Proxmox VE text alerts: email-to-SMS setup
Proxmox VE emails on backup failures, node/cluster events, and storage problems. Point its notifications at your EmailToTxt address and a failed backup or a node going down becomes a text.
What you’ll need
- An EmailToTxt account and an endpoint (created in step 1).
- A mailbox for the device to send from — a free Gmail/Outlook account with an app password works.
- Access to your Proxmox VE settings (web interface, app, or local console).
- The phone number(s) that should receive the texts.
- 1
Create your EmailToTxt endpoint
In your EmailToTxt dashboard, add an endpoint and choose the “generic” template. EmailToTxt generates a unique inbound address for it, like
server-room-a1b2c@alerts.emailtotxt.com. - 2
Set up an email account to send from
EmailToTxt receives your alert emails, but your device still needs a mailbox to send from. The simplest option is a free, dedicated Gmail or Outlook account with an app password — most NVRs can’t do modern sign-in, and an app password works around that. You only set this up once and can reuse the same sending account across every recorder and endpoint.
Provider SMTP server SSL port STARTTLS port Gmail smtp.gmail.com 465 587 Outlook.com smtp-mail.outlook.com — 587 Microsoft 365 smtp.office365.com — 587 Yahoo Mail smtp.mail.yahoo.com 465 587 Tip: turn on 2-Step Verification for the account, then generate an app password and use that 16-character value as the SMTP password — typed without the spaces Google shows (they’re display-only, and some recorders reject them). Use the account’s full email address as the user name. - 3
Configure Proxmox VE email (SMTP) settings
Proxmox VE 8+: Datacenter → Notifications — add an SMTP notification target (older versions email root@pam via the local MTA). Configure server, port, and authentication for your sending mailbox.
- On the SMTP target, set the recipient to your EmailToTxt endpoint address.
- If you rely on the older root@pam email path, set the root user’s email (Datacenter → Permissions → Users → root) and configure the local Postfix to relay through a smarthost.
- 4
Turn on email for the events you want texted
Datacenter → Notifications → Notification Matchers — route backup and system events to your SMTP target. Backup jobs also have a per-job notification setting (“on failure” vs “always”).
- Set backup jobs to notify “on failure” so you only get texted when something actually breaks.
- 5
Set the recipient to your EmailToTxt address and send a test
Set the device’s recipient/receiver to your EmailToTxt endpoint address, then use the built-in Test button (or trigger a test event). The email should reach EmailToTxt within seconds — you’ll see it appear in your Activity log.
- 6
Add phone numbers and confirm delivery
In EmailToTxt, open the endpoint and add the phone numbers that should receive alerts in E.164 format (for example
+15555550123). Trigger a real event and watch the Activity tab — each alert is logged as received → parsed → sent. Recipients can reply STOP to opt out anytime.
Tips for Proxmox VE
- The notification system was overhauled in Proxmox VE 8 — older guides referencing only root@pam email predate the Notifications panel.
What the text looks like
EmailToTxt reads the alert emails Proxmox VE sends and pulls out the event and key details, so your phone gets a single clean line instead of a full email.
The alert email
Subject: vzdump backup status (pve1): backup failed
Details VMID 101: FAILED — job failed with err -125 Total running time: 3min
The text you receive
EmailToTxt
Delivered · now
Proxmox VE text alerts: FAQ
- Proxmox isn’t sending any email — where do I start?
- On PVE 8+, add and test an SMTP target under Datacenter → Notifications. On older versions, the node emails root@pam through local Postfix, which usually needs a smarthost relay configured to actually deliver — set that up and point root’s email at your EmailToTxt address.
Other setup guides
Ready to text your Proxmox VE alerts?
Create an endpoint, paste the address into your recorder, add your number.