Configuring SMTP email accounts in Mail Designer 365 lets you send a design through the email address and mail server your organisation provides. This guide explains how to add an account, enter custom SMTP server settings, test the connection, and check common setup problems.

Before you configure an SMTP account

Have your email address and password ready. For a work, school, or privately hosted account, you may also need the outgoing mail server name, port, encryption method, username, and any special authentication requirements. These values are controlled by your email provider or network administrator, so use the settings they supply rather than guessing.

Some providers require an app-specific password when two-factor authentication is enabled. If your normal account password is rejected, check the provider's documentation or ask your administrator whether an app password is required.

Open SMTP Accounts in Mail Designer 365

Go to Mail Designer 365 > Settings. This opens the app settings where you can manage the accounts used for sending.

Choose SMTP Accounts. Click the + button in the bottom-left corner to add a new SMTP account.

Add your email address and credentials

Enter the email address you want to use for sending and the corresponding password. Mail Designer 365 uses these details to authenticate with the outgoing mail server. Check the spelling carefully, especially when the login name differs from the visible email address.

Enter custom SMTP server settings

For a custom or internal email account, such as a company account, tick Enter custom server settings. Add the server information supplied by your email provider or network administrator. Depending on the account, this can include the SMTP hostname, port, connection security, and login name.

Make sure the port and encryption option belong together. A server may reject the connection when the hostname is correct but the selected security method or port is not. If you are unsure, do not change server-side settings; confirm the required values with the person who manages the account.

Test the SMTP connection

Click Next to review the remaining account settings. Use the Test button to check whether the mail server is reachable and accepts the supplied credentials. A successful test confirms that Mail Designer 365 can connect; it does not replace a final test send to an address you can check.

Troubleshoot SMTP account setup

If the connection test fails, work through these checks:

• Re-enter the email address, username, and password to rule out typing errors.
• Confirm the outgoing server hostname, port, and encryption method with your provider.
• Check whether two-factor authentication requires an app-specific password.
• Ask whether the mail server restricts connections by network, device, or sender address.
• Make sure a firewall, VPN, or company network policy is not blocking access to the SMTP server.

For more product guidance, browse the Mail Designer 365 Knowledge Base. The exact error message is useful when contacting an administrator. Note when the test occurred and which server name and port were used, but never send your password in a support message.

Verify the account before sending

After the account is saved, send a small test message to an address you control. Confirm that the message arrives, the From address is correct, and replies go to the expected mailbox. This final check helps catch provider-side restrictions that a connection test alone may not reveal.

Keep account credentials private and update the Mail Designer 365 SMTP account if the password or server configuration changes later.

How to Check Mailchimp Format After Upload

The Mailchimp format shown inside an editing interface may not always match the final rendered email. When a Mail Designer 365 template looks unusual after upload, first distinguish between the editor’s working representation, Mailchimp’s preview, and a real test message received in an inbox.

Do not immediately rebuild the design based only on the editor canvas. Preview the campaign, send a test, and identify whether the issue exists in the delivered email before changing the source template.

If the design has not yet been transferred, first follow the Mailchimp export guide, then return here to verify the imported result.

Open the Mailchimp Preview

1. Open the imported template or campaign in Mailchimp.
2. Find the preview or testing controls. Depending on the current Mailchimp interface, the label or location may differ from older screenshots.
3. Open the desktop preview and, when available, the mobile preview.
4. Compare the preview with the original Mail Designer 365 design.

In the interface shown below, the option is available from Preview and Test and then Enter preview mode.

Send a Test Email

A preview is useful, but a received test message is the stronger check. Send the campaign to an inbox you can inspect and review it at desktop and mobile widths. When the email is important to a broad audience, test more than one major inbox because rendering behavior can differ between email clients.

Check the complete message rather than only the first visible section:

• headings, paragraphs, and line breaks;
• image sizes, crops, and alternative text;
• button labels, colors, spacing, and destinations;
• column stacking and mobile alignment;
• background colors and section boundaries;
• footer content, unsubscribe controls, and required sender information.

Decide Whether the Problem Is Only in Edit Mode

If the editor view looks simplified but Mailchimp’s preview and the delivered test both match the intended design, avoid unnecessary source changes. The editor canvas is a working surface and may represent imported HTML differently from the final message.

If the problem also appears in the test email, return to the Mail Designer 365 source and correct it there when possible. Export or upload the revised design again, then repeat the preview and test cycle. This keeps the source template and the version used for sending aligned.

Troubleshoot Common Mailchimp Formatting Issues

Spacing or Columns Look Different

Compare the desktop and mobile variants and identify the exact section that changes. Check whether the issue occurs in one inbox or every tested inbox before making a broad layout change.

Images Are Missing or Incorrectly Sized

Confirm that every image loads in the delivered test. Check the source image, its image area, and its mobile crop. Avoid judging the final image behavior only from the editing canvas.

Buttons or Links Do Not Work

Click every important call to action in the received test. Correct the destination in the source design or campaign configuration, then send another test rather than assuming the preview proves the link works.

Text Styling Changes

Identify the affected text object, font, size, or line break. Use email-appropriate styling and verify the correction in a delivered message. Font availability and rendering can differ between recipient environments.

Final Mailchimp Format Checklist

• Review the imported design in preview mode.
• Send a test email to a real inbox.
• Check desktop and mobile layouts.
• Verify images, text, buttons, and links.
• Correct confirmed problems in the source design.
• Upload the revision and complete one final test.

Keep the Source and Imported Version in Sync

When a confirmed formatting correction belongs to the layout, make it in the Mail Designer 365 source rather than applying unrelated fixes in several copies. Name or archive the revised export clearly, replace the intended Mailchimp version, and record which campaign uses it. This reduces the chance of sending an older template after a successful test.

The goal is not to make every editing surface look identical. The goal is a Mailchimp format that renders correctly in the preview and, most importantly, in the message recipients receive.

How to Use Campaign Monitor Email Placeholders

Campaign Monitor email placeholders let you insert recipient-specific information into a Mail Designer 365 email design. When the campaign is sent through Campaign Monitor, the service replaces each placeholder with data from the corresponding subscriber record. Common uses include a recipient name or other fields available for the list.

Use placeholders only when the required data is collected consistently and has been reviewed. Personalization should make a message more useful; it should not expose private information, make unsupported assumptions, or create confusing gaps when a field is empty.

Insert a Campaign Monitor placeholder

1. Open the email design in Mail Designer 365.
2. Click inside the text area where the personalized value should appear.
3. Choose Insert > Campaign Monitor from the menu.
4. Select the placeholder that matches the subscriber information you want to use.
5. Check the surrounding sentence, spacing, punctuation, and text formatting.

The placeholder appears inside the text area while you are designing. It is a marker rather than the final recipient value. Campaign Monitor performs the replacement later using the data connected to the recipient when the campaign is prepared and sent.

Available Campaign Monitor placeholders

The Insert menu shows the Campaign Monitor placeholder choices supported by Mail Designer 365. Select the field that corresponds to the subscriber data you plan to use. Field availability and naming can depend on the Campaign Monitor list and campaign configuration, so confirm the mapping after the design is imported or uploaded.

Do not type an assumed placeholder format manually when the Mail Designer 365 menu provides the correct option. Using the menu reduces syntax errors and helps keep the marker intact during design edits.

Write copy that works with personalized data

Placeholders should fit naturally into the sentence after replacement. Check capitalization and punctuation, and avoid adding a second space around the field. A greeting may look correct with a full name but awkward with an empty or unusually long value. Keep the surrounding sentence flexible enough for realistic list data.

Before relying on a field, inspect the relevant Campaign Monitor list. Look for blank values, placeholder text accidentally stored as data, inconsistent capitalization, duplicate entries, and very long names. Decide how the campaign should behave when a value is unavailable, using Campaign Monitor’s supported settings or a non-personalized sentence rather than guessing at syntax.

Test placeholders before sending

1. Export or upload the design through the normal Campaign Monitor workflow.
2. Confirm that the intended list fields are mapped to the corresponding placeholders.
3. Use test contacts with realistic values, including a long value and a missing value where possible.
4. Preview or send test messages through Campaign Monitor so the provider processes the personalization.
5. Check the rendered text on desktop and mobile and confirm that no raw marker remains.

A Mail Designer 365 preview can verify layout and styling, but provider-side personalization should also be tested in Campaign Monitor. Test the actual campaign state that will be sent, not only a screenshot or copied HTML.

Troubleshooting Campaign Monitor email placeholders

• The placeholder remains visible: Confirm that the message was processed and sent through Campaign Monitor, that the correct provider placeholder was inserted, and that the exported design was not altered afterward.
• The personalized value is blank: Check the recipient record and field mapping in Campaign Monitor. Use a supported fallback or rewrite the sentence so it still works without the optional field.
• The wrong data appears: Verify that the selected placeholder corresponds to the intended list field and that the test recipient record contains the expected value.
• Spacing or punctuation looks wrong: Inspect the characters immediately before and after the placeholder and test both populated and empty cases.
• The layout breaks with a long name: Allow enough width, avoid fixed assumptions about value length, and check the smartphone layout with representative data.
• Formatting changes: Make sure the entire placeholder remains inside one text style and was not partially edited or split across elements.

Campaign Monitor email placeholders: privacy and content checks

Use only subscriber information that is appropriate for the campaign and consistent with your privacy commitments. Avoid exposing sensitive fields or placing personal information in subject lines without a clear reason and review. Limit access to test data and use controlled test contacts rather than real customer records when practical.

Before sending, verify the sender name, reply-to address, subject, preheader, links, unsubscribe mechanism, footer, and all personalized variants. A colleague should review both the default version and representative personalized messages.

Keep this workflow separate from other Campaign Monitor tasks

This article covers inserting and testing Campaign Monitor email placeholders in a Mail Designer 365 text area. It does not cover building a Campaign Monitor subscribe form, uploading an entire design to Campaign Monitor, web-font support, or placeholders for another email service provider. Those workflows should keep their own instructions and focus keywords.