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How To Send Mail From Localhost XAMPP Using PHP

· 3 min read
Milan Jadav
Milan Jadav
author

How To Send Mail From Localhost XAMPP Using PHP.​

To send mail from localhost XAMPP using Gmail, configure XAMPP after installing it.

Steps to Send Mail From Localhost XAMPP Using Gmail:

Open XAMPP Installation Directory.

  • Go to C:\xampp\php and open the php.ini file.
  • Find [mail function] by pressing ctrl + f
  • Search and pass the following values:
php.ini
SMTP=smtp.gmail.com

smtp_port=587

sendmail_from = YourGmailId@gmail.com

sendmail_path = "C:\xampp\sendmail\sendmail.exe\"

Sign in with App Passwords to generate an app password for your account.​

  • Go to Google Account and sign in with your Gmail account, Make sure you are signed in with the same account you want to generate the app password for and Turn on 2-Step Verification.
  • Under Select app, choose the app you want to generate the app password for. For example, Mail, Chrome, or Calendar.
  • Select the mail and device you want to generate the app password for.
  • Click Generate. You’ll see a 16-character app password. Copy it to your clipboard or write it down somewhere safe.
  • Click Done.

Now, go to C:\xampp\sendmail and open the sendmail.ini file.

Find [sendmail] by pressing ctrl + f Search and pass the following values

sendmail.ini
smtp_server=smtp.gmail.com

smtp_port=587 or 25 //use any of them

error_logfile=error.log

debug_logfile=debug.log

auth_username=yourgmail@gmail.com

auth_password= Paste the app password here

force_sender=YourGmailId@gmail.com(optional)

Now create a php file and paste the following code in it.​

sendmail.php
<?php
$to_email = "receipient@gmail.com";
$subject = "Simple Email Test via PHP";
$body = "Hi, This is test email send by PHP Script";
$headers = "From: sender email";

if (mail($to_email, $subject, $body, $headers)) {
    echo "Email successfully sent to $to_email...";
} else {
    echo "Email sending failed...";
}

Now run the php file in your browser.​

If you are using XAMPP, then run the php file in your browser by typing localhost/sendmail.php in the address bar.

Possible Errors and Solutions​

  • If you are getting the error SMTP Error: Could not authenticate. then you have to generate an app password for your Gmail account. Go to https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords and generate an app password for your Gmail account and paste it in the sendmail.ini file.

  • If you are getting the error SMTP Error: Could not connect to SMTP host. then you have to change the port number in the sendmail.ini file. Change the port number from 587 to 25 or vice versa.

Conclusion​

In this article, we have learned how to send mail from localhost XAMPP using Gmail. We have also learned how to generate an app password for your Gmail account.

References​