This article explains how to troubleshoot issues during SMTP configuration. If you received an error message during the setup, you can find a list of issues and solutions below.
Note
You will need support from your IT department to troubleshoot SMTP configuration issues.
Important information
You will find all the relevant SMTP setup steps in these two articles:
- Set up candidate communication via email
- Set up a connection between Personio and frequently used email providers
If your email provider is Microsoft or Google, we recommend using OAuth to avoid issues. Learn more about our integration with Microsoft and Google.
Troubleshooting issues and solutions
| Issue type | Description of the issue | Potential solution |
|
Your company email address is a shared mailbox. |
A shared mailbox does not have its own username and password. Also, several users can access and send emails from it. Two essential components of the SMTP settings are missing: the username and the password. |
Use a fully licensed recruiting email address rather than a shared mailbox. For more information, see this article. |
|
You can only send certain IPs via your SMTP server with a firewall.
|
Your SMTP server only allows emails to be sent from certain documented IP addresses. |
Make sure to allow the following Personio Recruiting IP addresses:
|
|
Connection to external apps cannot be established.
|
External apps cannot establish a connection, despite using a licensed email address and allowlisting the IP addresses. |
Check if your email account has permission to connect to external apps. For example, the default setting in Gmail is that it is not allowed. Enable the use of external apps in your email provider settings. Find more information on troubleshooting steps for Gmail and managing access to less secure apps. |
|
You want to edit your SMTP setup
|
You need to edit or update the currently selected email communication channel. |
You must temporarily activate another option first. We recommend enabling the Personio email service temporarily until you make the changes to SMTP. |
| Error message: wrong credentials | You need to update the credentials on your email server and check that they are updated in Personio. To do so, go to Settings > Recruiting > Recruiting > General > Recruiting email settings. | |
| Error message: timeout | Your IT department must check if the email server can be reached. | |
|
Microsoft 365 authentication issues
|
The following error message is displayed: Failed to authenticate on SMTP server with username “jobs@company.de” using 2 possible authenticators. Authenticator LOGIN returned Expected response code 235, but got code “535”.
|
Ensure that SMTP AUTH is enabled. Find more information in this Microsoft help article. Read about troubleshooting Microsoft 365 authentication issues. You can also use the integration with Microsoft to authenticate with your email server. |
|
Microsoft Entra ID authentication issues
|
When using Microsoft, certain security defaults are added to new tenants and may overwrite SMTP AUTH settings. |
You need to disable the security default settings in Microsoft Entra ID. Ensure that Basic Auth is allowed for SMTP via the Org settings in your Microsoft 365 admin center and for the specific account. |
Still need help?
If you are still experiencing issues with SMTP configuration, you can contact our support team. You must be an Account Owner.
Follow the steps below:
- Go to Help & Feedback in the sidebar of your Personio account.
- Click Browse for help.
- Click Contact us under the relevant Personio topic.
- Choose if you want us to get back to you by email, phone, or phone with screen sharing.
- A contact form appears. Add a subject, a detailed description, and any relevant screenshots.
- Submit the request.