--- title: "Configuring Email and SMS Settings" slug: "configuring-email-and-sms-settings-1" tags: ["Portal"] updated: 2026-11-08T12:08:12Z published: 2026-11-08T12:08:12Z canonical: "kb.ctera.com/configuring-email-and-sms-settings-1" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.ctera.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Configuring Email and SMS Settings You can configure global email and SMS settings that will be inherited by all servers. For information on overriding these settings on a per-server basis, see [Editing Server Settings](/v1/docs/editing-server-settings-5-1). **Warning** Microsoft have announced that they are phasing out support for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) connections that use basic authentication; username and password authentication. Attempting to send email using just a username and password, even with TLS, will fail and only modern authentication (OAuth 2.0) will be valid. To send mail through Microsoft 365 without basic authentication, you need to authenticate with Azure Entra ID and obtain an OAuth token. To resolve this change, CTERA requires [setting up an SMTP relay server](/v1/docs/setup-smtp-relay-server) to act as an intermediary mail server. **To configure email and SMS settings:** 1. In the global administration view, select **Settings > Control Panel** in the navigation pane. The **Control Panel** page is displayed. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-OPQ0DVTP.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A33%3A58Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A33%3A58Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ai5fCi3GgGS9Svknx8oCZ72Y7%2FKFRaoZYjPQQoVsCs4%3D) 2. Select **Email and SMS** under **Notification and Log Settings**. The **Email and SMS** page is displayed. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-S96B9ID2.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A33%3A58Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A33%3A58Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ai5fCi3GgGS9Svknx8oCZ72Y7%2FKFRaoZYjPQQoVsCs4%3D) 3. Complete the fields. **Enable Email Sending** – Enable sending email messages from the CTERA Portal to users. When **Enable Email Sending** is enabled, **SMTP Details** are also enabled. **Delivery method** – The outgoing delivery method, either **SMTP Server** or **Microsoft Graph API**. Microsoft Graph is a highly secure API-based method for basic email sending, replacing SMTP (SMTP AUTH). **Sender** – The email address that should appear in the From field of notifications. For example: CTERA Customer Service [support@ctera.com](mailto:support@ctera.com). When the delivery method is **SMTP Server**: When the delivery method is **Microsoft Graph API**: ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-CET3P30V.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A33%3A58Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A33%3A58Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ai5fCi3GgGS9Svknx8oCZ72Y7%2FKFRaoZYjPQQoVsCs4%3D) **Enable SMS Sending** – Enable sending passcodes via text message to protect access to guest invitations. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-S96B9ID2.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A33%3A58Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A33%3A58Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ai5fCi3GgGS9Svknx8oCZ72Y7%2FKFRaoZYjPQQoVsCs4%3D) To effectively enable SMS messaging, you must register with an SMS gateway and then configure the sender email and destination domain. **SMS Details** must be configured in order for the **SMS** option to be displayed in the authentication options in the [Collaboration](/v1/docs/virtual-portal-settings-2-1#collaboration) section of the **Virtual Portal Settings** window. - **SMTP Host** – The outgoing mail server address for sending email messages from CTERA Portal to users. - **SMTP Port** – The port number for sending email messages from CTERA Portal to users. This port is usually TCP 25. - **Enable TLS** – Slide on to use Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption for sending email messages from CTERA Portal. - **Server Requires Authentication** – Slide on if the SMTP server requires authentication. **Warning** The username and password you specified for the portal administrator are sent to the email address using the information specified here. If the address is incorrect, the email will not arrive . - **User Name** – Type the user name that CTERA Portal should use when authenticating to the SMTP server. - **Password** – Type the password that CTERA Portal should use when authenticating to the SMTP server. - **Tenant ID** – The tenant ID from Azure Entra ID. This must be a valid GUID format. - **Client ID** – The client ID from Azure Entra ID. This must be a valid GUID format. - **Client Secret** – The client secret key from Azure Entra ID. - **Scope** – A URL. Keep the value unless instructed otherwise by CTERA support. - **SMS Sender** – The sender email address registered with the SMS gateway. - **Destination Domain** – The DNS suffix of the sender email. 4. Click **Save**. **Note** If you are using Microsoft Azure Entra ID, for Microsoft Graph permissions, you must set **Admin consent required** to `Yes` for **Mail.Send**. **To validate SMTP mail server settings:** - Click **Test Email** to send a test email. Verify that you receive the test mail at the email address defined in your administrator user account. If you change the mail settings, restart the portal servers in order for the changes to take effect.