Home System Support How to Set Up SMTP on a Self-Hosted Chatwoot Instance

How to Set Up SMTP on a Self-Hosted Chatwoot Instance

Last updated on Aug 23, 2025

hatwoot is a powerful open-source customer engagement platform that helps businesses provide seamless support through multiple channels including live chat, email, WhatsApp, and social media. When self-hosting Chatwoot, one of the key configurations you need to set up is SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). This enables Chatwoot to send and receive emails reliably — ensuring your customers receive timely responses and your support team is notified of updates.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the step-by-step process of configuring SMTP on a self-hosted Chatwoot setup.

Why Configure SMTP in Chatwoot?

By default, Chatwoot doesn’t send emails out of the box. Configuring SMTP provides:

  • Email notifications for agents and admins when new conversations or replies arrive.

  • Automated responses to customers via email.

  • Integration with ticketing workflows, especially if you also connect Chatwoot with tools like Helpdesk or CRM systems.

  • Professional branding, since emails are sent from your own domain (e.g., support@yourcompany.com).

Step 1: Gather Your SMTP Credentials

Before you start, you need SMTP details from your email provider or server. For example, if you’re using  cPanel** (yourdomain.com)** or Gmail/Outlook, your SMTP details will look like this:

  • SMTP Host: mail.yourdomain.com (or smtp.gmail.com, smtp.office365.com, etc.)

  • Port: 465 (SSL) or 587 (TLS)

  • Username: Your full email address (e.g., support@yourdomain.com)

  • Password: Your email account password or app password (recommended).

  • From Email: support@yourdomain.com

  • From Name: Your company name (e.g., Nestict Cloud Support).

Step 2: Edit Chatwoot Environment File

On your server, Chatwoot is usually deployed via Docker or installed directly with Ruby on Rails. You’ll need to edit the environment variables in the .env file.

Open the file and add/update these lines:

# SMTP Settings
MAILER_SENDER_EMAIL=support@yourdomain.com
SMTP_ADDRESS=mail.yourdomain.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_DOMAIN=yourdomain.com
SMTP_USERNAME=support@yourdomain.com
SMTP_PASSWORD=yourpassword
SMTP_AUTHENTICATION=plain
SMTP_ENABLE_STARTTLS_AUTO=true

👉 Replace values with your actual SMTP credentials.

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Step 3: Restart Chatwoot Services

After updating the .env file, restart your Chatwoot instance for the changes to take effect.

For Docker installations:

docker-compose down
docker-compose up -d

For manual installations:

systemctl restart chatwoot.target

Step 4: Verify SMTP in Chatwoot

  1. Log in to your Chatwoot dashboard.

  2. Go to Settings > Email Configuration.

  3. Send a test email to confirm the connection.

If successful, you’ll see a confirmation message and receive the email in your inbox.

Step 5: Configure Inbound Email (Optional)

If you want customers to reply to Chatwoot emails and continue conversations via email:

  1. Set up a forwarding rule in your email provider (e.g., cPanel, Gmail, Outlook).

  2. Forward incoming emails to your Chatwoot inbox (e.g., reply+<account_id>@yourdomain.com).

  3. Verify in Chatwoot that emails are being converted into conversations.

Troubleshooting Tips

  • If emails aren’t sending, double-check your SMTP host, port, and authentication method.

  • For Gmail/Outlook, make sure you enable App Passwords instead of using your main account password.

  • If using cPanel, ensure SMTP restrictions are not enabled by default.

  • Use docker-compose logs -f chatwoot to check for SMTP connection errors.

Final Thoughts

Setting up SMTP in Chatwoot ensures your customer support system is reliable, professional, and responsive. With emails fully integrated, you can confidently manage customer queries, send updates, and maintain smooth communication.

At Nestict Infotech, we use Chatwoot to manage customer support across multiple channels. Our branded email support (Nestict Cloud Email Support) ensures that clients always receive prompt responses, whether through live chat, tickets on selfcare.nestict.africa, or emails via support@nestict.com.

By following these steps, you’ll have a fully functioning SMTP setup in Chatwoot — enabling you to deliver an excellent customer experience.