Email Tool

Email Tool

Version Info

RouterOS 7.16 | Min: v6.0+ | ⏱️ 15 minutes | 🟢 Beginner

Tested on: 7.16 7.14 6.49

Version-specific notes

• v7.x: TLS syntax uses tls=yes/no/starttls
• v6.x: TLS syntax uses start-tls=yes/no/tls-only

TL;DR (Quick Start)

Configure Gmail SMTP:

/tool e-mail set address=smtp.gmail.com port=587 tls=starttls \
    from="[email protected]" user="[email protected]" password="xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx"

Send a test email:

/tool e-mail send to="[email protected]" subject="Test" body="Hello from MikroTik"

Send email with attachment:

/tool e-mail send to="[email protected]" subject="Backup" file=router-backup.backup

Gmail/Office365

Gmail and Office365 require App Passwords, not regular passwords. OAuth2 is not supported by RouterOS.

Overview

What this covers: Configuring SMTP email on your MikroTik router for sending notifications, alerts, and automated reports.

When to use this:

• Sending backup files via email
• Netwatch alerts when hosts go up/down
• Scheduled status reports
• Script-triggered notifications
• System event alerts

How it works:

1. Configure SMTP server settings (/tool e-mail set)
2. Send emails using /tool e-mail send
3. Optionally integrate with scheduler, netwatch, or scripts

Key concepts:

• SMTP server: External mail server that relays your messages
• TLS/STARTTLS: Encryption for secure mail transmission
• App Password: Special password for services that don’t support OAuth2
• Plain authentication: Only auth method supported by RouterOS

Prerequisites:

• SMTP server access (Gmail, Office365, or your own)
• App Password for Gmail/Office365 (regular passwords won’t work)
• Outbound access to SMTP ports (25, 465, or 587)

---

Part 1: Basic Configuration

Configure SMTP Server

/tool e-mail set address=smtp.yourdomain.com port=587 tls=starttls \
    from="MikroTik Router <[email protected]>" \
    user="[email protected]" password="yourpassword"

Configuration Parameters

Parameter	Default	Description
address	0.0.0.0	SMTP server address
port	25	SMTP server port
user	(empty)	Authentication username
password	(empty)	Authentication password
from	<>	Sender email address
tls	no	Encryption: no/yes/starttls

TLS Modes

Mode	Port	Description
no	25	No encryption (not recommended)
starttls	587	Upgrade to TLS after connecting
yes	465	Implicit TLS from start

Verify Configuration

/tool e-mail print

Example output:

         address: smtp.gmail.com
            port: 587
            from: [email protected]
            user: [email protected]
        password: ****************
             tls: starttls

---

Part 2: Sending Emails

Basic Email

/tool e-mail send to="[email protected]" subject="Test Email" \
    body="This is a test message from MikroTik"

Email with Attachment

/tool e-mail send to="[email protected]" subject="Router Backup" \
    body="Daily backup attached" file=router-backup.backup

Multiple Attachments

/tool e-mail send to="[email protected]" subject="Router Files" \
    file=export.rsc,router-backup.backup

Email with CC

/tool e-mail send to="[email protected]" cc="[email protected]" \
    subject="Alert" body="Important notification"

Send parameters

Parameter	Description
to	Recipient email (required)
cc	CC recipients (comma-separated)
subject	Email subject line
body	Message body (plain text only)
file	Attachment(s) (comma-separated)

---

Part 3: Email Provider Setup

Gmail

Gmail requires an App Password (16-character code):

1. Go to Google Account → Security → 2-Step Verification → App Passwords
2. Generate a new app password for “Mail”
3. Use this password in RouterOS:

/tool e-mail set address=smtp.gmail.com port=587 tls=starttls \
    from="[email protected]" user="[email protected]" \
    password="xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx"

Office 365

1. Enable SMTP AUTH in Office 365 Admin Center for the mailbox
2. May need to disable security defaults or use app password

/tool e-mail set address=smtp.office365.com port=587 tls=starttls \
    from="[email protected]" user="[email protected]" \
    password="yourpassword"

Provider quick reference

Provider	Server	Port	TLS
Gmail	smtp.gmail.com	587	starttls
Gmail (SSL)	smtp.gmail.com	465	yes
Office 365	smtp.office365.com	587	starttls
Outlook.com	smtp-mail.outlook.com	587	starttls
Yahoo	smtp.mail.yahoo.com	587	starttls

---

Part 4: Automated Email Scripts

Backup Email Script

Send daily backup via email:

/system scheduler add name="daily-backup-email" interval=1d on-event={
    /system backup save name=daily-backup
    :delay 2s
    /tool e-mail send to="[email protected]" \
        subject=([/system identity get name] . " Daily Backup") \
        body=("Backup created: " . [/system clock get date]) \
        file=daily-backup.backup
}

Netwatch Email Alert

Send email when host goes down or up:

/tool netwatch add host=8.8.8.8 interval=30s \
    down-script={
        /tool e-mail send to="[email protected]" \
            subject="ALERT: Host 8.8.8.8 DOWN" \
            body=("Host went down at " . [/system clock get time])
    } \
    up-script={
        /tool e-mail send to="[email protected]" \
            subject="RECOVERED: Host 8.8.8.8 UP" \
            body=("Host recovered at " . [/system clock get time])
    }

System Status Report

:local cpuload [/system resource get cpu-load]
:local freemem [/system resource get free-memory]
:local uptime [/system resource get uptime]
:local name [/system identity get name]

/tool e-mail send to="[email protected]" \
    subject="$name Status Report" \
    body="CPU Load: $cpuload%\nFree Memory: $freemem\nUptime: $uptime"

Error Handling

:do {
    /tool e-mail send to="[email protected]" subject="Alert" body="Message"
} on-error={
    :log warning "Email send failed"
}

---

Part 5: Advanced Configuration

Override Server Per-Send

Send via different server without changing global config:

/tool e-mail send to="[email protected]" \
    server=smtp.backup.com port=587 tls=starttls \
    user="[email protected]" password="backuppass" \
    subject="Via Backup Server" body="Sent through backup SMTP"

Using IP Instead of Hostname

Some configurations require IP address:

# Resolve hostname
:put [:resolve smtp.gmail.com]

# Use IP in config
/tool e-mail set address=74.125.136.108

Certificate Verification

For self-signed certificates:

/tool e-mail set certificate-verification=no

---

Troubleshooting

Problem 1: Gmail “AUTH Failed”

Symptom: Authentication error with Gmail.

Cause: Using regular Gmail password; OAuth2 not supported.

Solution: Generate App Password:

1. Go to Google Account → Security
2. Enable 2-Step Verification
3. Go to App Passwords → Generate
4. Use the 16-character code as password

Problem 2: TLS Handshake Failed

Symptom: “TLS handshake failed” error.

Cause: Wrong TLS mode for the port.

Solution:

• Port 587: Use tls=starttls
• Port 465: Use tls=yes
• Port 25: Use tls=no (not recommended)

Problem 3: Connection Timeout

Symptoms: Email send times out or hangs.

Causes:

• Firewall blocking outbound SMTP
• DNS resolution failure
• Wrong server address or port

Solutions:

# Test DNS resolution
:put [:resolve smtp.gmail.com]

# Test connectivity
/tool fetch url="https://smtp.gmail.com" keep-result=no

# Try using IP instead of hostname
/tool e-mail set address=74.125.136.108

Problem 4: Email Not Received

Symptom: No errors but email doesn’t arrive.

Causes:

• Spam filtering
• SPF/DKIM failures
• Relay restrictions

Solutions:

1. Check spam/junk folder
2. Verify SPF records for sending domain
3. Use authenticated SMTP relay

Problem 5: Netwatch Email Fails on Link Down

Symptom: Down notification doesn’t send.

Cause: Trying to send email over the link that’s down.

Solutions:

1. Use backup route for SMTP server
2. Add delay for failover: :delay 10s before send
3. Send via different interface

Problem 6: Office 365 Authentication Failed

Symptom: Cannot authenticate to Office 365.

Cause: SMTP AUTH disabled by default.

Solution:

1. Go to Microsoft 365 Admin Center
2. Users → Active Users → Select user
3. Mail → Email apps → Enable “Authenticated SMTP”

---

Verification commands

# Check email configuration
/tool e-mail print

# Send test email
/tool e-mail send to="[email protected]" subject="Test" body="Test message"

# Check logs for email activity
/log print where topics~"e-mail"

# Enable debug logging
/system logging add topics=e-mail,debug action=memory

Related topics

Automation

• Scheduler - time-based email automation
• Netwatch - host monitoring with email alerts

Common Email Uses

• System Backup - email backup notifications
• Logging - email on critical log events
• VRRP - failover notifications

Prerequisites

• DNS Server - DNS for SMTP server resolution
• NTP Client - accurate timestamps

Reference

Official Documentation

• MikroTik E-mail

Quick reference commands

# Configure SMTP
/tool e-mail set address=smtp.server.com port=587 tls=starttls \
    from="[email protected]" user="[email protected]" password="pass"

# View configuration
/tool e-mail print

# Send basic email
/tool e-mail send to="[email protected]" subject="Subject" body="Message"

# Send with attachment
/tool e-mail send to="[email protected]" subject="Backup" file=backup.backup

# Send with override settings
/tool e-mail send to="[email protected]" server=alt.smtp.com port=587 \
    user="altuser" password="altpass" subject="Test" body="Via alternate server"

v6 syntax differences

# v6 TLS configuration
/tool e-mail set start-tls=yes port=587
# or for implicit TLS
/tool e-mail set start-tls=tls-only port=465

Summary

Email Tool enables notifications and alerts from RouterOS:

1. SMTP setup - Configure server, port, TLS, and credentials
2. Gmail/O365 - Require App Passwords (OAuth2 not supported)
3. Send emails - Basic messages, attachments, CC recipients
4. Automation - Scheduler, Netwatch, and script integration
5. Troubleshooting - Check TLS mode, firewall, DNS, and spam filters

Key points:

• Use tls=starttls for port 587, tls=yes for port 465
• Gmail/Office365 require App Passwords, not regular passwords
• Add :delay 2s after creating files before sending as attachments
• Netwatch down alerts may fail if sending over the down link
• Only plain text emails are supported (no HTML)