Troubleshooting Gmail email sending in Laravel: What am I missing?

Other Questions Gmail
1

I’m pulling my hair out trying to get email working with Gmail in my Laravel project. I’ve tweaked the config/mail.php file and set up my .env file, but no luck. Here’s what I’ve done:

In config/mail.php, I’ve set:

'driver' => env('MAIL_DRIVER', 'smtp'),
'host' => env('MAIL_HOST', 'smtp.gmail.com'),
'port' => env('MAIL_PORT', 587),
'encryption' => env('MAIL_ENCRYPTION', 'tls'),

My .env file looks like this:

MAIL_DRIVER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
MAIL_PORT=587
[email protected]
MAIL_PASSWORD=mypassword
MAIL_ENCRYPTION=null

But when I try to send an email, I get a connection error. It’s driving me nuts! Am I missing something obvious? Maybe there’s a Gmail setting I forgot? Any help would be awesome!

2

As someone who’s gone through the Gmail-Laravel email struggle, I feel your pain. One thing that’s often overlooked is Google’s security measures. They’re pretty tight these days.

Have you tried setting up OAuth2 authentication for your app? It’s a bit more involved, but it’s way more secure and reliable. You’ll need to create a Google Cloud project, set up OAuth consent, and get your client ID and secret.

Then, update your .env file with these new credentials and adjust your mail config accordingly. It took me a while to figure this out, but once I did, my email issues vanished.

Also, don’t forget to run ‘php artisan config:cache’ after making changes. Sometimes Laravel hangs onto old configs and that can throw you off.

If you’re still stuck, Mailgun or SendGrid might be worth looking into as alternatives. They’re pretty straightforward to set up with Laravel and can save you some headaches.

3

hey mate, have u tried using an app password instead of ur regular gmail password? google’s pretty strict bout security these days. also, change MAIL_ENCRYPTION to ‘tls’ in ur .env file. that might do the trick. good luck!

4

I’ve encountered similar issues with Gmail and Laravel before. One crucial step you might have overlooked is enabling ‘Less secure app access’ in your Google account settings. However, Google has phased this out for security reasons. Instead, I’d recommend using an App Password. Go to your Google Account, navigate to Security, and set up 2-Step Verification if you haven’t already. Then, create an App Password specifically for your Laravel application.

Also, double-check your .env file. The MAIL_ENCRYPTION should be ‘tls’, not null. And make sure you’ve cleared your config cache after making changes: php artisan config:clear

If you’re still stuck, consider using Mailtrap for testing. It’s a lifesaver for debugging email issues in development environments.