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Administration · LessonBy , ServiceNow Architect · Published · ServiceNow · all levels

Email configuration

Outbound and inbound email setup: SMTP, POP or forwarding, email properties, sending tests and reading the email log.

Quick answer

Outbound and inbound email setup: SMTP, POP or forwarding, email properties, sending tests and reading the email log.

Key takeaways
  • Sending is disabled after a clone on purpose, re-enable deliberately
  • Every message is logged in sys_email with a reason when it is ignored
  • Forwarding from a corporate address keeps the branding your users expect
  • Test with a real mailbox, not only with the preview button

Outbound

Outbound email is controlled by the Email Properties page. Sending is off in sub production instances by default so a clone cannot spam real users. Check the Send all emails to test address setting before you enable sending after a clone.

Inbound

Instances receive mail at instancename@service-now.com, or you forward from your corporate domain to that address. Every received message lands in sys_email with a target table and is then processed by inbound actions.

Reading the email log

System Logs > Emails shows every message with type Sent, Received, Send-ignored or Received-ignored.

  • Send-ignored almost always means email sending is disabled or the user has no address
  • Received-ignored means no inbound action matched, or the message came from a blocked sender
  • Open the record and read the Body and Headers before you blame the notification

Practice challenge

+0 XPStreak ×0
Question 1 of 2
Where do you check whether an email left the instance?

Frequently asked questions

Why did notifications stop after we cloned production down?
Clone post processing disables email sending and often sets a test address. That is intentional, so re-enable it only in the instance where you want mail to reach real users.
Can we send from our own domain?
Yes, configure an SMTP account with your relay, or use the ServiceNow mail servers with SPF and DKIM records that authorise them for your domain.
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