Smtp error could not authenticate client server quit

I'm using PHPMailer in a Simple Script For Send Email's Through Gmail, and I'm getting an "Unknown Error" (At least for me!): SMTP Error: Could not authenticate. Error: SMTP Error: Could not

I’m using PHPMailer in a Simple Script For Send Email’s Through Gmail, and I’m getting an «Unknown Error» (At least for me!):

SMTP Error: Could not authenticate.
Error: SMTP Error: Could not
authenticate.

SMTP server error: 5.7.1 Username and
Password not accepted. Learn more at
535 5.7.1
http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=14257
p38sm2467302ybk.16

I’ve read about Configure OpenSSL For SSL/TLS Connections, and I did it. Apache And PHP Are properly-Configured (With OpenSSL extension Running in PHP and mod_ssl running in Apache 2.2.16).

This is The PHP Script:

 <?php
  require_once ("PHPMailerclass.phpmailer.php");
  $Correo = new PHPMailer();
  $Correo->IsSMTP();
  $Correo->SMTPAuth = true;
  $Correo->SMTPSecure = "tls";
  $Correo->Host = "smtp.gmail.com";
  $Correo->Port = 587;
  $Correo->UserName = "foo@gmail.com";
  $Correo->Password = "gmailpassword";
  $Correo->SetFrom('foo@gmail.com','De Yo');
  $Correo->FromName = "From";
  $Correo->AddAddress("bar@hotmail.com");
  $Correo->Subject = "Prueba con PHPMailer";
  $Correo->Body = "<H3>Bienvenido! Esto Funciona!</H3>";
  $Correo->IsHTML (true);
  if (!$Correo->Send())
  {
    echo "Error: $Correo->ErrorInfo";
  }
  else
  {
    echo "Message Sent!";
  }
?>

The Username and Password are OK, And I tried in Thunderbird, without any problem.
I’ve also Used SSL Authentication and Port 465, getting the same Error.

Cœur's user avatar

Cœur

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asked Oct 16, 2010 at 16:57

Alejandro Echeverri's user avatar

2

I encountered this problem. To get it working, I had to go to myaccount.google.com -> «Sign-in & security» -> «Apps with account access», and turn «Allow less secure apps» to «ON» (near the bottom of the page).

Alternatively you can follow this direct link to these settings

enter image description here

Joundill's user avatar

Joundill

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answered Sep 4, 2015 at 14:56

cwd's user avatar

7

Try this instead :

$Correo->Username = «foo@gmail.com»;

I tested it and its working perfectly without no other change

answered Oct 16, 2010 at 17:19

malletjo's user avatar

malletjomalletjo

1,78616 silver badges18 bronze badges

2

I received the same error and in mycase it was the password. My password has special characters.

If you supply the password without escaping the special characters the error will persist.

E.g $mail->Password = " por$ch3"; is valid but will not work using the code above .

The solution should be as follows: $mail->Password = "por$ch3";

Note the Backslash I placed before the dollar character within my password.
That should work if you have a password using special characters

answered Aug 1, 2012 at 9:57

Bubba's user avatar

BubbaBubba

1011 silver badge7 bronze badges

2

Because Allow less secure apps is no longer available

enter image description here

The solution was to enable 2-step verification and generate app password

app

select mail and computer from the list then click generate

copy the code shown in the box and replace your google password with your app password it works like a charm.

app password

answered Jun 28, 2022 at 2:10

Kym NT's user avatar

Kym NTKym NT

6309 silver badges28 bronze badges

1

I experienced the same error when configuring the WP-Mail-SMTP plugin in WordPress.

The problem would persist even when I have ‘triple checked’ the settings and login credentials, and am able to log in manually using a browser.

There’s a list of steps you can take to fix this.

  1. Create a new password for the Gmail account you want to use
  2. Enable less secure apps in Google Security settings
  3. Use the Display Unlock Captcha page to give your app or website permission to sign in to Gmail. Click Continue or follow the instructions.
  4. Sign in using the app or website. The smtp settings that work for me are 1) SMTP Host: smtp.gmail.com 2) SMTP port: 587 3) Encryption: TLS 4) Authentication: SMTP authentication 5) Username: example@gmail.com 6) Password: examplesecret

Greg's user avatar

Greg

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answered Jul 20, 2017 at 8:24

pyfork's user avatar

pyforkpyfork

3,5972 gold badges20 silver badges18 bronze badges

1

my solution is:

  1. change gmail password
  2. on gmail «Manage your google Account» > Security > Turn on 3rd party app Access
  3. This the new step that i discover by UnlockingCaptcha that told in this site, the exact site is https://accounts.google.com/b/0/DisplayUnlockCaptcha, but maybe you want to read the former site first.

That all, hope it works for you

answered Jul 15, 2020 at 15:37

ibrahim saputra's user avatar

1

I received this error because of percentage signs in the password.

answered Dec 5, 2011 at 13:22

svandragt's user avatar

svandragtsvandragt

1,61320 silver badges37 bronze badges

1

For me I had a special characters in my password field, and I put it like $mail->Password = » por$ch3″ which work for gmail smpt server but not for other; so I just changed double quotes to single quotes and it works for me. $mail->Password = ‘ por$ch3’;

answered Jun 11, 2013 at 12:17

Rikin Adhyapak's user avatar

3

If you still face error in sending email, with the same error message. Try this:

$mail->SMTPSecure = 'tls';
$mail->Host = 'smtp.gmail.com';

just Before the line:

$send = $mail->Send();

or in other sense, before calling the Send() Function.

Tested and Working.

answered Jun 11, 2014 at 19:30

JackSparrow's user avatar

JackSparrowJackSparrow

9081 gold badge11 silver badges8 bronze badges

1

The other post is correct to resolve the issue but doesn’t address how to do it if the 2-step-verification is turned on. The option to allow the less secure apps is NOT available then. Here is an answer to how to do it:

a. Go to the URL of `https://myaccount.google.com/` and click `Sing-in and security`

b. Click on the app password. 

enter image description here

You will reach a page like this,

enter image description here

c. Create name of your app and generate a password for the respective app.  

d. Use that password acquired here inside the app.

This should resolve the issue.

answered May 20, 2018 at 10:16

Arefe's user avatar

ArefeArefe

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0

I had the same issue and did all the tips including Gmail setting (e.g. less secure apps access) with no luck. But finally when I changed password to something different, for some reason it worked! FYI, the initial password did not have any special characters.

answered May 24, 2016 at 22:57

Ehsan's user avatar

EhsanEhsan

1,02211 silver badges20 bronze badges

  1. first go to https://myaccount.google.com
  2. Select Security tab
  3. Scroll down and select ‘Less secure app access’
  4. Turn on access

This will solve my “SMTP Error: Could not authenticate” in PHPMailer error.

answered Apr 29, 2020 at 13:07

ruwanmadhusanka's user avatar

ruwanmadhusankaruwanmadhusanka

7812 gold badges7 silver badges15 bronze badges

I had the same issue and did all the tips with no luck. Finally when I changed password to something different, for some reason it worked! (the initial password or the new one did not have any special characters)

answered Aug 18, 2019 at 14:06

user3809638's user avatar

0

The correct answer:
Go to «Manage your google accounts => Security => Signing in to Google => App passwords».
Generate your maill account password there (that will be used from other device)

answered Apr 13, 2022 at 9:49

Gosforth's user avatar

I had the same problem with authentication. The fix was to set up 2-step verification and create an application specific password for the device ( error messages for blocking the device will appear in your account settings->»Notifications and alerts» if you problem is the same with mine)

answered Jan 29, 2015 at 21:35

anu's user avatar

It was the selinux issue. I just updated the below given part in /etc/selinux/config file
SELINUX=permissive (it was SELINUX=enforcing before).
then just reboot the system by giving
reboot
Now the mail goes without any hassle.
Configuration

From Email Address : [noreply@yourdomain.com]
From Name : [your domain name]
SMTP Host   : smtp.gmail.com
Type of Encryption : SSL
SMTP Port : 465
SMTP Authentication  : YES
Username : [your mail id]
Password : [your password]

answered Feb 10, 2016 at 7:17

Jathin Prasad's user avatar

SMTP Error: could not authenticate
I had the same problem. The following troubleshooting steps helped me.

  • I turned off two-factor authentication in my gmail account.
  • I allowed less secure apps to access my gmail account. To get it working, I had to go to myaccount.google.com -> Sign-in & security -> Apps with account access, and turn Allow less secure apps to ON (near the bottom of the page).
  • At this step, when I tried to register a user, I would get the same error. Google would sent me a warning message that someone has my password and the login was blocked.
  • Gmail will then provide you with options. You either click whether the activity was yours or not yours. Click the option that the activity was yours.
  • Try registration again. It should now work.

cSteusloff's user avatar

cSteusloff

2,4376 gold badges27 silver badges50 bronze badges

answered Dec 14, 2017 at 11:47

Joshua Mutinda's user avatar

There is no issue with your code.

Follow below two simple steps to send emails from phpmailer.

  • You have to disable 2-step verification setting for google account if you have enabled.

  • Turn ON allow access to less secure app.

answered Apr 12, 2018 at 7:24

Ravindra Miyani's user avatar

I’m using PHPMailer in a Simple Script For Send Email’s Through Gmail, and I’m getting an «Unknown Error» (At least for me!):

SMTP Error: Could not authenticate.
Error: SMTP Error: Could not
authenticate.

SMTP server error: 5.7.1 Username and
Password not accepted. Learn more at
535 5.7.1
http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=14257
p38sm2467302ybk.16

I’ve read about Configure OpenSSL For SSL/TLS Connections, and I did it. Apache And PHP Are properly-Configured (With OpenSSL extension Running in PHP and mod_ssl running in Apache 2.2.16).

This is The PHP Script:

 <?php
  require_once ("PHPMailerclass.phpmailer.php");
  $Correo = new PHPMailer();
  $Correo->IsSMTP();
  $Correo->SMTPAuth = true;
  $Correo->SMTPSecure = "tls";
  $Correo->Host = "smtp.gmail.com";
  $Correo->Port = 587;
  $Correo->UserName = "foo@gmail.com";
  $Correo->Password = "gmailpassword";
  $Correo->SetFrom('foo@gmail.com','De Yo');
  $Correo->FromName = "From";
  $Correo->AddAddress("bar@hotmail.com");
  $Correo->Subject = "Prueba con PHPMailer";
  $Correo->Body = "<H3>Bienvenido! Esto Funciona!</H3>";
  $Correo->IsHTML (true);
  if (!$Correo->Send())
  {
    echo "Error: $Correo->ErrorInfo";
  }
  else
  {
    echo "Message Sent!";
  }
?>

The Username and Password are OK, And I tried in Thunderbird, without any problem.
I’ve also Used SSL Authentication and Port 465, getting the same Error.

Cœur's user avatar

Cœur

36.4k25 gold badges191 silver badges259 bronze badges

asked Oct 16, 2010 at 16:57

Alejandro Echeverri's user avatar

2

I encountered this problem. To get it working, I had to go to myaccount.google.com -> «Sign-in & security» -> «Apps with account access», and turn «Allow less secure apps» to «ON» (near the bottom of the page).

Alternatively you can follow this direct link to these settings

enter image description here

Joundill's user avatar

Joundill

6,42211 gold badges35 silver badges50 bronze badges

answered Sep 4, 2015 at 14:56

cwd's user avatar

7

Try this instead :

$Correo->Username = «foo@gmail.com»;

I tested it and its working perfectly without no other change

answered Oct 16, 2010 at 17:19

malletjo's user avatar

malletjomalletjo

1,78616 silver badges18 bronze badges

2

I received the same error and in mycase it was the password. My password has special characters.

If you supply the password without escaping the special characters the error will persist.

E.g $mail->Password = " por$ch3"; is valid but will not work using the code above .

The solution should be as follows: $mail->Password = "por$ch3";

Note the Backslash I placed before the dollar character within my password.
That should work if you have a password using special characters

answered Aug 1, 2012 at 9:57

Bubba's user avatar

BubbaBubba

1011 silver badge7 bronze badges

2

Because Allow less secure apps is no longer available

enter image description here

The solution was to enable 2-step verification and generate app password

app

select mail and computer from the list then click generate

copy the code shown in the box and replace your google password with your app password it works like a charm.

app password

answered Jun 28, 2022 at 2:10

Kym NT's user avatar

Kym NTKym NT

6309 silver badges28 bronze badges

1

I experienced the same error when configuring the WP-Mail-SMTP plugin in WordPress.

The problem would persist even when I have ‘triple checked’ the settings and login credentials, and am able to log in manually using a browser.

There’s a list of steps you can take to fix this.

  1. Create a new password for the Gmail account you want to use
  2. Enable less secure apps in Google Security settings
  3. Use the Display Unlock Captcha page to give your app or website permission to sign in to Gmail. Click Continue or follow the instructions.
  4. Sign in using the app or website. The smtp settings that work for me are 1) SMTP Host: smtp.gmail.com 2) SMTP port: 587 3) Encryption: TLS 4) Authentication: SMTP authentication 5) Username: example@gmail.com 6) Password: examplesecret

Greg's user avatar

Greg

20.9k17 gold badges81 silver badges106 bronze badges

answered Jul 20, 2017 at 8:24

pyfork's user avatar

pyforkpyfork

3,5972 gold badges20 silver badges18 bronze badges

1

my solution is:

  1. change gmail password
  2. on gmail «Manage your google Account» > Security > Turn on 3rd party app Access
  3. This the new step that i discover by UnlockingCaptcha that told in this site, the exact site is https://accounts.google.com/b/0/DisplayUnlockCaptcha, but maybe you want to read the former site first.

That all, hope it works for you

answered Jul 15, 2020 at 15:37

ibrahim saputra's user avatar

1

I received this error because of percentage signs in the password.

answered Dec 5, 2011 at 13:22

svandragt's user avatar

svandragtsvandragt

1,61320 silver badges37 bronze badges

1

For me I had a special characters in my password field, and I put it like $mail->Password = » por$ch3″ which work for gmail smpt server but not for other; so I just changed double quotes to single quotes and it works for me. $mail->Password = ‘ por$ch3’;

answered Jun 11, 2013 at 12:17

Rikin Adhyapak's user avatar

3

If you still face error in sending email, with the same error message. Try this:

$mail->SMTPSecure = 'tls';
$mail->Host = 'smtp.gmail.com';

just Before the line:

$send = $mail->Send();

or in other sense, before calling the Send() Function.

Tested and Working.

answered Jun 11, 2014 at 19:30

JackSparrow's user avatar

JackSparrowJackSparrow

9081 gold badge11 silver badges8 bronze badges

1

The other post is correct to resolve the issue but doesn’t address how to do it if the 2-step-verification is turned on. The option to allow the less secure apps is NOT available then. Here is an answer to how to do it:

a. Go to the URL of `https://myaccount.google.com/` and click `Sing-in and security`

b. Click on the app password. 

enter image description here

You will reach a page like this,

enter image description here

c. Create name of your app and generate a password for the respective app.  

d. Use that password acquired here inside the app.

This should resolve the issue.

answered May 20, 2018 at 10:16

Arefe's user avatar

ArefeArefe

10.4k16 gold badges101 silver badges159 bronze badges

0

I had the same issue and did all the tips including Gmail setting (e.g. less secure apps access) with no luck. But finally when I changed password to something different, for some reason it worked! FYI, the initial password did not have any special characters.

answered May 24, 2016 at 22:57

Ehsan's user avatar

EhsanEhsan

1,02211 silver badges20 bronze badges

  1. first go to https://myaccount.google.com
  2. Select Security tab
  3. Scroll down and select ‘Less secure app access’
  4. Turn on access

This will solve my “SMTP Error: Could not authenticate” in PHPMailer error.

answered Apr 29, 2020 at 13:07

ruwanmadhusanka's user avatar

ruwanmadhusankaruwanmadhusanka

7812 gold badges7 silver badges15 bronze badges

I had the same issue and did all the tips with no luck. Finally when I changed password to something different, for some reason it worked! (the initial password or the new one did not have any special characters)

answered Aug 18, 2019 at 14:06

user3809638's user avatar

0

The correct answer:
Go to «Manage your google accounts => Security => Signing in to Google => App passwords».
Generate your maill account password there (that will be used from other device)

answered Apr 13, 2022 at 9:49

Gosforth's user avatar

I had the same problem with authentication. The fix was to set up 2-step verification and create an application specific password for the device ( error messages for blocking the device will appear in your account settings->»Notifications and alerts» if you problem is the same with mine)

answered Jan 29, 2015 at 21:35

anu's user avatar

It was the selinux issue. I just updated the below given part in /etc/selinux/config file
SELINUX=permissive (it was SELINUX=enforcing before).
then just reboot the system by giving
reboot
Now the mail goes without any hassle.
Configuration

From Email Address : [noreply@yourdomain.com]
From Name : [your domain name]
SMTP Host   : smtp.gmail.com
Type of Encryption : SSL
SMTP Port : 465
SMTP Authentication  : YES
Username : [your mail id]
Password : [your password]

answered Feb 10, 2016 at 7:17

Jathin Prasad's user avatar

SMTP Error: could not authenticate
I had the same problem. The following troubleshooting steps helped me.

  • I turned off two-factor authentication in my gmail account.
  • I allowed less secure apps to access my gmail account. To get it working, I had to go to myaccount.google.com -> Sign-in & security -> Apps with account access, and turn Allow less secure apps to ON (near the bottom of the page).
  • At this step, when I tried to register a user, I would get the same error. Google would sent me a warning message that someone has my password and the login was blocked.
  • Gmail will then provide you with options. You either click whether the activity was yours or not yours. Click the option that the activity was yours.
  • Try registration again. It should now work.

cSteusloff's user avatar

cSteusloff

2,4376 gold badges27 silver badges50 bronze badges

answered Dec 14, 2017 at 11:47

Joshua Mutinda's user avatar

There is no issue with your code.

Follow below two simple steps to send emails from phpmailer.

  • You have to disable 2-step verification setting for google account if you have enabled.

  • Turn ON allow access to less secure app.

answered Apr 12, 2018 at 7:24

Ravindra Miyani's user avatar

2018-03-21 00:08:13 SERVER -> CLIENT: 220 smtp.gmail.com ESMTP m185sm1106113ywf.52 — gsmtp
2018-03-21 00:08:13 CLIENT -> SERVER: EHLO localhost
2018-03-21 00:08:13 SERVER -> CLIENT: 250-smtp.gmail.com at your service, [2800:200:f548:a4:eca2:a44a:c49d:e02c]250-SIZE 35882577250-8BITMIME250-STARTTLS250-ENHANCEDSTATUSCODES250-PIPELINING250-CHUNKING250 SMTPUTF8
2018-03-21 00:08:13 CLIENT -> SERVER: STARTTLS
2018-03-21 00:08:13 SERVER -> CLIENT: 220 2.0.0 Ready to start TLS
2018-03-21 00:08:14 CLIENT -> SERVER: EHLO localhost
2018-03-21 00:08:14 SERVER -> CLIENT: 250-smtp.gmail.com at your service, [2800:200:f548:a4:eca2:a44a:c49d:e02c]250-SIZE 35882577250-8BITMIME250-AUTH LOGIN PLAIN XOAUTH2 PLAIN-CLIENTTOKEN OAUTHBEARER XOAUTH250-ENHANCEDSTATUSCODES250-PIPELINING250-CHUNKING250 SMTPUTF8
2018-03-21 00:08:14 CLIENT -> SERVER: MAIL FROM:easywash17@gmail.com
2018-03-21 00:08:14 SERVER -> CLIENT: 530-5.5.1 Authentication Required. Learn more at530 5.5.1 https://support.google.com/mail/?p=WantAuthError m185sm1106113ywf.52 — gsmtp
2018-03-21 00:08:14 SMTP ERROR: MAIL FROM command failed: 530-5.5.1 Authentication Required. Learn more at530 5.5.1 https://support.google.com/mail/?p=WantAuthError m185sm1106113ywf.52 — gsmtp
The following From address failed: easywash17@gmail.com : MAIL FROM command failed,Authentication Required. Learn more at https://support.google.com/mail/?p=WantAuthError m185sm1106113ywf.52 — gsmtp,530,5.5.1SMTP server error: MAIL FROM command failed Detail: Authentication Required. Learn more at https://support.google.com/mail/?p=WantAuthError m185sm1106113ywf.52 — gsmtp SMTP code: 530 Additional SMTP info: 5.5.1
Message could not be sent. Mailer Error: The following From address failed: easywash17@gmail.com : MAIL FROM command failed,Authentication Required. Learn more at https://support.google.com/mail/?p=WantAuthError m185sm1106113ywf.52 — gsmtp ,530,5.5.1SMTP server error: MAIL FROM command failed Detail: Authentication Required. Learn more at https://support.google.com/mail/?p=WantAuthError m185sm1106113ywf.52 — gsmtp SMTP code: 530 Additional SMTP info: 5.5.1SMTP server error: MAIL FROM command failed Detail: Authentication Required. Learn more at https://support.google.com/mail/?p=WantAuthError m185sm1106113ywf.52 — gsmtp SMTP code: 530 Additional SMTP info: 5.5.12018-03-21 00:08:14 CLIENT -> SERVER: QUIT
2018-03-21 00:08:14 SERVER -> CLIENT: 221 2.0.0 closing connection m185sm1106113ywf.52 — gsmtp

PHPMailer is a great tool to send emails safely and easily using SMTP authentication.

But, sometimes this may fail due to incompatible server settings or incorrect SMTP configuration.

smtp error: could not authenticate” is one such problem reported by website owners when using PHPmailer to send emails.

At Bobcares, we resolve such email errors as part of our Outsourced Technical Support for web hosting providers.

Today, let’s see the top 5 reasons for this error and how our engineers fix it.

What is this “smtp error: could not authenticate” error?

Simply put, this error says:  “You try to connect to SMTP server, but it can’t authenticate you“.

So, it could mean,

  • The PHP application was able to connect to SMTP server, but the authentication failed.
  • Application was not able to connect to the SMTP server.

What’s wrong here? Let’s have a quick look.

Causes and Fixes for “smtp error: could not authenticate” error in phpmailer

1) Wrong SMTP authentication details

Each mail server uses an authentication system to validate users before they can connect and send emails.

When you send an email from your script, the mail server attempts to identify the user with the account’s username and password.

If this authentication fails, the mail server rejects the connection and users receive the error “smtp error: could not authenticate“.

Solution

We’ll ensure that correct username and password are given in the mail script.

In case of default email accounts, the full username(user@domain.com) should be given in the application.

Also, if the password was recently modified, it should be updated in the email application.

2) Wrong SMTP port and SMTP Host

Users should enter the mail server details in the “$mail->Host” field of the email application.

For example, if you use Gmail as your mail server, the hostname should be “smtp.gmail.com“.

Sometimes, a typo in the hostname or an inactive mail server result in this error.

Similarly, for port numbers, the default SMTP port is 25, but some mail servers use custom ports, such as 587, to avoid spam.

Also, some mail servers will be configured to allow emails only via SSL port 465.

It is also possible that some email providers restrict access to their SMTP port using firewall rules.

Incorrect port entry in SMTP settings or firewall restrictions may cause email delivery errors.

Solution

We’ll ensure the DNS connectivity of the mail server with the command.

dig mail.domain.com

Also, to identify the correct SMTP port and confirm connectivity to the SMTP port, we use the command:

telnet domain.com 25

We cross-check the SMTP settings in the application and make sure that correct SMTP host and port is used.

If we find any firewall restrictions, the IP should be whitelisted in the firewall.

3) SMTP encryption settings

For secure email transmission, most users prefer SMTP with encryption. SSL and TLS are the 2 encryption protocols used.

But, on some mail servers, SSL/TLS support may not be enabled or the existing SSL certificate may have expired.

What if users specify encryption in their application? Result is “smtp error: could not authenticate” error.

Solution

Our Support Engineers ensure that Apache and PHP are properly configured on the server with ‘mod_ssl‘ and ‘openssl‘ so that SSL can work on the server.

We’ll also verify the validity of mail server’s SSL certificate using the command:

openssl s_client -connect mail.example.com:25 -starttls smtp

So, the solution here is to properly configure SSL for the server or remove the encryption used in the SMTP settings.

4) Google blocks insecure access

Gmail enforces strict security restrictions.

If an app doesn’t meet these security standards, it may block access because these apps are easier to break into.

Users who authenticate to Gmail server receive the error “smtp error: could not authenticate” because Google considers username and password login as insecure.

Solution

Ideally, we reconfigure the app so that it meets the Google standards. If this is not possible, we’ll help website owners to loosen the security restrictions using the below steps.

  • Sign in to the Google admin console.
  • Go to Security > Basic settings.
  • Go to Less Secure Apps.
  • Turn on Allow less secure apps.

phpmailer smtp error: could not authenticate

Allow less secure apps in gmail account

5) Expired Password

This can happen once in a while.

Some servers are set to auto expire passwords and app maintainers forget to update them in time.

When the application tries to connect, the mail server could not validate the password.

Result is “smtp error: could not authenticate” error.

Solution

This usually happens when the account owner missed the notification email about password expiry.

In such cases, we reset the password and also update it in the email application.

We also make sure that the notification email is set correctly, and in some cases, we remove the password expiration set for the mailbox.

Conclusion

smtp error: could not authenticate” is a common error when users send emails via PHPMailer using SMTP authentication. This error occurs when the application can’t establish an SMTP connection to the mail server. Today, we’ve seen the top 5 causes of this error and how our Support Engineers fix them.

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var google_conversion_label = «owonCMyG5nEQ0aD71QM»;

Hi Gregor-

Yep, using “Other SMTP” mailer config.
I downgraded back to 2.0.1 and unfortunately still have the issue.
The debug log (taken with 2.1.1 installed) is below.
FYI, I did open a ticket with my host first as it looked like it was a server side issue, but when I came here and saw others having issues with the latest update, I figured it was worth asking here too.

Versions:
WordPress: 5.4.2
WordPress MS: No
PHP: 7.3.18
WP Mail SMTP: 2.1.1

Params:
Mailer: smtp
Constants: No
ErrorInfo: SMTP Error: Could not authenticate.
Host: nyc-sd015.hawkhost.com
Port: 465
SMTPSecure: ssl
SMTPAutoTLS: bool(false)
SMTPAuth: bool(true)

Server:
OpenSSL: OpenSSL 1.0.2k 26 Jan 2017
Apache.mod_security: No

Debug:
Mailer: Other SMTP
SMTP Error: Could not authenticate.

SMTP Debug:
2020-06-12 13:15:11 Connection: opening to ssl://nyc-sd015.hawkhost.com:465, timeout=300, options=array ()

2020-06-12 13:15:11 Connection: opened

2020-06-12 13:15:11 SERVER -> CLIENT: 220-nyc-sd015.hawkhost.com ESMTP Exim 4.93 #2 Fri, 12 Jun 2020 09:15:11 -0400 220-We do not authorize the use of this system to transport unsolicited, 220 and/or bulk e-mail.

2020-06-12 13:15:11 CLIENT -> SERVER: EHLO http://www.redacteddomain.com

2020-06-12 13:15:11 SERVER -> CLIENT: 250-nyc-sd015.hawkhost.com Hello http://www.redacteddomain.com [172.96.187.7]250-SIZE 52428800250-8BITMIME250-PIPELINING250-AUTH PLAIN LOGIN250 HELP

2020-06-12 13:15:11 CLIENT -> SERVER: AUTH LOGIN

2020-06-12 13:15:11 SERVER -> CLIENT: 334 VXNlcm5hbWU6

2020-06-12 13:15:11 CLIENT -> SERVER: dGFkZHlAdGFkZHlib29rLmNvbQ==

2020-06-12 13:15:11 SERVER -> CLIENT: 334 UGFzc3dvcmQ6

2020-06-12 13:15:11 CLIENT -> SERVER:

2020-06-12 13:15:13 SERVER -> CLIENT: 535 Incorrect authentication data

2020-06-12 13:15:13 SMTP ERROR: Password command failed: 535 Incorrect authentication data

SMTP Error: Could not authenticate.

2020-06-12 13:15:13 CLIENT -> SERVER: QUIT

2020-06-12 13:15:13 SERVER -> CLIENT: 221 nyc-sd015.hawkhost.com closing connection

2020-06-12 13:15:13 Connection: closed

SMTP Error: Could not authenticate.

In wordpress I am getting error SMTP Error: Could not authenticate.

Here is the log file:

Versions:
WordPress: 5.6
WordPress MS: No
PHP: 7.4.3
WP Mail SMTP: 2.5.1

Params:
Mailer: smtp
Constants: Yes
ErrorInfo: SMTP Error: Could not authenticate.
Host: mail.vitalticks.com
Port: 587
SMTPSecure: tls
SMTPAutoTLS: bool(true)
SMTPAuth: bool(true)

Server:
OpenSSL: OpenSSL 1.1.1f 31 Mar 2020
Apache.mod_security: No

Debug:
Mailer: Other SMTP
SMTP Error: Could not authenticate.

SMTP Debug:
2021-01-05 05:42:43 Connection: opening to mail.vitalticks.com:587, timeout=300, options=array()

2021-01-05 05:42:43 Connection: opened

2021-01-05 05:42:44 SERVER -> CLIENT: 220-server.vitalticks.com ESMTP Exim 4.93 #2 Mon, 04 Jan 2021 22:42:44 -0700 220-We do not authorize the use of this system to transport unsolicited, 220 and/or bulk e-mail.

2021-01-05 05:42:44 CLIENT -> SERVER: EHLO jasdental.in

2021-01-05 05:42:44 SERVER -> CLIENT: 250-server.vitalticks.com Hello ec2-3-6-131-50.ap-south-1.compute.amazonaws.com [3.6.131.50]250-SIZE 52428800250-8BITMIME250-PIPELINING250-AUTH PLAIN LOGIN250-STARTTLS250 HELP

2021-01-05 05:42:44 CLIENT -> SERVER: STARTTLS

2021-01-05 05:42:44 SERVER -> CLIENT: 220 TLS go ahead

2021-01-05 05:42:45 CLIENT -> SERVER: EHLO jasdental.in

2021-01-05 05:42:45 SERVER -> CLIENT: 250-server.vitalticks.com Hello ec2-3-6-131-50.ap-south-1.compute.amazonaws.com [3.6.131.50]250-SIZE 52428800250-8BITMIME250-PIPELINING250-AUTH PLAIN LOGIN250 HELP

2021-01-05 05:42:45 CLIENT -> SERVER: AUTH LOGIN

2021-01-05 05:42:45 SERVER -> CLIENT: 334 VXNlcm5hbWU6

2021-01-05 05:42:45 CLIENT -> SERVER: [credentials hidden]

2021-01-05 05:42:46 SERVER -> CLIENT: 334 UGFzc3dvcmQ6

2021-01-05 05:42:46 CLIENT -> SERVER: [credentials hidden]

2021-01-05 05:42:48 SERVER -> CLIENT: 535 Incorrect authentication data

2021-01-05 05:42:48 SMTP ERROR: Password command failed: 535 Incorrect authentication data

SMTP Error: Could not authenticate.

2021-01-05 05:42:48 CLIENT -> SERVER: QUIT

2021-01-05 05:42:48 SERVER -> CLIENT: 221 server.vitalticks.com closing connection

2021-01-05 05:42:48 Connection: closed

SMTP Error: Could not authenticate.

Tom J Nowell's user avatar

Tom J Nowell

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asked Jan 5, 2021 at 5:46

somutesting's user avatar

our team had enabled two factor authentication for mail so for this reason i am getting error.
after disabling the two factor authentication SMTP is working.

answered Jan 5, 2021 at 10:27

somutesting's user avatar

1

Password command failed: 535 Incorrect authentication data

The password is wrong.

answered Jan 5, 2021 at 8:24

Q Studio's user avatar

Q StudioQ Studio

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За последние 24 часа нас посетили 11532 программиста и 1149 роботов. Сейчас ищут 165 программистов …


  1. VaneS

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    Здравствуйте, у меня при отправке по SMTP выводится ошибка:

    1. SMTP Error: Could not authenticate.

    Как это исправить?


  2. Ganzal

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    правильно авторизоваться на smtp-сервере. русским по белому написано что? ошибка смтп: не смог аутентифицироваться


  3. VaneS

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    Почему с локального сервера все работает, а с удаленной VPS выдает эту ошибку? Ранее все работало, а на этой неделе просто перестал отправлять письма


  4. Ganzal

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    мб настройки смтп сменили?


  5. VaneS

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    Да в том и дело что ничего не меняли. Пытался подключаться к майлу и яндексу, ошибка оставалась прежняя, хотя ранее все работало нормально.

  6. Предположение: у хостера обновили ssl, php-ssl — нет.


  7. VaneS

    VaneS
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  8. Попробуй поиграть с безопасностью транспорта:
    $mail->SMTPSecure = ‘tls’;
    или
    $mail->SMTPSecure = ‘ssl’;

    Добавлено спустя 2 минуты 28 секунд:

    я понимаю, но вы обновляли openSSL после небезызвестного бага?


  9. Ganzal

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  10. VaneS

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    Кажется нет, а как это сделать?

    Добавлено спустя 9 минут 53 секунды:

    Моя CMS использует phpmailer, нашел там строку и заменил настройку, все заработало, спасибо большое!!!
    Так все же, как обновить на сервере SSL?


  11. Ganzal

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    руками из исходников скомпилировать. ну это если хорошо знаете что это. иначе дождитесь когда ментейнеры обновят rpm в репах центоса.

  12. Там, чуть ли не в одних из первых появляется.
    yum check-update
    прочитает базу и выплюнет длинный список того, что давненько не обновлялось.
    далее 2 пути:
    1) обновить 1 openssl: yum update openssl
    2) обновить все: yum update

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