Will emails ever leave my development environment?

No. Mockmail captures all SMTP traffic but never delivers externally. It's a true mock server designed for testing only.

Can I debug WooCommerce order emails?

Yes. Point WooCommerce to Mockmail via WP Mail SMTP and inspect HTML, headers, and attachments for every order confirmation.

How do I share a captured email with my team?

Every captured email has a shareable link. Just copy the URL from the Mockmail web UI and send it to teammates.

Does this work with Contact Form 7 and other plugins?

Yes. Any plugin using wp_mail() or SMTP will send to Mockmail when configured via WP Mail SMTP.

Can I test SPF and DKIM headers?

Absolutely. Mockmail displays all headers, including authentication results, so you can verify SPF/DKIM/DMARC before going to production.

Email Debugging for WordPress – Safe SMTP Testing Guide

Why Email Debugging for WordPress Matters

Sending real test emails is risky and slow. With a hosted mock SMTP, every wp_mail() message is captured instead of delivered. You can verify templates and headers instantly—without spamming customers.

Quick Start

Create an inbox at mockmail.io.
In that inbox, copy your SMTP settings (host, port, username, password, encryption) from the dashboard.
In WordPress, go to Plugins and search and install the WP Mail SMTP plugin.

WP Mail Plugin Download

Configure WP Mail SMTP

Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins.

WP Installed Plugins

Click on Activate below WP Mail SMTP
Now you are shown the Setup Wizard. In the step Choose your Mailer, select Other SMTP.
Fill in the fields using the values shown in your Mockmail inbox:

Field	Value
SMTP Host	Use the host shown in Mockmail
Encryption	Set to None
SMTP Port	25
Authentication	On
SMTP Username	From your Mockmail inbox
SMTP Password	From your Mockmail inbox
From Email	e.g., `noreply@yoursite.test` (non-production)
From Name	e.g., `YourSite (Test)`

Finish the remaining steps of the wizard by accepting the pre-selected defaults and you may skip the license key input - the free version works just fine for debugging purposes.

Send a Test Email

Open WP Mail SMTP → Tools → Email Test and send a message.
In mockmail.io, open your inbox and confirm the message appears.

To test “real” flows: place a WooCommerce test order, submit a Contact Form 7 form, or trigger a password reset.

Inspect & Share

For each captured email you can:

HTML: verify layout, images, and links
Text: check the plain-text fallback
Headers: confirm From/To/Reply-To and custom headers
Attachments: download and review files
Share: copy the shareable link to show your team/stakeholders

Note: Because messages aren’t sent through a live SMTP provider, SPF/DKIM/DMARC signing/validation doesn’t apply here. Use Mockmail to validate content and headers you control; handle deliverability setup later with your real SMTP provider.

Troubleshooting

Email not appearing? Double-check host/port/encryption/credentials match your Mockmail inbox settings.
Using containers? If WordPress runs in Docker while Mockmail is hosted, use the host from Mockmail, not localhost.
Plugin bypassing SMTP? Some plugins call mail() directly. Ensure they use wp_mail() or provide SMTP options.
From address wrong? Set it explicitly in WP Mail SMTP → Settings to avoid defaults like wordpress@hostname.

Next step: When templates look good in Mockmail, switch WP Mail SMTP to your production SMTP provider and handle SPF/DKIM/DMARC there.
Need more basics? See /features/mock-smtp or start at /how-to for other guides.

Email Debugging for WordPress (Safely with a Mock SMTP)