How to Send Email Using Telnet

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At Least 2 or 3 times a year I have to test email via a telnet session. You’d think I’d remember the commands, but I’m getting old and keep forgetting 🙂

I want to document them here to make it easy for me to come back to find.

Telnet mail.server.com 25

helo

mail from: johnny@domain.com

rcpt to: friends@domain.com

data

subject: put something here

<type message body>

.

quit

Remember you can’t use the backspace when entering the first 3 commands.

Also if you get errors with the mail from or mail to you may have a mail relay issue.

 

If you need screenshots or more details check out wikihow