Setting Up Gmail Send Mail As

This guide explains how to send email from your custom domain address (e.g. you@yourdomain.com) using Gmail. Once set up, you can compose emails in Gmail and choose your custom domain address as the "From" address.

What You'll Need

  • A Gmail account
  • Your custom domain email address (provided to you by your site administrator)
  • Your SMTP password (provided to you separately — this is not your Gmail password)

Steps

Step 1: Open Gmail Settings

  1. Go to Gmail
  2. Click the gear icon in the top-right corner
  3. Click See all settings
  4. Select the Accounts and Import tab
  5. Find the Send mail as section
  6. Click Add another email address

A new window will open.

Step 2: Enter Your Name and Email

  1. In the Name field, enter the name you want recipients to see when you send email (e.g. "Jane Smith")
  2. In the Email address field, enter your custom domain email address (e.g. you@yourdomain.com)
  3. Uncheck Treat as an alias
  4. Click Next Step

Step 3: Enter SMTP Settings

  1. Set SMTP Server to smtp.forwardemail.net
  2. Leave the Port as 587
  3. In the Username field, enter your full custom domain email address (e.g. you@yourdomain.com)
  4. In the Password field, enter the SMTP password that was provided to you
  5. Make sure Secured connection using TLS is selected
  6. Click Add Account

Step 4: Verify Your Email Address

  1. Open a new tab and go to Gmail
  2. Wait for a verification email to arrive — this confirms you own the email address
  3. Open the verification email and copy the verification code
  4. Go back to the setup window and paste the code into the prompt
  5. Then go back to the verification email and click the confirmation link as well

You may need to complete both the code and the link for the setup to finish correctly.

Step 5: Send a Test Email

  1. In Gmail, click Compose
  2. Click the From field — you should see your custom domain address as an option
  3. Select your custom domain address
  4. Send a test email to yourself or a colleague to confirm it works

Troubleshooting

  • Verification email not arriving? Check your Spam folder. The email may take a few minutes to arrive.
  • "Authentication failed" error? Make sure you are entering your SMTP password, not your Gmail password. Double-check that the username is your full custom domain email address.
  • Don't see the "From" option when composing? After verifying, you may need to refresh Gmail or wait a moment for the new address to appear.
  • Port 587 not working? Make sure "Secured connection using TLS" is selected. Do not change the port to 465 — Gmail's Send Mail As uses port 587 with TLS.