How to send mail from localhost in php using phpmailer

To send mail from localhost in PHP using PHPMailer, you'll need to follow these steps:

Step 1: Install PHPMailer

You can install PHPMailer using Composer by running the following command in your terminal:

composer require phpmailer/phpmailer

Step 2: Configure PHPMailer

Create a new PHP file (e.g., sendmail.php) and add the following code:

<?php
require 'vendor/autoload.php';

use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\PHPMailer;
use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\Exception;

// Create a new PHPMailer instance
$mail = new PHPMailer();

// Set the sender's email address
$mail->setFrom('[email protected]', 'Your Name');

// Set the recipient's email address
$mail->addAddress('[email protected]');

// Set the subject of the email
$mail->Subject = 'Test Email from localhost';

// Set the body of the email
$mail->Body = 'This is a test email sent from localhost using PHPMailer.';

// Set the SMTP server settings
$mail->isSMTP();
$mail->Host = 'localhost'; // or your SMTP server's hostname
$mail->SMTPAuth = false; // or true if your SMTP server requires authentication
$mail->Port = 25; // or your SMTP server's port number

// Send the email
if (!$mail->send()) {
    echo 'Error sending email: '. $mail->ErrorInfo;
} else {
    echo 'Email sent successfully!';
}

Step 3: Configure your SMTP server (if necessary)

If you're using a local SMTP server (e.g., Mailhog, Mailcatcher, or a virtual mail server), you'll need to configure it to allow connections from your PHP script. Consult your SMTP server's documentation for instructions on how to do this.

Step 4: Run the script

Save the sendmail.php file and run it using your web server or a PHP CLI tool (e.g., php sendmail.php).

Troubleshooting tips

• Make sure your PHP script has the necessary permissions to send emails.
• Check your SMTP server settings (e.g., hostname, port, authentication) to ensure they're correct.
• Verify that your email address is valid and not blocked by your email provider.
• If you're using a local SMTP server, ensure it's running and configured correctly.

By following these steps, you should be able to send emails from your localhost using PHPMailer.