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I'm trying to use Windows 10 mail to send email through my own personal SMTP server. I don't use pop3 or imap, I just deliver my mail to a local maildir.

However, the Mail client won't let me do anything without "signing in" which is stupid. I tried using "example.com" as the account, but it wouldn't actually send my emails at all, and I couldn't find a setting to "send email now".

I was able to scroll down to "Advanced Setup" and use "Internet email account". If I use these settings:

Email Address:
my.real.address@example.com

Username:
this.does.not.matter

Password:
this is the imap/pop password that I don't need

Account name:
Me! Or whatever

Send your messages using this name:
Wayne Werner

Account type:
pop. Imap. Neither matters.

Outgoing (SMTP) email server:
my.real.smtpserver:port

Outgoing server requires auth: checked!
Use the same user name and password for sending email: Not checked

Outgoing server user name:
my.real.smtp.server.username

Outgoing server password:
my real smtp server password

Require SSL for Incoming email: checked
Require SSL for outgoing email: checked

Do I have to create a fake POP/IMAP server to get this app to believe me that I don't actually want to receive email here? Or is there some kind of hidden setting I can use?

When I configured these settings and tried to send a message, nothing happened. It stuck the files in my outbox and that was it. No error message no nothing. As far as I can tell, it was waiting to connect to the IMAP/POP server before it would try to send my email.

Wayne Werner
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1 Answers1

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The Windows Mail client is not a mail server, and you need a mail server in order to send email, even if only to a local destination.

So yes and no. You'd need a real mail server, not a fake one, that the client can connect to using one of the protocols it supports in order to use the Windows Mail client application.

This also isn't the Windows Mail app being "stupid". Mail servers are logged in to using accounts created on them. No mail client can send email on its own, they all connect to a server to do the sending and receiving. If your mail application can send on its own, that's because it's a mail server that happens to function as a client in some ways.

music2myear
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