LimeSurvey Cloud offers two email configuration options for survey invitations and reminders:

Option 1: LimeSurvey Mail Server

With this built-in service, all emails originate from "noreply@limesurvey.org" but include your email address in the Reply-to header. Select 'LimeSurvey' as your mail type in global settings.

Limitation: Bounced emails won't generate notifications. Additionally, if spam is suspected, your account may be locked. Only email people who have agreed to be contacted.

Option 2: Your Own SMTP Server

This approach allows you to use your personal sender address and receive bounce notifications. You'll need to gather these details from your email provider:

• Email address authorized on the server
• SMTP username (often matches the email address)
• SMTP hostname
• Password
• SSL/TLS connection requirements and port number

Configuration steps: Enter this information in your LimeSurvey global settings email tab. If your SMTP server uses a specific port, append it to the hostname with a colon (example: smtp.server.net:587). For sending via SMTP, port 587 (submission, with TLS) is the standard.

Microsoft 365 / Azure: you can also authenticate with OAuth instead of a username and password, using the AzureOAuthSMTP plugin — supported on LimeSurvey Cloud, and increasingly relevant as Microsoft disables basic authentication for SMTP.

After saving, ensure the same email address you entered above appears in your survey settings.

For administrators: LimeSurvey connects from your installation's IP address. If your SMTP server has firewall restrictions, you'll need to whitelist this IP.