Do I need SMTP for Sense Forms to work?

No. Sense Forms uses whatever mail method WordPress already has. SMTP is only needed if notification emails are not arriving or are landing in spam, which is common on shared hosting.

Can I use Gmail to send Sense Forms notifications?

Yes, using an app password rather than your normal Google password. You need two-factor authentication enabled on the account, then generate a 16-character app password and use it as the SMTP password.

Setting up email delivery (SMTP)

Send form notifications through a real mail server so they stop landing in spam.

By default Sense Forms uses whatever mail method WordPress already has. On many shared hosts that method is unreliable — messages are delayed, silently dropped, or filed as spam.

SMTP sends through a real mail server that is authorised to send for your domain, which fixes deliverability properly rather than working around it.

Settings

Go to Sense Forms → Settings and enable SMTP. You need:

Setting	Where it comes from
Host	Your mail provider
Port	Usually 587 for TLS, 465 for SSL
Encryption	TLS or SSL, matching the port
Authentication	On for nearly all providers
Username	Usually the full email address
Password	Your mail password or app password
From name	The name recipients see
From email	Must be an address on a domain you control

Apply to all site email sends every WordPress email through SMTP rather than just Sense Forms notifications. Turning it on usually fixes password resets and other core mail too.

Gmail

Gmail requires an app password; your normal account password will not work.

Enable two-factor authentication on the Google account.
Go to google.com/apppasswords and create one named “Sense Forms”.
Use the 16-character code as the SMTP password.

Host smtp.gmail.com, port 587, encryption TLS, username your full Gmail address.

Storing the password outside the database

The SMTP password is stored in your WordPress database by default. For a stronger setup, define it in wp-config.php instead:

define( 'SENSEFORMS_SMTP_PASSWORD', 'your-app-password' );

When that constant exists it takes precedence and the settings screen shows the password field as locked. This keeps the credential out of database backups and exports.

Test it

Use Send test email in Settings after saving. It sends immediately and reports the exact error if it fails, which is far quicker to debug than submitting a real form and waiting.

Common failures

Authentication failed — wrong username or password. With Gmail this almost always means a normal password was used instead of an app password.

Connection timed out — the port is blocked by your host. Try 465 with SSL if 587 fails, or ask your host which outbound SMTP ports are open.

Sends but lands in spam — the From address is on a domain whose SPF record does not authorise your mail server. Use an address on the same domain as the SMTP account.