Emailing from a Workflow Issue

Question

Hi!

I am trying to figure out why an email will get sent sometimes from a workflow, but not other times. When I enter the address into the CC fields, I get the following error:

Here's the details:

The workflow I created sends a reply to the form submitter and CC's the advising email address correctly; the email is received by all. The workflow then send a different email to a user tasked with approving the submission. I have the exact same advising email in the CC field, yet it will not send. I asked my email admin to check spam filters, etc., and nothing shows up at all for this address.

I know the emails are being sent correctly as I am BCC'd and getting them, and I did confirm with the user the email sent is getting them as well. It's just the advising email address on the second email going out is not working. I'm sure it has something to do with the above error when set it up, but I'm at a loss on what it is.

Thanks, Kevin

Answer 1

Hi Kevin,

When you add a step “Email these users” in workflow and select type an external email address, you will receive a pop-up stating “The selected user(s) may not be valid on the site this workflow is published on. If a recipient is not a valid SharePoint user, he or she will not receive workflow emails.”

This is because by default SharePoint Designer workflows creating using SharePoint 2013 Workflows will not sent emails to the external users (email addresses).

For detail information, please see SharePoint 2013 – Unable to send emails to external email addresses (SharePoint 2013

workflows)

Thanks,

Neha

Answer 2

Hi Neha!

The email address is a valid account and has the proper O365 licensing applied to it. It is unfortunate that MS would restrict emailing to external addresses as it would make SharePoint a more flexible application with their workflows, but in my case the workflow is emailing to an internal address.

I have been working with a MS tech and he did not figure out why it wasn't working, but did find a workaround. By adding the email to a permissions group, SharePoint connected the dots and allowed the email to be sent. Not a fix, but it does work.

Thank you for your response!

Kevin