Table of Contents
Problem description #
The site reports many failed verification emails or the host rejects outgoing emails, causing massive failure counts.
Symptoms:
- Plugin reports hundreds of failed verification emails.
- Server logs show many rejections or bounce messages.
Typical causes:
- Mail server blocked or throttled outgoing messages (no SMTP or poor reputation).
- Misconfigured SPF/DKIM/DMARC causing rejections.
- Plugin triggered repetitive automated sends because verification loop failed.
Solution (step-by-step)
- Stop further sends: Temporarily disable email verification or put site into maintenance to prevent further mass sends.
- Switch to SMTP: Configure a trusted SMTP provider (WP Mail SMTP + SendGrid/Mailgun/Amazon SES).
- Check host mail logs: Ask your hosting provider for the outgoing mail logs — find bounce codes and reasons.
- Correct domain records: Ensure SPF/DKIM/DMARC are set correctly for your sending domain.
- Inspect plugin logs: Delete/clear queued/failed entries once sending is fixed to avoid repeats.
- Ask plugin author for any rate-limit or retry settings that might be adjusted.
Prerequisites
- Host or DNS access to modify SPF/DKIM, plugin settings, and ability to configure SMTP.
Additional notes
If the failed emails were a result of a bug in the plugin that caused repeated sends, plugin author updates may already exist, check support announcements and update plugin. WordPress.org
