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Fixing the 'Error Sending Confirmation Email' in MailPoet

21 threads Sep 10, 2025

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One of the most common issues users encounter with the MailPoet plugin is the frustrating error message: "There was an error when sending a confirmation email for your subscription. Please contact the website owner." This error prevents new subscribers from confirming their email addresses, leaving them stuck in an "Unconfirmed" state and halting your email marketing efforts.

Based on community reports and troubleshooting threads, this error is almost always related to a problem with your email sending method. Here are the most common causes and their solutions.

Why This Error Happens

This error appears when a visitor successfully submits a subscription form, but the MailPoet plugin fails to send the required double opt-in confirmation email. The subscriber is added to your list but remains "Unconfirmed." The root cause is typically a misconfiguration or issue with how emails are being sent from your WordPress site.

How to Fix It: Common Solutions

1. Check Your Sending Service Status

If you are using the built-in MailPoet Sending Service, your account's sending capability may be paused. This can happen for several reasons:

  • The account is new and not yet fully approved.
  • You are using an email address in the "From" field that has not been authorized.
  • Sending was suspended due to policy issues or high bounce rates.

Solution: Log into your WordPress dashboard and navigate to MailPoet > Settings > Key Activation. Check your account status here. Ensure the email address you are using to send emails is listed under your authorized addresses. If your service is paused, you may need to contact the MailPoet team to have it restored.

2. Verify Your Sender Domain (DNS Authentication)

Major email providers like Gmail and Outlook now require domain authentication to prove you own the domain you're sending from. If this is not set up correctly, emails can be blocked, causing the confirmation error.

Solution: Go to MailPoet > Settings > Advanced and look for the "Send with" section. If you use the MailPoet Sending Service, you should see an option to "Authenticate your domain." Follow the instructions to add the required DNS records (DKIM, SPF, DMARC) to your domain's settings. This process can take up to 24 hours to propagate fully.

3. Confirm Your Sending Method is Working

A generic sending method error can also trigger this problem. Your chosen method (e.g., MailPoet Sending Service, your web host's SMTP, or a third-party SMTP) might be misconfigured or unavailable.

Solution: Navigate to MailPoet > Settings > Advanced and review your "Send with" option. If you are using an SMTP method, double-check the host, port, and login credentials. It is highly recommended to use a dedicated SMTP service or the MailPoet Sending Service for reliable delivery, as the default WordPress method is often unreliable.

4. Run a Plugin Conflict Test

Sometimes, other plugins can interfere with MailPoet's functionality, especially other form or SMTP plugins.

Solution: Temporarily deactivate all other plugins except MailPoet. Then, test your subscription form to see if the confirmation email sends. If it works, reactivate your plugins one by one, testing after each, to identify the conflicting plugin. You can then look for an alternative or configure it to avoid the conflict.

5. Resend Confirmation Emails to Unconfirmed Subscribers

Once you have fixed the underlying issue, you will need to manually resend confirmation emails to any subscribers who were stuck in the "Unconfirmed" state during the error.

Solution: Go to MailPoet > Subscribers, filter by "Unconfirmed," select the subscribers, and choose "Resend confirmation email" from the bulk actions menu.

Conclusion

The "error sending confirmation email" message is a common but solvable problem. In most cases, the solution involves verifying your sending service status, authenticating your domain, or checking for plugin conflicts. By methodically working through these steps, you can resolve the issue and get your email list growing again.

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