External user not receiving password reset email

[MahekMM]

Hello,

I am investigating an issue where an external user is unable to receive the password reset email from a ServiceNow portal.

The user is attempting to reset their password using the "Forgot Password" option, but no password reset email is received.

The user has already checked Inbox, Spam, and Junk folders. Their IT team has also confirmed that no email logs exist on their mail server. According to them, even blocked or quarantined emails would normally appear in their logs, so it appears that the email may not have been triggered or sent from ServiceNow.

Checks already completed:

• User record is active
• Email address is correct
• User is not locked out
• User ID matches the email address
• Contact record is active and linked correctly
• Notifications are enabled
• No duplicate user/contact found

Constraints:

I do not have admin access to Production, so I am unable to check sys_email logs, notification configuration, or email properties directly.

Questions:

1. What could cause password reset emails to not be triggered in ServiceNow?
2. Which areas should typically be checked (notifications, events, email configuration, user/contact setup)?
3. Could this be related to initial user activation or invitation email not being triggered previously?
4. Are there common configuration issues that prevent password reset emails from being generated for external users?

Any guidance on troubleshooting steps would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

[Dr Atul G- LNG]

Hi  

https://support.servicenow.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0827356

https://www.servicenow.com/community/developer-forum/password-reset-email-not-received/m-p/2368206

[Tanushree Maiti]

Refer these KBs

Password reset is fails at sending email step 

KB0830039 Password Reset reminder email is not being sent 

Also refer: https://www.servicenow.com/community/developer-forum/unable-to-send-password-reset-email/m-p/2351542

https://www.servicenow.com/community/developer-forum/password-reset-emails-not-sent/m-p/2213495