How to Configure Regal Send Email Delivery

Updated September 20, 2026

Configure Regal Send email delivery to control how WordPress sends transactional messages from your site. Regal Send supports the server’s Default / PHP mail transport and standards-compatible SMTP. It also provides optional sender overrides, Return-Path control for native mail, encrypted SMTP password storage and a warning when another mail delivery plugin could compete for the same WordPress email pipeline.

How to configure Regal Send email delivery#

1. In WordPress, go to Regal Send.
2. Review the Current mailer card. It shows the saved mailer and whether its configuration is ready or needs attention.
3. Choose Default / PHP or Other SMTP.
4. Complete the fields shown for the selected mailer.
5. Set any global sender details you need.
6. Select Save settings.

Settings apply to new calls made through the standard WordPress wp_mail() function. Regal Send preserves the normal recipient, header, content-type, attachment and PHPMailer hook handling described in the WordPress wp_mail() reference.

Choose Default / PHP#

Default / PHP leaves delivery to the mail transport configured on the web server. Choose it when your hosting provider already handles PHP mail reliably or when an external server-level mail service is in place.

This option does not require a host, port, username or password. The Ready status means Regal Send has no provider credentials to validate. It does not prove that the host can deliver a message to every recipient.

Connect Other SMTP#

Choose Other SMTP when your email provider has supplied connection details. Enter the values exactly as your provider documents them:

• SMTP host: the server hostname only, such as smtp.example.com. Do not include https:// or a path.
• SMTP port: commonly 587 for TLS or 465 for SSL. Use the port specified by your provider.
• Encryption: choose TLS, SSL or None. TLS is the normal choice when supported.
• SMTP username: often the full mailbox address, although some providers supply a separate username.
• SMTP password: the mailbox password or provider-generated app password required for SMTP access.
• Authentication: keep this enabled when the provider requires the username and password.
• Auto TLS: allow PHPMailer to upgrade the connection when the SMTP server advertises TLS support.

Other SMTP shows Needs attention until the required host and port are present. When Authentication is enabled, a username and saved password are also required.

How SMTP passwords are handled#

Regal Send encrypts an SMTP password before saving it in WordPress. A saved password is never returned to the settings page or placed in page HTML or JavaScript.

To replace a saved password, type the new value into the empty password field and save. To remove it, select Remove saved password when settings are saved. A blank replacement field leaves the existing saved password unchanged.

Configure the From Email and From Name#

The sender section controls the identity applied to outgoing messages:

• Leave From Email or From Name blank to preserve the value supplied by WordPress or the plugin sending the message.
• Enable Force From Email to replace sender email addresses supplied by other plugins. A valid From Email is required when this is enabled.
• Enable Force From Name to replace sender names supplied by other plugins. A From Name is required when this is enabled.
• Enable Set Return-Path to From Email to use the final From Email as the envelope sender for bounce handling. This control applies to Default / PHP and Other SMTP.

Your SMTP provider may require the From Email to match the authenticated mailbox or an approved sender address. If a message is rejected, confirm the provider’s sender policy before changing WordPress settings.

Avoid mail plugin conflicts#

Only one WordPress mail delivery plugin should control PHPMailer at a time. Regal Send displays a warning when it detects a known mail plugin that may be competing for the same delivery pipeline.

1. Decide which mail delivery plugin should be authoritative.
2. Deactivate the other delivery plugin in a safe test environment.
3. Confirm that Regal Send shows the expected current mailer.
4. Trigger a normal site email, such as a password reset or application notification, and verify the result with the receiving mailbox or your provider.

Do not assume that a successful hand-off means final inbox delivery. SMTP and PHP mail acceptance only confirm that the configured transport accepted the request. Provider policy, DNS, spam filtering and recipient-server decisions still affect delivery.

Troubleshoot common SMTP setup problems#

The status says Needs attention#

Check that an SMTP host and valid port are saved. If Authentication is enabled, also enter a username and save a password.

The SMTP connection is rejected#

• Confirm the host, port and encryption combination with the provider.
• Check whether the provider requires an app password instead of the normal mailbox password.
• Confirm that outbound connections to the SMTP port are allowed by the web host or firewall.
• Verify that the From Email is permitted for the authenticated account.

Email behaviour does not match Regal Send settings#

Check the warning at the top of the Regal Send page. If another mail delivery plugin is active, it may replace the same PHPMailer instance or alter its settings later in the request.

Current mailer availability#

Regal Send 0.1.0 makes Default / PHP and Other SMTP available. Elastic Email, Google / Gmail and Microsoft 365 / Outlook appear as unavailable future options and cannot be selected in this release.