Enable using your own SMTP server

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read

    • Enable using your own SMTP server so that you can leverage the existing filtering, retention, or compliance aspects of your own SMTP server while also using the ServiceNow POP3 server.

    Before you begin

    About this task

    You can combine your own internal email architecture with the ServiceNow email architecture to handle email. The following diagram demonstrates how you would use your own SMTP server alongside the ServiceNow POP3 server.
    Note:
    Supports only one active SMTP account at a time (for outbound emails).
    Figure 1. Sending email using your own SMTP server
    Sending email using your own SMTP server

    Procedure

    1. Navigate to All > System Mailboxes > Administration > Email Accounts.
      The system displays the list of available email accounts.
    2. Locate the record for ServiceNow SMTP and change Active to false.
      ServiceNow SMTP active = false
    3. Click New.
    4. Create an email account record for your SMTP server where the Type is SMTP.
    5. On the form, fill in the fields.
      Field Description
      Name Name of the email account.
      Type Type of mail server.
      Authentication Type of authentication used for the email account to connect to the email server. You can select one of the following:
      • –- None --
      • Password
      • OAUTH
      • OAUTH 2.0
      Server Remote server to which this account connects. To activate a server for an on-premises installation, enter the full address (FQDN) of the node (for example, node.customerdomain).
      User Name Username or ID to authenticate an email address.
      Password Password when the Authentication type is Password.
      Connection Security Type of secure connection. Choose a setting:
      None
      No secure protocol is used.
      STARTTLS
      Upgrades an insecure connection to a secure connection using the SSL/TLS encryption protocol, if your email server supports TLS.
      SSL/TLS
      Connect to an SSL/TLS encrypted port to secure the connection. Email is encrypted between the ServiceNow instance and your mail server.
      Warning:
      Selecting a less secure protocol like STARTTLS or None may expose your data. To better ensure the security of data in your email server, select SSL/TLS.
      Port Connection TCP port.
      System Address Filter

      System address filter to apply to the email account. If left blank, the system uses the default system address filter for inbound or outbound email.

      For more information, see System address filters.
      Active Option to activate the email account.
      ServiceNow Configured Identifier of whether this account is provisioned by ServiceNow. If you create an account, this option is not selected.
      Enable Debug Logging

      Option to create node logs for the raw data that is exchanged with the email server. You can review the node logs by navigating to System Logs > Utilities > Node Log File Browser.

      You can enable this field temporarily to diagnose issues related to receiving or sending email.
    6. From Related Links, click Test Connection.
      If the email account is valid, the system returns a success message.
      Test SMTP connection

    What to do next

    Configure the SMTP server in your internal email architecture to forward email from the custom email address to the instance email address. Implement a spam filter on the custom email address.