I’m working on a Drupal 7 website and need to implement email functionality. The default mail system isn’t working well for me, so I want to use Gmail’s SMTP server instead. I’ve heard that Gmail SMTP is more reliable for sending emails from websites. Can someone guide me through the process of configuring Gmail SMTP settings in Drupal 7? I need to know which modules to install and what configuration steps are required. Also, are there any specific Gmail account settings I need to change to make this work properly? Any help would be appreciated since I’m not very familiar with SMTP configuration.
definitely! the SMTP module is a must for drupal to work with gmail. it simplifies everything. don’t forget to check your gmail settings though, sometimes spam filters mess things up!
Just dealt with this last month. Gmail SMTP works fine but you’ll hit their 500 emails/day limit fast if you’re doing newsletters or bulk stuff. Gmail’s also picky about FROM addresses - match your site’s email to your Gmail account or use the same domain. I switched to SendGrid after hitting the limits. For basic contact forms and user notifications though, Gmail does the job. One thing nobody mentioned - check if your host blocks port 587. Some providers block outbound SMTP by default.
I’ve set this up tons of times. Here’s what works: grab the SMTP Authentication Support module from drupal.org, install it, then hit Configuration > System > SMTP Authentication Support. For Gmail, use smtp.gmail.com, port 587, TLS encryption. Here’s the gotcha - Gmail won’t let you use your regular password anymore. Turn on 2-factor auth on your Gmail account, then create an App Password just for this. Use your Gmail address as username and that app password (NOT your regular one) in the SMTP settings. Pro tip: make a separate Gmail account just for your site’s emails instead of using your personal one. Way cleaner and safer. Test everything before you go live.