> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.opnform.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Email Setup

> OpnForm & Emails

This page explains how to configure email notifications in OpnForm.

By default, with a new Docker deployment, the email driver used is `log`, which simply logs the emails instead of sending them. To enable actual email sending, you need to set up a proper email configuration.

OpnForm uses Laravel's mail system. For more detailed information, you can refer to the [Laravel Mail documentation](https://laravel.com/docs/master/mail).

## Email Configuration Options

Self-hosted OpnForm has two email configuration levels:

* **Instance-wide email sending**: Configure the default mailer for your whole OpnForm instance with environment variables such as `MAIL_MAILER`, `MAIL_HOST`, and `MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS`. This is the standard setup for sending account emails, notifications, and any form email notification that does not use workspace-specific SMTP settings.
* **Workspace email settings**: Configure a custom SMTP server from a workspace's **Email Settings** page. These settings apply only to that workspace and override the instance-wide mailer for that workspace's form email notifications. Workspace email settings are a self-hosted Enterprise feature.

<Info>
  You do not need workspace email settings to send emails from a self-hosted
  instance. Configure the instance-wide `MAIL_*` variables first, then use
  workspace email settings only when a workspace needs its own SMTP server or
  sender identity. See [Workspace Custom
  SMTP](/deployment/enterprise-features/workspace-custom-smtp) for details.
</Info>

## Supported Mail Drivers

Laravel supports various mail drivers, including SMTP, Mailgun, Postmark, Amazon SES, and more. In this guide, we'll focus on setting up SMTP, which is widely used.

## Configure Instance-Wide SMTP Settings

To configure SMTP for the whole instance, set the following environment variables in your backend `.env` file:

| Variable            | Description                                                                |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `MAIL_MAILER`       | Set this to `smtp` to use the SMTP driver.                                 |
| `MAIL_HOST`         | The address of your SMTP server.                                           |
| `MAIL_PORT`         | The port used by your SMTP server (common ports are 25, 465, and 587).     |
| `MAIL_USERNAME`     | The username for your SMTP account.                                        |
| `MAIL_PASSWORD`     | The password for your SMTP account.                                        |
| `MAIL_ENCRYPTION`   | The encryption method used by your SMTP server (typically `tls` or `ssl`). |
| `MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS` | The email address that emails should be sent from.                         |
| `MAIL_FROM_NAME`    | The name that should appear as the sender of the emails.                   |

After changing these variables, restart the API container or process so Laravel loads the new mail configuration.

## Configure Workspace SMTP Settings

Workspace email settings let a workspace send its form email notifications through a dedicated SMTP server instead of the instance-wide mailer.

Use workspace email settings when:

* A customer or internal team needs emails to come from their own domain.
* Different workspaces need different SMTP credentials.
* You want form notifications for one workspace to use a separate sender reputation or provider.

To configure workspace SMTP settings:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open workspace settings">
    Open the workspace where you want to use a custom sender, then go to **Email Settings**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter SMTP credentials">
    Add the SMTP host, port, encryption, username, password, and sender address for that workspace.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save the settings">
    Save the workspace email settings. Form email notifications from this workspace will use this SMTP server when the workspace has access to the feature.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Workspace email settings do not replace the instance-wide mail
  configuration. Keep the `MAIL_*` variables configured as the default sender
  and fallback for your instance. Workspace email settings require a
  self-hosted Enterprise license.
</Note>

<Note>
  The easiest way to get started with OpnForm is through our [official managed service in the Cloud](https://opnform.com/?utm_source=docs\&utm_medium=introduction\&utm_campaign=cloud_version). It takes just 1 minute to start building forms with the free plan, with high availability, backups, security, and maintenance all managed for you.
</Note>