check looks for sendgrid.net in your SPF record. With domain authentication set up, SendGrid handles SPF through its CNAME records, so focus on DKIM and DMARC passing. See Adding DNS records.

Troubleshooting

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