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How to Send a Test Email & Troubleshoot Delivery

Send a test email from Icegram Express to verify email formatting and diagnose deliverability or mail server issues.

Sending a test email allows you to verify that your mail server or transactional sending service is delivering emails reliably and that formatting renders properly in your inbox.

How to Send a Test Email

  1. In your WordPress admin, go to Icegram Express > Settings > Email Sending.
  2. Locate the Send Test Email box near the top of the page.
  3. Enter an email address you can access.
  4. Click Send Email.
  5. Check the status indicator beneath the button.

Send test email configuration and status notification in settings

Troubleshooting: Why Didn’t the Test Email Arrive?

If the test reports success but the message does not appear in your inbox after a few minutes, work through these diagnostic checks:

1. Check Spam and Junk Folders

Email providers often flag unauthenticated PHP mail as spam. If the email is in your spam folder, configure a dedicated SMTP or API mailer and verify SPF, DKIM, and DMARC DNS records.

2. Match Your Sender Address with Your Domain

If your From Email address uses a free webmail address (such as @gmail.com or @yahoo.com), inbox providers will reject it under strict DMARC rules. Ensure your From Email in Settings > General matches your site’s domain (e.g., newsletter@yourdomain.com).

3. Check for Plugin Conflicts

If you have another SMTP plugin active (e.g., WP Mail SMTP), ensure its credentials are valid or configure your mailer directly inside Icegram Express under Settings > Email Sending.

4. Test WordPress Core Email Functionality

To determine whether the issue is specific to Icegram Express or affects your entire WordPress server:

  1. Log out of WordPress and visit your site’s login page (/wp-login.php).
  2. Click Lost your password? and request a reset for your admin email.
  3. If you do not receive the password reset email, your hosting server is blocking outgoing PHP mail. Contact your hosting provider to unblock mail sending, or switch to an authenticated SMTP relay.

5. Check for “Could not instantiate mail function”

If this error appears, your host’s PHP mail() function is disabled or misconfigured. Switch to an authenticated SMTP provider or cloud mailer API (like SendGrid, Amazon SES, or Postmark).