Where to find SMTP settings from your email provider
Where to look for the SMTP server, port, username and security settings at common email providers, and how to check them before you add them to Gmail.
SMTP settings always come from the company that hosts the mailbox, not from Gmail and not from Distro. The reliable place to find them is your provider's own help pages or the email section of its control panel. This page shows where to look at common providers. It deliberately doesn't list server names as facts: providers change them, and they can differ by region, plan or account.
You only need these details if Gmail asks for them while you add an address under Send mail as. Distro itself never asks for SMTP settings. See Gmail is asking for SMTP settings.
What you're looking for
Gmail's form needs five things. Write them down from your provider's documentation before you start:
- SMTP server, also called the outgoing mail server or SMTP host.
- Port. 465 is commonly used with SSL, and 587 commonly with TLS (STARTTLS). This is typical, not universal; use the port your provider documents.
- Username. Often the full email address, but check.
- Password. The mailbox password, or an app password if your provider requires one.
- Security type. TLS or SSL, matching the port.
Where to look at common providers
These are examples to point you in the right direction. Menus change, so search your provider's help centre for "SMTP settings" if the location below doesn't match what you see.
| Provider | Where the settings usually are |
|---|---|
| Google Workspace | You normally don't need SMTP for a Workspace address in Gmail: connect the mailbox to Distro directly, or add it as an alias. See Send cold email from your custom-domain email. |
| Microsoft 365 / Outlook | Microsoft's support articles on POP, IMAP and SMTP settings, and the mailbox's settings in Outlook on the web. Your Microsoft 365 admin may need to allow SMTP sign-in (often called authenticated SMTP) for the mailbox, as it can be turned off. |
| Zoho Mail | Zoho Mail's help pages on SMTP configuration, and the mail settings in your Zoho account. Settings can differ by the data centre region your account uses. |
| Hostinger | The email section of Hostinger's control panel, which typically has a page showing connection details for email apps, plus Hostinger's help articles. |
| Namecheap Private Email | Namecheap's knowledge base articles for Private Email client setup, and the Private Email dashboard. |
| cPanel-hosted email (many web hosts) | In cPanel, open Email Accounts, then the option to connect a device or configure a mail client for the address. It shows the mail server and ports your host uses. |
| GoDaddy email | GoDaddy's help articles for setting up email on other apps, and the email product's dashboard. GoDaddy offers more than one email product, so make sure you're reading the guide for yours. |
If your provider isn't listed, look for terms like "email client settings", "manual setup", "IMAP/SMTP settings" or "connect a mail app" in its help centre.
Check the settings before you use them
- Confirm SMTP sign-in is allowed. Some providers turn it off by default or need you to enable it per mailbox.
- Check for app passwords. If the mailbox uses two-step verification, the provider may require a separate app password for SMTP.
- Match port and security. If the provider documents 587 with TLS, select TLS in Gmail. If it documents 465 with SSL, select SSL.
- Test once. After Gmail accepts the details and you confirm its verification email, send yourself a test from Gmail as that address.
What Distro does and doesn't do
- Distro doesn't need, ask for or store SMTP or IMAP details. You enter them only in Gmail's own settings.
- Distro can't look up, reset or test your provider's credentials. Your provider or your IT admin can.
- Once Gmail can send as the address, Distro can use it: open Outreach → Sending accounts, then Add sender and Enable.
Email us at hello@usedistro.com with what you tried and what you see. Signed in? Help & support in the app has walkthrough videos and a message form.