Python email sending issues with Gmail and smtplib

Other Questions Gmail
1

I’m having trouble with a Python script that’s supposed to send emails through Gmail using smtplib. Here’s what I’ve got:

import smtplib

message = 'Testing email delivery.'

mail_server = smtplib.SMTP('smtp.gmail.com', 587)
mail_server.ehlo()
mail_server.starttls()
mail_server.ehlo()
mail_server.login('[email protected]', 'mypassword')
mail_server.sendmail('[email protected]', '[email protected]', message)
mail_server.quit()

I’ve tried running this on two different web hosts. One gives me a ‘connection refused’ error, while the other doesn’t show any errors but the email never arrives. I turned on debug mode and the output suggests the message was sent successfully, but I’m not receiving anything. Any ideas what could be going wrong? Is this a hosting issue or am I missing something in my code?

2

I’ve encountered similar issues with Gmail and Python. One thing that’s often overlooked is Google’s security measures. They’ve become quite strict lately.

Here’s what worked for me:

  1. Enable 2-step verification on your Google account.
  2. Generate an app password specifically for your Python script.
  3. Use that app password in your code instead of your regular password.

Also, make sure your recipient’s email isn’t going to spam. Sometimes, especially with new sender addresses, Gmail can be overzealous with its spam filtering.

If you’re still having trouble, try using a different SMTP server like SendGrid or Mailgun. They’re more reliable for automated email sending in my experience.

Hope this helps! Let us know if you manage to get it working.

3

I’ve faced this exact issue before. It’s likely due to Google’s security policies. First, ensure you’ve enabled ‘Allow less secure apps’ in your Google account settings. If that doesn’t work, try using OAuth2 authentication instead of plain password login. You’ll need to set up OAuth2 credentials in Google Cloud Console and modify your code to use them. Also, check if your host is blocking outgoing SMTP connections on port 587. Some hosts do this to prevent spam. If all else fails, consider using a third-party email service API like SendGrid or Mailgun. They’re more reliable for sending emails programmatically and often have free tiers for low volume sending.

4

hey mate, sounds like ur having a rough time with that email script. have u checked ur gmail settings? they can be a pain sometimes. make sure u’ve enabled ‘less secure app access’ in ur account. also, try using an app-specific password instead of ur regular one. that might do the trick!