Introduction:

In today’s digital world, email has become an essential communication tool in various industries. While modern email clients provide a graphical user interface (GUI), some users prefer the power and flexibility of sending emails directly from the command line. In this article, we will explore how to send email from the command line in windows without any extra software.

Step 1: Verify SMTP Server Settings

The first step in sending an email through the command line is to verify your SMTP server settings. SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is a standard protocol used for sending emails across the internet. Most email providers like Gmail, Yahoo, and others support SMTP. Take note of the following settings for your SMTP server:

– SMTP server address

– Port number

– Username (usually your email address)

– Password

Step 2: Open Command Prompt

You can launch the Command Prompt by searching for “cmd” in the start menu or by pressing `Win + S` and typing “cmd” into the search box.

Step 3: Use Telnet to Connect to Your SMTP Server

Telnet is a built-in utility on Windows that allows you to connect to remote servers over a network using a command-line interface. To send an email through the command line using Telnet, follow these steps:

1. Type `telnet {SMTP server address} {Port number}` in the Command Prompt and press Enter.

2. The connection will be established if your SMTP server settings are correct. You should see a response like `220 smtp.gmail.com ESMTP`.

Step 4: Authenticate Yourself with the SMTP Server

After establishing a connection, you need to authenticate yourself with your mail server to be allowed to send emails from it.

1. Type `AUTH LOGIN` in the Command Prompt and press Enter.

2. Encode your username (usually your email address) to base64 using an online encoder, and after obtaining the result, type it in the Command Prompt followed by Enter.

3. Repeat the process for your password, encoding it to base64 and entering it in the Command Prompt followed by Enter.

4. If your credentials are correct, you should receive a response like `235 Authentication successful`.

Step 5: Compose and Send Your Email

After authentication, follow these steps to send your email:

1. Type `MAIL FROM: <your email address>` and press Enter.

2. Type `RCPT TO: <recipient’s email address>` and press Enter.

3. Type `DATA` and press Enter.

4. Compose your email body with a subject line (`Subject: my subject`) and the content on separate lines. When you’re done composing, finish by typing a period (.) on a new line followed by Enter.

5. If successful, you should see a response like `250 Message accepted for delivery`.

6. To close the connection, type `QUIT` and press Enter.

Conclusion:

Sending an email from the command line in Windows can be done without extra software using built-in utilities like Telnet and following the above-mentioned steps. This technique provides users with a powerful alternative to GUI-based email clients, offering increased flexibility when working with emails directly from a command-line interface.