Overview
The ‘Connection refused’ error occurs when your SMTP plugin fails to connect to the mail server you configured on port 25. This error often happens with the Other SMTP mailer in an SMTP plugin like WP Mail SMTP.
Causes
The error usually occurs due to the security settings on your web hosting server and not the SMTP plugin. Your web server may be blocking or incorrectly routing connections to the SMTP server on port 25.
Solution
To resolve the ‘Connection refused’ error, follow these steps:
-
Contact web hosting support: Reach out to your web hosting provider’s support team and share the exact error message you’re seeing. They’ll be able to investigate and fix any server configuration issues preventing the connection to the SMTP server.
-
Consider switching to a dedicated email service: The Other SMTP mailer doesn’t use a dedicated email API, which can lead to these types of errors. If you frequently encounter this error, consider switching to a dedicated email service provider like SendLayer.
Using a dedicated email service like SendLayer can help avoid many common SMTP errors and improve your overall email deliverability.
That’s it! Now you know how to troubleshoot and fix the ‘Connection refused’ error.
Would you like to learn how to integrate your site with SendLayer? Our guide on setting up the SendLayer mailer with WP Mail SMTP covers all the steps in detail.