Updated Feb 15, 2024
Connecting with SMTP allows you to connect an email address to Dubsado that is not a Google or Microsoft email. If you have a Google email, sign in with Google instead. If you have a Microsoft email (Outlook, GoDaddy, or Hotmail), you’ll want to sign in with Microsoft.
👋 Here’s a tip… If you encounter any errors when trying to connect your email, please see our article on troubleshooting your SMTP connection.
Step 1: Set up an email for outgoing emails
The first step is to connect to the outgoing server (otherwise called SMTP server) for your email account.
To set up SMTP in Dubsado:
Go to Settings > Emails.
Click Use SMTP.
In the dropdown, select your email provider. If your provider isn’t listed, select Other.
Under Username, enter your email provider’s username.
Under Password, enter your email provider’s password.
If you selected Other, fill out Server and Port information.
👋 Here’s a tip… If you use Bluehost, DreamHost, HostGator, Namecheap, SiteGround, Yahoo, or Zoho, click here to get server names and port numbers. For all others, search your specific email provider’s help center for “outgoing SMTP server and port settings”.
Click Test to verify the connection.
Click Save SMTP in the popup that appears if the test is successful.
Step 2: See client replies in Dubsado
After connecting your email account for outgoing emails, you’ll need to set up bringing client replies into Dubsado.
Go to Settings > Emails.
Under Incoming emails, copy the Brand email address.
Locate your email provider’s forwarding settings by contacting your email provider or searching their documentation for "forwarding settings”.
Paste the Brand email address into the forwarding address of your email provider.
Click Save.
⛔ Heads up! If you have a free Yahoo account, Yahoo doesn’t allow automatic email forwarding from your Yahoo inbox to third-party applications like Dubsado. Email forwarding is only available on paid Yahoo Mail Plus plans.
Most providers don’t require a Forwarding verification code, but if your provider sends a verification code to your email address, perform the following steps:
Go to Utilities > Address Book > Add Client.
Type in the email associated with your email provider. See the table below for common email addresses.
Go back to your email provider and re-send the verification email.
Under Settings > Emails, the verification code will appear.
Email addresses
Email host | Email address to add to address book |
Yahoo | |
Cloudflare | |
Mail.com | |
Titan | |
One.com | |
Hostinger |
Step 3: Set up SPF and DKIM
Setting up SPF and DKIM helps your email provider recognize that any emails sent through Dubsado are legitimate. In other words, both help reduce your emails from going into spam.
Whether or not you’ll need to set up SPF or DKIM depends on whether you use a custom domain email.
You don’t use a custom domain email
If you are using an email that is not a custom domain email (such as @yahoo.com, @aol.com, or @icloud.com) then setting up SPF and DKIM is done automatically through your email provider. There is no action you need to take!
You use a custom domain email
If you are using a custom domain email (@yourwebsite.com), you will need to set up SPF and DKIM. This is crucial to prevent your emails from being marked as spam by providers such as Google or Yahoo as part of their efforts to enhance email security and authenticity.
To set up SPF, follow your email provider’s help article to create an SPF record or you can follow our help article on adding an SPF record if you run into an SPF verification error.
To set up DKIM, follow our help article to configure and enable DKIM.
Step 4: Test that your email is connected to Dubsado
Go to Utilities > Address Book.
Add a test client with your email in the email address.
Go to the Emails tab.
Click Send message to send a test email.
Verify if you get the email in your regular inbox outside of Dubsado.