Getting started with SendWP

Welcome! Getting SendWP running takes three things: the plugin on your WordPress site, a SendWP account for that site, and a few DNS records that prove your email really comes from you. This guide walks through all three, then shows you how to check everything is working.

Prefer pictures? Install SendWP step by step shows each screen, with what to click circled.

#Before you start

• WordPress 5.1 or newer and PHP 5.6 or newer.
• An administrator login for your site. Connecting SendWP needs permission to manage the site's settings.
• Access to your domain's DNS, or to whoever looks after it. You'll need it for the domain authentication step, but your email starts flowing through SendWP before then.

Using GiveWP, Ninja Forms or LifterLMS? They can install and connect SendWP for you. See Using SendWP with GiveWP, Ninja Forms or LifterLMS, then come back for the domain step.

#Step 1: Install the plugin

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins → Add New Plugin.
2. Search for SendWP.
3. Click Install Now, then Activate.

You can also download it from the SendWP page on WordPress.org and upload it under Plugins → Add New Plugin → Upload Plugin.

#Step 2: Connect your site

1. Go to Tools → SendWP. Until you connect, it says “Your site is currently not connected to sendwp.com.”
2. Click Connect to SendWP. You'll go to SendWP to set up your account.
3. On Create your account, enter your email address and a password. If you already have a SendWP account, choose Already registered? and log in instead.
4. Got a partner code from a plugin, theme or agency? Choose Have a partner code? Click here. and enter it. Otherwise, skip it.
5. Click Proceed to Checkout, choose a plan (monthly or yearly) and click Subscribe to pay securely.
6. You'll see Success! while we finish setting things up, and a few seconds later you're back in WordPress.

Back on Tools → SendWP, you'll see a switch that's turned on and the words “SendWP is currently enabled and sending email.” From now on, every email your site sends through WordPress goes through SendWP.

Each site has its own subscription, so if you look after several sites, connect each one from its own Tools → SendWP screen.

#Step 3: Authenticate your domain

This is the step that does the most for getting your email into inboxes. In your SendWP dashboard, open your site and go to Deliverability. You'll find the DNS records to add, ready to copy, and we check them for you.

Authenticating your domain explains each record in plain words and walks through it step by step.

#Step 4: Check it's working

The easiest check is an email your site already sends. For example, log out and use Lost your password? on your WordPress login page with your own account. Then:

1. In your SendWP dashboard, open your site and go to Emails.
2. Find the password reset email at the top of Email Logs.
3. Open it to see its status and what happened to it.

If it's there, you're all set. If it isn't, check that Tools → SendWP in WordPress says SendWP is enabled, then see Emails not arriving.

#Turning SendWP off for a while

On Tools → SendWP, turn the switch off. You'll see “SendWP is currently disabled and NOT sending email.” and WordPress goes back to sending email the way it did before. Turn it back on whenever you're ready.

Deactivating the plugin also disconnects your site, so you'll need to click Connect to SendWP again after you reactivate it.