Configure SMTP for reader emails

Readers may receive three types of emails from KnowledgeOwl:

• Reader welcome emails: System-generated; sent when a reader is granted access to your knowledge base to send a welcome message with their login information.
• Password reset emails: System-generated; sent when the reader has requested a password reset or an administrator has reset their password.
• Subscription notification emails: Optional; only sent when Subscriptions have been enabled and the reader has opted in to subscriptions and there is new/updated content to notify them about.

The two system-generated reader emails (reader welcome and password reset) are sent from support@knowledgeowl.com. You can change the email address these are sent from, but sometimes that arrangement will flag the emails as spam. To ensure delivery of your reader welcome and password reset emails, you can configure your reader emails to use your own or a third-party SMTP email server.

Once you're sure an SMTP service exists that you can use:

1. Go to Account > Readers. The Readers page opens to the Readers tab.
2. Open the Settings tab.
3. In the SMTP Settings section, select the SMTP service you'd like to use from the Custom SMTP dropdown.
   If there are no options, this means no SMTP service has been configured for your account. Refer to SMTP for more information on configuring these services. (You'll likely need help from an IT admin!)
   
4. Select Send Test Email. We recommend sending a test email now so you can be sure everything's working right before you turn things on. The Send Test Email Using SMTP modal opens.
5. Enter the Test recipient email address (usually your own) into the modal and select Send Email.
6. If anything is improperly configured, you'll receive an error message. This should be one of two types:
   • Basic validation: We'll alert you if the email address you've entered doesn't follow standard email address conventions or if any fields have been left blank. 
   • SMTP provider validation: If the error comes from the call to your SMTP provider, we'll return the error message they provide
7. If everything is properly configured, you'll receive an Email sent successfully! confirmation message, and you should receive a sample reader welcome email containing some fake info. It should look something like this:

   Send From Name <sendfromaddress@email.com>
   Subject: Reader Welcome SMTP Email Test
   Hi Joe!
   You have been invited to the following knowledge bases:
   Fake Test Knowledge Base
   Fake TEst Knowledge Base Login
   ------------------------------------
   You may login with the following credentials:
   Username: testing@noreply.com
   Password: 12345abcde
   -----------------------------------

8. Once you confirm receipt of your test email, check the Enable SMTP box to Use SMTP to send all reader emails.
9. Save your changes.

All reader welcome emails and reader password reset emails will now send using the SMTP details you provided. Refer to Customize your reader password reset emails and Customize your reader welcome emails for more information on further customizing those emails.