Bluehost SMTP settings: mail.yourdomain.com or your box hostname, port 465
Bluehost email SMTP settings: host mail.yourdomain.com (or boxNNNN.bluehost.com), port 465 SSL or 587 STARTTLS, full mailbox address and password. cPanel hourly sending limits and the fix for WordPress mail.
Bluehost outgoing mail server:
mail.yourdomain.com, port <code>465</code> (SSL/TLS) or <code>587</code> (STARTTLS) or <code>26</code> (STARTTLS), username = the full mailbox address, password = the mailbox password from cPanel → Email Accounts.
Bluehost SMTP settings at a glance
| Outgoing (SMTP) host | mail.yourdomain.com — or the server hostname shown in cPanel (e.g. box5678.bluehost.com) when the certificate does not match your domain |
|---|---|
| Ports & encryption |
465 — SSL/TLS <em>(recommended)</em>587 — STARTTLS26 — STARTTLS <em>(alternative on some Bluehost servers)</em> |
| Username | the full mailbox address |
| Password | the mailbox password from cPanel → Email Accounts |
| Authentication | Bluehost runs cPanel; credentials are the cPanel mailbox login. Use the server hostname as host if TLS certificate errors appear with mail.yourdomain.com. |
How to set up Bluehost SMTP
- cPanel → Email Accounts → create the mailbox; "Connect Devices" shows the exact host/ports.
- App settings: host mail.yourdomain.com (or the box hostname), port 465 SSL/TLS, username = full address, password = mailbox password.
Sending limits
- cPanel hourly limits apply (Bluehost documents a per-hour cap in the low hundreds per mailbox/domain); exceeding it defers mail with "Domain has exceeded the max emails per hour".
- Outbound port 25 from shared hosting is restricted.
Things that catch people out
- Bluehost-hosted WordPress often "sends" with PHP mail() that silently fails — always configure SMTP.
Common Bluehost SMTP errors
| Server reply | Meaning | Fix |
|---|---|---|
550 Domain yourdomain.com has exceeded the max emails per hour | cPanel hourly limit. | Throttle or use a relay for site mail. |
Certificate name mismatch | Host mail.yourdomain.com has no matching certificate. | Use the box hostname from cPanel. |
More codes: 535 authentication failed, 550 relay denied, 554 rejected as spam, connection timed out — or all SMTP error codes.
When Bluehost is not enough for your app
When a provider caps you or blocks a port, point the same app at QueenSMTP instead: host smtp.queensmtp.com, port 587 (STARTTLS) or 465 (SSL), your SMTP username and password from the dashboard. $5/year plus $0.10 per 1,000 emails, 100 free a day to test.
Get SMTP credentials — free to test Test Bluehost nowRelated settings
Bluehost SMTP — questions
mail.yourdomain.com (or your box hostname from cPanel) on port 465 with SSL, using the full mailbox address and password.
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