### [Error: Domain Is Not Activated](https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/sendlayer-domain-not-activated/)

**Published:** May 25, 2026
**Author:** David Ozokoye

**Content:**

**Note**: This guide applies to the [SendLayer mailer](https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/how-to-setup-the-sendlayer-mailer-using-quick-connect/ "SendLayer") in WP Mail SMTP.

## What This Error Means

The sending domain in SendLayer hasn’t passed DNS verification. SendLayer requires domain authentication before it will send email from that domain.

## Common Causes

- Domain was never added to SendLayer (the domain in the From Email isn’t registered in the SendLayer account)
- DNS records added but not yet propagated
- Required DNS records missing or entered incorrectly at the DNS provider
- Wrong domain added to SendLayer (doesn’t match the From Email domain in WP Mail SMTP)
- Domain verification was never started (domain was added but DNS records were never set up)

## How to Fix

Here is the complete step-by-step guide to resolving the error.

### Step 1: Add the Domain to SendLayer

If the sending domain isn’t yet in SendLayer, add it first. You can skip to Step 2 if your domain is already in SendLayer.

To add a new domain, log in to your [SendLayer](https://app.sendlayer.com "SendLayer") account. Once you’re logged in, click the **DOMAIN** dropdown at the top of the sidebar.

![Click the domain switcher dropdown in the sidebar](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/dashboard-click-domain-switcher.png)Then, click **Add new domain** at the bottom of the dropdown.

![Click Add new domain in the dropdown](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/dashboard-click-add-new-domain.png)Next, enter the domain that matches your **From Email** address in WP Mail SMTP. For example, if your From Email is `you@example.com`, enter `example.com`.

![Enter your domain name in the text field](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/add-domain-enter-name-1.png)After that, click **Add domain**. SendLayer will display the DNS records you need to add. Continue to **Step 2** to add them.

![Click the Add domain button](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/add-domain-click-add.png)### Step 2: Add and Verify the DNS Records

SendLayer authenticates the domain through DNS records you add at your DNS provider. Here’s how to verify your domain.

Log in to SendLayer, then click **Settings** in the left sidebar to open the **DNS Records & Settings** page.

![Click Settings in the sidebar](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/dashboard-click-settings-1.png)You’ll see a table of DNS records with columns for **Type**, **Hostname**, **Value**, **TTL**, and **Status**. Each record has a status icon indicating whether SendLayer has verified it.

![View the DNS records table with status indicators](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/settings-dns-records.png)Next, log in to your **DNS provider** (Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.) and add each record listed in SendLayer. For each record, match the **Type**, **Hostname**, and **Value** fields exactly as they are displayed in SendLayer.

**Note**: See the [guide to adding DNS records](https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/how-to-add-dns-records-for-wp-mail-smtp-setup/ "How to add DNS records") for step-by-step instructions for common DNS providers.

After adding your DNS records, return to your SendLayer account area. Check the **Status** column for green checkmarks. DNS propagation can take up to **24-48 hours**, though it’s usually faster.

Finally, once all records show green checkmarks and the domain is **Active**, send a test email to confirm the fix.

### Step 3: Send a Test Email

To test the fix, log in to your WordPress admin area and go to **WP Mail SMTP » Tools**, click the **Email Test** tab, enter a recipient email in the **Send To** field, leave the **HTML** toggle ON, and click **Send Email**.

![Test email tab](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/test-email-tab-1024x1002.png)Once done, look for the success message and confirm the email arrived in your inbox.

## Notes

- SendLayer requires 4 CNAME records (covering DKIM, SPF, and DMARC) plus 1 TXT record. Add all 5 records. Missing any one of them can prevent verification.
- SendLayer implements SPF and DMARC as CNAME records, not TXT records as in traditional setups.
- If records appear correct but verification fails, double-check for extra spaces, trailing dots that some DNS providers add automatically, or your DNS provider auto-appending the domain name to CNAME values (causing a duplicate like `sl._domainkey.example.com.example.com`).
- Confirm the **From Email** in **WP Mail SMTP » Settings » General** uses an address at the domain verified in SendLayer.

That’s It! You now know how to fix the ‘Domain Is Not Activated’ error in SendLayer and get your emails sending again through WP Mail SMTP.

**Categories:** SendLayer Errors, Error Library

---