Connect to an External Mail Service
YouTrack Cloud instances are connected to a hosted mail service. You can, however, overwrite the default configuration and connect YouTrack to your own mail service.
To access these settings, select Global Settings from the Server Settings section of the Administration menu and select the Notifications tab.
To connect to an external mail server:
If it isn't already enabled, switch on Email notifications.
For the Configuration setting, select Custom.
Additional settings for connecting to an external mail service are shown.
Enter values for the following settings:
Setting
Description
Server address
Enter the server address of your SMTP server.
Server port
Enter the connection port for the SMTP server.
Mail protocol
Select the protocol that is used by your SMTP server.
Connect anonymously
If your SMTP server does not require authentication, enable this option.
When enabled, YouTrack connects to your SMTP server without sending a username and password. The input fields for SMTP username and SMTP password are disabled. Values that are stored in these settings are ignored.
Username
Enter the username of the account that is used to access the SMTP server.
If you're connecting to Gmail, additional security requirements may apply. For details, see Special Requirements for Connecting to Gmail.
Password
Click the Change password button to specify the password for account that is used to access the SMTP server.
SSL key
Select a previously uploaded SSL key or trusted certificate for secure connection to your mail server. For details, see SSL Keys.
From address
Enter an email address for sending email notifications from YouTrack. For more information, see From and Reply-to Addresses.
Sender name
The name that is shown in email client apps as the sender for email notifications that are generated for your YouTrack instance. Use this setting to override the sender name that is used at the global level.
This setting is only available when your YouTrack Cloud instance uses the default connection for email notifications.
Reply-to address
Enter an optional address to which email replies are sent. This sets the value for the
"Reply-To:"field in the email header for messages that are sent by YouTrack. Use this setting when, for example, the address that you use to send email notifications cannot receive replies.When finished, click the Save button.
Test the connection.
Click the Send test message button.
Enter an email address to which the test message should be sent.
Click the Send button.
Check the email account that you sent the test message to and verify that the message was delivered.
If successful, the connection to your external mail service is configured and ready for use.
If unsuccessful, update your settings and test the connection until the message delivery is successful.
Special Requirements for Connecting to Gmail
Google accounts have settings that restrict access to third-party applications that use less secure sign-in technology. By their definition, this applies to connections that authenticate with a username and password, which are vulnerable to hijacking.
The setup requirements are based on the current setting for managing less secure apps. The requirements apply to the Google account that you use to authenticate with the Gmail service.
If you're connecting with a Google account that you manage yourself, the following options are available:
Generate an application-specific password (App Password) in your Google account and use it for authentication. Leave the option to enable access for less secure apps in your Google account Off.
App Passwords can only be used with accounts that have 2-Step Verification turned on.
Enable Less secure app access for your Google account and connect using your username and password (not recommended).
If you use a Google account that is managed by your organization as part of G Suite, verify which of the following settings is currently enabled for your domain.
Setting | Requirements |
|---|---|
Disable access to less secure apps for all users | The Google account that you use for authentication must have 2-Step Verification enabled. To connect to the Gmail service with this account, generate an application-specific password in your Google account.
|
Allow users to manage their access to less secure apps | You may be able to connect to the Gmail service with your Google username and password. This setup is only available when:
If you have enabled 2-Step Verification for this Google account, you need to generate and use an application-specific password. Configure the email notification settings in YouTrack as if access to less secure apps were disabled. |