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Configure Mailgun for WordPress in four stages: verify a dedicated Mailgun sending domain, install the official Mailgun WordPress plugin, choose HTTP API or SMTP, and test every WordPress mail flow that matters. Use the HTTP API when your host restricts outbound SMTP; use SMTP when your mailer requires conventional SMTP credentials. In either case, publish the SPF and DKIM records Mailgun provides before sending, select the correct US or Europe region, and use a From address on the verified domain.
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What Mailgun changes in WordPress
WordPress normally hands mail to the server’s local mail function. That approach can fail when a host disables PHP mail, limits outbound traffic, or gives messages little sending reputation. Mailgun provides an external delivery service that the WordPress plugin can reach through either an HTTPS API request or an SMTP connection.
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Prepare the account and sending domain
Use a dedicated sending domain
Add a domain intended for application mail, such as mg.example.com or another subdomain of your organization. A dedicated subdomain keeps WordPress notifications separate from ordinary employee mail and makes it easier to identify the records and events associated with the site. Use a domain you can edit in DNS; Mailgun cannot verify ownership without those changes.
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Collect the values Mailgun displays
In Mailgun’s domain setup screen, copy the SPF and DKIM records exactly as displayed, including the record type, host or name, and value. Do not substitute an SPF value from another domain or trim quotation marks and punctuation supplied by your DNS provider. If Mailgun displays additional records for tracking or sending, publish those as well when the panel marks them as required.
Wait for DNS propagation and verify
- Open your DNS provider’s management console.
- Create or update the SPF record at the host Mailgun specifies. If an SPF record already exists, merge the required Mailgun mechanism into that single SPF record instead of creating a second SPF record for the same host.
- Create each DKIM record with the selector and value shown in Mailgun’s domain panel.
- Save the changes and allow DNS caches time to update. The delay depends on the records’ TTL and your DNS provider.
- Return to Mailgun and run the domain verification check again.
Mailgun’s documentation treats successful DNS checks as a prerequisite for sending. Do not continue troubleshooting WordPress while the domain still shows missing or incorrect SPF or DKIM values; a plugin test cannot compensate for an unverified domain.
Install the official WordPress integration
- In the WordPress administrator, open Plugins → Add New.
- Search for the official Mailgun WordPress plugin, install it, and activate it.
- Open Settings → Mailgun.
- Choose the Mailgun region that contains your account and sending domain: US or Europe.
- Select the transport you intend to use, then enter the credentials and domain requested by the plugin.
- Save the settings and use the plugin’s test-configuration control before relying on the site for production notifications.
The official integration supports HTTP API sending, SMTP sending, tracking options, regional endpoint selection, and a test-email setup. The exact fields shown can vary with the plugin version, so follow the labels on the installed screen rather than copying credentials into an unrelated field.
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Choose HTTP API or SMTP
Both transports are supported by the official plugin, but they make different network and credential demands.
| Consideration | HTTP API | SMTP |
|---|---|---|
| Network path | Outbound HTTPS from the WordPress server | Outbound connection to a Mailgun SMTP port |
| Credentials | Mailgun API key plus the sending domain | Domain-level SMTP username and password |
| Best fit | Hosts that block or restrict outbound SMTP | Plugins or mailers designed around SMTP credentials |
| Plugin support | Supported by the official Mailgun plugin | Supported by the official Mailgun plugin |
| Region setting | US or Europe, matching the account and domain | US or Europe, matching the account and domain |
HTTP API is usually the first choice when a managed host limits ports 25, 465, 587, or 2525. SMTP can be simpler when an existing WordPress mailer already expects a server, port, encryption mode, username, and password. Switching transports in the plugin is a useful diagnostic: if one path fails, the other can reveal whether the problem is network access or credentials.
Configure Mailgun through the HTTP API
Enter the API credentials
- On Settings → Mailgun, select the HTTP API option.
- Paste the Mailgun API key into the API-key field. Treat the key as a secret; do not place it in a post, theme file, public JavaScript, or support ticket.
- Enter the verified sending domain exactly as it appears in Mailgun. A typo, an unverified subdomain, or a domain from another region can cause the request to be rejected.
- Select US or Europe to match the Mailgun region where that domain is configured.
- Save the settings and run the plugin’s test configuration or test-email action.
Confirm the API path is reachable
An API test requires the web server to make an outbound HTTPS request. If the test reports a connection or transport error before Mailgun records an event, ask the host whether outbound HTTPS requests from PHP are permitted and whether a firewall, security module, or hosting policy is intercepting them. A valid API key cannot fix a server that cannot reach the endpoint.
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Configure Mailgun through SMTP
Create or retrieve domain SMTP credentials
In Mailgun, open Sending → Domain Settings → SMTP Credentials for the selected sending domain. Create a credential if none exists, then copy its username and password. Credentials are scoped to a domain; do not use credentials belonging to a different sending domain.
Do not assume that creating a domain through an API automatically creates an SMTP login. In a May 9, 2025 announcement, Mailgun said SMTP credentials stopped being generated automatically by the Domains API. They must now be created through the Credentials endpoint or Mailgun’s user interface.
Use the normal secure port
| Port | Encryption behavior | Practical use |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Can upgrade with STARTTLS | Often filtered or throttled by hosting providers and ISPs |
| 465 | TLS encryption is required for the connection | Use only when the host permits it and the plugin’s secure setting matches |
| 587 | Can upgrade with STARTTLS | Normal recommendation for authenticated submission |
| 2525 | Can upgrade with STARTTLS | Alternative when other SMTP ports are unavailable |
Mailgun’s SMTP documentation says, “Some ISPs are blocking or throttling certain SMTP ports. Using port 587 is recommended.” Start with smtp.mailgun.org, port 587, and secure SMTP enabled so the connection negotiates STARTTLS. Port 465 uses TLS from the start; ports 25, 587, and 2525 support a STARTTLS upgrade.
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Enter the SMTP fields in WordPress
- Select SMTP as the transport on Settings → Mailgun.
- Set the SMTP host to
smtp.mailgun.org. - Set the port to
587and enable the plugin’s secure SMTP or STARTTLS option. - Enter the SMTP username and password created under the selected domain’s SMTP Credentials screen.
- Enter the verified sending domain where the plugin asks for the domain.
- Choose the correct US or Europe region.
- Save the configuration and run the test control.
If your host blocks 587, test 2525 with STARTTLS. If you deliberately use 465, select the plugin’s TLS mode rather than STARTTLS mode. Avoid falling back to port 25 unless the host specifically permits it and you understand that many networks throttle or block it.
Set a consistent From identity
Set WordPress’s From address to an address on the verified Mailgun sending domain, for example [email protected] when the verified domain is example.com. Keep that sender identity consistent across contact forms, password resets, order or membership notifications, and administrator alerts.
Some plugins replace the global WordPress From header with their own setting. After saving Mailgun, inspect each form, commerce, membership, or security plugin that sends mail. A message can appear to use Mailgun while still failing authentication or being rejected because a plugin rewrote the From address to an unrelated domain. Use a Reply-To address for the visitor when necessary, while retaining the verified domain in From.
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Start with the plugin test
- Save the Mailgun settings.
- Use the plugin’s test configuration or test-email control.
- Send to a mailbox you can inspect, preferably at a different provider from the WordPress hosting account.
- Confirm that Mailgun records the attempt as an event and that the recipient receives it.
A successful browser response alone is not proof of delivery. Check both the Mailgun event or log and the recipient mailbox, including its spam or quarantine folders.
Exercise the real WordPress paths
Send separate messages from a contact form, the password-reset screen, and an administrator notification. These paths can use different plugins or override headers independently. Record which flow produced the message, the From address it used, and the corresponding Mailgun event so you can isolate a plugin-specific problem.
Troubleshoot a failed test
The domain remains unverified
- Compare every SPF and DKIM name and value with the current Mailgun domain panel. DNS providers may append the domain automatically, so entering a fully qualified name in a field that already appends the zone can create a duplicate.
- Check that the SPF record is the single authoritative SPF record for that host and that the Mailgun mechanism was merged rather than placed in a second record.
- Wait for propagation, then trigger verification again in Mailgun.
- Confirm that you edited the DNS zone actually used by the domain’s authoritative nameservers.
The HTTP API test fails immediately
- Verify that the API key is complete, active, and entered in the API-key field rather than an SMTP-password field.
- Confirm that the sending domain and region match the Mailgun account.
- Ask the host whether outbound HTTPS from the WordPress server is allowed.
- Temporarily review firewall, security, or PHP restrictions that could block remote requests, then retest after making the smallest necessary change.
The SMTP test cannot connect
- Use
smtp.mailgun.org, port 587, and secure SMTP with STARTTLS first. - Ask the host whether outbound traffic on 587 is allowed. If it is blocked, try port 2525 with STARTTLS; use 465 only with the plugin’s TLS mode.
- Confirm that the username and password were created for the exact sending domain selected in WordPress.
- Check for accidental whitespace when copying credentials and create a new credential if the password is uncertain.
The test connects but the message is rejected
- Confirm that the From address belongs to the verified sending domain.
- Check Mailgun’s event details for authentication, policy, or recipient errors.
- Inspect the individual WordPress plugin that generated the message for a rewritten From header or an invalid Reply-To value.
- Recheck SPF and DKIM after any DNS change and rerun domain verification.
The message leaves Mailgun but never appears
- Search the recipient’s spam, quarantine, and filtered-mail folders.
- Compare the recipient address and event status in Mailgun; a delivered event indicates handoff to the recipient server, not a guarantee that the message is visible in the inbox.
- Test another recipient mailbox to separate a site-wide problem from a recipient-provider filter.
- Do not infer a guaranteed inbox-placement percentage. The authoritative Mailgun material for this setup does not publish an independent deliverability percentage or inbox guarantee.
Turn on detailed SMTP diagnostics
When the plugin’s SMTP path needs more detail, enable WordPress debugging and define the MG_DEBUG_SMTP constant as instructed by the plugin documentation. Reproduce one failed send, review the resulting diagnostic information, and disable verbose logging afterward if it could expose credentials or message content.
Security and maintenance practices
- Store the API key and SMTP password in protected WordPress configuration or the host’s secret-management facility when available; limit administrator access to the Mailgun settings page.
- Use separate credentials for separate sites or operational roles when your Mailgun account structure permits it, and revoke credentials that are no longer needed.
- Keep the plugin and WordPress core updated, but review the settings after an update because transport labels or security defaults can change.
- Monitor Mailgun events for bounces, complaints, and repeated failures. Remove invalid recipients from forms and lists rather than repeatedly retrying permanent failures.
- Keep DNS records under documented ownership so a future DNS migration does not silently remove SPF or DKIM.
Limits and expectations
The Mailgun WordPress plugin repository described a free-account testing limit of up to 200 emails per day in 2025. Treat that as a plan detail that may change; check the current Mailgun account terms before estimating production volume.
Successful configuration means that WordPress can authenticate to Mailgun and Mailgun can accept the message. It does not promise that every message reaches the primary inbox. Recipient filtering, mailbox policy, sender reputation, content, and authentication alignment still affect the final location.
Quick Recap
Configuration checklist
- A Mailgun account and a DNS-editable sending domain are available.
- SPF and DKIM records from Mailgun are published exactly and the domain passes Mailgun’s verification check.
- The official Mailgun WordPress plugin is installed and active.
- The selected US or Europe region matches the Mailgun domain.
- HTTP API uses the correct API key and domain, or SMTP uses a credential created for that domain.
- SMTP uses
smtp.mailgun.org; port 587 with STARTTLS is the starting configuration. - The From address is on the verified domain and plugin-specific senders have been checked.
- The plugin test, a form submission, a password reset, and an administrator notification have each been tested.
- Mailgun events and the recipient mailbox have been inspected for every test.
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