How to Send Email in Laravel using SMTP

Today we are going to explain how to send email in Laravel using STMP. Laravel is PHP based framework that comes with a simple API to send emails via SMTP from localhost or Hosted online. You can easily use the 'Mailable' class to build an email function. You can also send customized data explicitly using the with() a method. Can Use SMTP Mails service providers like Google, Yahoo, Webmail and etc

Sending emails is a crucial feature in most web applications — from user registration confirmation to contact forms and invoice delivery. Laravel, a powerful PHP framework, makes it easy to send emails using SMTP.

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you how to send email in Laravel using SMTP, configure the .env file, use the built-in Mail facade, and test it efficiently.

Why Use SMTP in Laravel?

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) ensures reliable, authenticated, and trackable email delivery. With SMTP, Laravel can connect with mail services like:

• Gmail

• Mailgun

• SendGrid

• Outlook

• Zoho

• Custom business email

Laravel Send Email via SMTP

Configure email setting in 'config\mail.php' Like MAIL_DRIVER, MAIL_HOST, MAIL_PORT, etc.

Here are the steps to send mail using the SMTP server in laravel.

Step 1:
First, install the latest version of laravel. Below is the command to install Laravel

composer create-project laravel/laravel project_name --prefer-dist

Step 2:
open up the '.env' file and configure the email settings. Here we are using email client as Gmail

Gmail SMTP Settings:
Host Name: smtp.gmail.com
Smtp Port: 587(tls), 465(ssl)
Encryption: tls/ssl

Your '.env' file should look like given below 

MAIL_DRIVER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
MAIL_PORT=465
MAIL_USERNAME=your_gmail_id
MAIL_PASSWORD=your_gmail_password
MAIL_ENCRYPTION=ssl

Step 3:
Then generate the mailable class. Fire up the below command on the command prompt.

php artisan make:mail SendeMail

This will create 'SendeMail.php' file inside 'App\Mail' folder.

SendMail.php

namespace App\Mail;

use Illuminate\Bus\Queueable;
use Illuminate\Mail\Mailable;
use Illuminate\Queue\SerializesModels;
use Illuminate\Contracts\Queue\ShouldQueue;

class WelcomeUser extends Mailable
{
    use Queueable, SerializesModels;
 
    public $uname;

    public function __construct($uname)
    {
        $this->uname = $uname;
    }

    public function build()
    {
        return $this->view('email.welcome');
    }
}
?>

Setp 4:

Create a View file. This will contain the template of our email. Create 'email' folder inside 'views' and place 'welcome.blade.php' file. below are the simple view template 

welcome.blade.php
 

Hi {{ $uname }}! Welcome to KodingMadeSimple.com

Step 5:
Create a contoller file with comment give below 

php artisan make:controller MailController

And Open the 'MailController.php' file inside 'App\Http\Controllers' folder and add send_mail() function

MailController.php

...

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Mail;
use App\Mail\WelcomeUser;

...

public function send_email()
{
 $user_name = 'John Anderson';
 $to = 'john.anderson@gmail.com'
 Mail::to($to)->send(new WelcomeUser($user_name));
 return 'Mail sent successfully';
}
?>

Step 6:
Add route for our MailController send_mail() function. router file will be in this path 'routes\web.php'

Route::get('/user/sendmail', 'HomeController@send_email');

Open your browser and Run the code 

Troubleshooting Tips

• Check your .env credentials (especially Gmail or SMTP provider)

• Verify that your MAIL_PORT and MAIL_ENCRYPTION are correct

• Use logging: MAIL_MAILER=log to debug email content without sending

Pro Tips

• For production, use services like Mailgun, SendGrid, or Amazon SES

• Use queues for performance: php artisan queue:work

• Customize Blade views for transactional emails

FAQ

1) How do I send an email in Laravel using SMTP?

In Laravel, configure .env for SMTP, create a Mailable class, and use the Mail::to()->send() function to send the email.

2) What is the best way to send email in Laravel?

The best way is to use SMTP with Laravel's Mail facade and create a dedicated Mailable class for reusable and structured email templates.

3) Can I use Gmail SMTP to send email in Laravel?

Yes. Set MAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com, MAIL_PORT=587, and MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls in your .env, and use your Gmail credentials.

4) Why is Laravel mail not working with SMTP?

Check that your .env settings are correct, your email service allows SMTP, and the MAIL_MAILER is set to smtp.

5) How do I test email sending in Laravel?

You can create a route that sends a test mail and visit that route in the browser to check if it sends successfully.

6) Can I log emails instead of sending them in Laravel?

Yes. Set MAIL_MAILER=log in .env to log the email contents without actually sending them — useful for local testing.

7) Is it secure to use SMTP in Laravel?

Yes, if you use secure ports (587 with TLS or 465 with SSL) and avoid storing plain passwords — consider using Laravel’s secrets manager or environment variables.