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To send a mass email in vBulletin, open the Admin Control Panel and go to Users > Send Email to Users. Select the recipients or user group, complete the From, Subject, and Message fields, choose a conservative Email to send at once value, and click Send. Use Test Email Only first to verify targeting without delivering the message.
Delivery depends on your forum’s mail configuration and your hosting provider’s limits. Configure SMTP or PHP mail under Settings > Options > Email Options, enable the mail queue for larger lists, and troubleshoot failed delivery with vBulletin’s Email Diagnostics tool.
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What vBulletin mass email does
vBulletin’s built-in email form sends one message to multiple registered users selected from the Admin CP. You can target a user group or filter users using the criteria exposed by your installed version. The form then processes recipients in batches rather than requiring you to create individual messages.
This is intended for forum announcements, account notices, and other communications related to your community. It is not a substitute for a dedicated marketing platform when you need advanced campaigns, subscription management, automated bounce processing, or high-volume analytics. Your hosting company or SMTP provider may also restrict bulk sending even when vBulletin accepts the message.
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Configure email delivery before sending
Do not start with the recipient form until the forum can send a normal test message. Open Settings > Options > Email Options in the Admin CP and review the mail settings used by your installation.
Choose PHP mail or SMTP
vBulletin can use PHP’s internal mail function or an SMTP server. PHP mail is the simpler option, but it depends on the web server’s local mail configuration and may provide little control over authentication, reputation, or logging. SMTP sends through a specified mail server and can authenticate your forum with the provider.
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| Delivery method | What it uses | Advantages | Risks and checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHP internal mail | The web server’s PHP mail function | Minimal configuration when the host has already configured local mail | Failures can be difficult to diagnose; the host may impose strict sending limits or apply poor sender reputation |
| SMTP | An external or host-provided SMTP server | Authentication, explicit host and port settings, secure connection options, and generally better control over delivery | Requires correct credentials, port, encryption, sender policy, and a provider that permits your intended volume |
For SMTP, enter the server host, port, username, password, and secure-connection setting required by your mail provider. The exact values are provider-specific. vBulletin’s manual notes that SMTP bypasses PHP’s internal mail function and can resolve problems caused by the PHP mail configuration.
Set the webmaster address correctly
Use a valid webmaster or forum sender address. vBulletin’s troubleshooting guidance recommends confirming that the address exists and, where possible, uses the same domain as the forum. A mismatched or nonexistent sender can cause rejection, spam filtering, or confusing diagnostic results.
Enable the mail queue for larger lists
In Email Options, enable Use Mailqueue System when sending to a substantial list. Set Number of Emails to Send Per Batch to control how many messages vBulletin attempts in each queue run. The queue is designed to prevent a large send from creating a single burst that overloads the web server or mail service.
Queueing does not override provider policy. The appropriate batch value depends on server resources, the mail provider’s limits, and the size and frequency of your sends. No universal safe number is published for vBulletin. If your host does not state a limit, begin conservatively, watch the logs and delivery behavior, and change the value gradually rather than making a large jump.
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Send a mass email from the Admin CP
The explicit Users > Send Email to Users workflow is documented for vBulletin 4.2.5. Later versions may use slightly different labels, but the same basic fields and controls are generally grouped in the user-management or email area. Check the labels in your installed version before documenting a click path for staff.
- Sign in to the Admin CP. Use an account with permission to send administrative email.
- Open the recipient form. Select Users > Send Email to Users.
- Choose the audience. Use the available filters to select all eligible users, a specific user group, or another supported subset. Confirm that excluded groups, banned accounts, or users without usable addresses are handled as intended by your version.
- Run a test first. Select Test Email Only. This lets you verify the recipient selection and message setup without sending the real campaign to the full audience. If the test mode offers a destination address or preview, use an administrator mailbox that you can inspect.
- Enter the sender. Complete the From field with the valid forum-domain address configured for your installation.
- Write the subject. Keep it specific to the forum notice. Avoid a subject that could be mistaken for a password request, invoice, or unrelated promotion.
- Write the message. Explain why the user is receiving the email, provide the relevant forum link or instructions, and identify where users can adjust forum notifications or contact staff. Confirm that the message renders correctly in plain text or HTML according to your vBulletin settings.
- Set the batch count. Enter a conservative value in Email to send at once. Use a value allowed by your host and mail provider, not a number chosen only because the list is large.
- Review every field. Check the group, filters, sender, subject, message, and batch setting. A wrong group selection is harder to undo than a typo in the message.
- Send the email. Clear Test Email Only only after the test is correct, then click Send. If mail queueing is enabled, vBulletin will process the messages through the queue instead of attempting the entire list in one request.
Target one user group or a smaller audience
Use the recipient criteria on the send form rather than exporting addresses and sending outside vBulletin. Select the required user group, then inspect any additional filters presented by the installation. Group names can overlap with permissions or secondary-group assignments, so verify whether your version includes users who have the group as a primary group, a secondary group, or either.
For a narrowly targeted notice, test with a small, known audience before removing the test flag. Check the resulting addresses and message content, then run the actual send with the same filters. If the interface offers an explicit count or preview, record it before sending so an unexpected change in the count is visible.
How many emails should be sent at once?
There is no single vBulletin batch number that is safe for every forum. A shared host may enforce a lower limit than a dedicated server, and an SMTP provider may apply its own per-minute, daily, or account-level policy. SiteGround’s guidance specifically advises administrators to check their hosting terms or contact support for the allowed number of messages sent at once.
Use this process to choose a practical value:
- Find the governing limit. Check your hosting plan and SMTP provider terms. Treat the stricter limit as the boundary.
- Enable the queue. Turn on Use Mailqueue System and configure Number of Emails to Send Per Batch.
- Start below the limit. A conservative batch reduces the chance of PHP timeouts, provider throttling, and sudden load on a shared server.
- Observe one complete run. Check queue progress, mailer logs, server load, and whether recipients receive the message.
- Adjust gradually. Increase the batch only when the current setting completes reliably and the provider permits the change. Reduce it immediately if messages are deferred, rejected, or cause timeouts.
Do not confuse Email to send at once with the total number of recipients. The first controls the size of each send operation; the queue can process a larger audience over multiple runs.
PHP mail versus SMTP: which should a forum use?
The right choice depends on whether your priority is minimal setup or predictable, authenticated delivery. The following comparison covers the decisions that matter for a vBulletin administrator.
| Decision area | PHP mail | SMTP |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication | Usually handled by the server’s local mail configuration | Uses the username, password, host, port, and security settings supplied by the mail provider |
| Deliverability control | Depends heavily on the hosting server’s sender reputation and configuration | Provides a defined sending service and may offer stronger sender controls, subject to provider policy |
| Limits | Often governed by the web host’s local limits | Governed by both the SMTP provider and the host that connects to it |
| Diagnostics | Failures may appear only in local mail or web-server logs | Provider responses and SMTP connection errors can make failures easier to isolate |
| Queue compatibility | Works with vBulletin’s mail queue when PHP mail is functioning | Works with the queue while adding the provider’s connection and policy requirements |
If PHP mail is unreliable, vBulletin’s troubleshooting documentation recommends trying SMTP. SMTP is not automatically a guarantee of inbox placement: incorrect DNS, sender authentication, provider throttling, or a poor sending reputation can still prevent delivery.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot vBulletin emails that are not delivered
Separate the problem into three questions: did vBulletin create the message, did the server or SMTP service accept it, and did the recipient’s mail system deliver it? The diagnostic path below helps identify which stage failed.
1. Run Email Diagnostics
In the Admin CP, open Maintenance > Diagnostics > Email Diagnostics. Run the diagnostic and note any connection, authentication, or mailer errors. This test is more useful when you run it after confirming the sender address and the Email Options settings.
2. Check the mailer daemon and server logs
Review the mailer daemon logs and relevant hosting logs for rejected recipients, connection failures, authentication errors, queue deferrals, or rate-limit responses. A successful vBulletin request does not prove that the recipient’s mail system accepted the message; the mail service log is the next authoritative checkpoint.
3. Verify the sender and domain
Confirm that the webmaster address is valid, monitored, and associated with the forum’s domain where possible. Correct any typo in the From field and make sure the SMTP account is authorized to send using that address.
4. Test SMTP when PHP mail fails
If diagnostics show that PHP mail is not handing messages to the server reliably, configure SMTP under Settings > Options > Email Options. Recheck the host, port, username, password, and secure-connection setting against the provider’s current instructions, then rerun Email Diagnostics.
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Shared hosting can impose limits on simultaneous or total messages. If logs show throttling, timeouts, or a host-side rejection, lower Email to send at once and keep the mail queue enabled. Contact the host if the permitted limit is unclear. If the intended volume exceeds the host’s policy, use an SMTP provider whose current terms allow it rather than attempting to bypass the restriction.
6. Distinguish queue delay from failure
A queued message may not arrive immediately. Check whether the queue is advancing and whether new batches are being processed. A queue that remains unchanged, repeatedly retries the same entries, or fills with errors indicates a delivery problem rather than normal delay.
Operational checklist for a safe send
- Confirm the forum’s email function works with a single test message.
- Use a valid sender address associated with the forum domain where possible.
- Verify the intended user group and filters, including primary and secondary group behavior.
- Select Test Email Only before the real send.
- Enable Use Mailqueue System for larger audiences.
- Choose a batch size below the strictest host or provider limit.
- Keep the message relevant to the forum and make notification or contact instructions clear.
- Monitor queue status and mailer logs during the run.
- Use Maintenance > Diagnostics > Email Diagnostics when delivery fails.
- Record the group, message, date, and batch setting so a repeat send can be identified and avoided.
Version notes and limitations
The menu path and Test Email Only control described here are documented for vBulletin 4.2.5. The current one-page vBulletin manual confirms the Email Options, SMTP, and mail-queue concepts, but labels can change between major versions. Use the installed version’s interface as the final authority before publishing screenshots, training documentation, or internal procedures.
Published vBulletin-specific statistics for mass-email success, deliverability, or a universally recommended batch size are not established in the available documentation. Treat any number advertised as a general rule with caution; your host, SMTP provider, server capacity, recipient list, and sending frequency determine the result.
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