What is SMTP Discovery?

SMTP Discovery, as part of the Advanced Email Security add-on, monitors email addresses that are sending mail with your domain name, but aren't already added as users or functional accounts, like distribution groups or email aliases.
If you receive an SMTP Discovery Warning Report, you'll be informed in the email if you need to add the address to your organization as a distribution group, email address or alias. Otherwise, you can mark it as an invalid account. If you don't see an important email address in the report, see Email not in SMTP Discovery to manually add it as an alias or functional account so Advanced Email Security knows to deliver messages sent to the address. You need to be an admin to take any of the following actions.
Select the following to jump to any section:
- Add a user address
- Add an alias
- Mark as an invalid account
- Add a distribution group
- Email address not in SMTP Discovery
Add a user address
You'll want to add a user when the email address is part of your Microsoft 365 account but hasn't been added in Advanced Email Security yet.
- Sign in to Advanced Email Security. Use your Microsoft 365 email address and password (your GoDaddy username and password won't work here).
- Under Administration, select User Management, and then SMTP Discovery.
- Select the discovered address you'd like to add.
- Enter the Firstname and Surname.
- Select Create user account from the list, and then Apply.
- Select OK to confirm.
Add an alias
When there's already an existing user in Advanced Email Security, you can add an alias. This should be the same email alias that's in your Microsoft 365 account.
- Sign in to Advanced Email Security. Use your Microsoft 365 email address and password (your GoDaddy username and password won't work here).
- Under Administration, select User Management, and then SMTP Discovery.
- Select the discovered address you'd like to add.
- Under OR Add as Alias, enter an existing user's email address for the alias.
- Select Create user account from the list, and then Apply.
- Select OK to confirm.
Mark as an invalid account
Identify a discovered address as invalid so mail isn't delivered to it.
- Sign in to Advanced Email Security. Use your Microsoft 365 email address and password (your GoDaddy username and password won't work here).
- Under Administration , select User Management, and then SMTP Discovery.
- Select the discovered address you'd like to identify as invalid.
- Select Mark as invalid account from the list, and then Apply.
- Select OK to confirm.
Add a distribution group
When a distribution group from your Microsoft 365 account shows up in a SMTP Discovery Report, add it as a functional account.
Note: If the distribution group isn't shown as a discovered address, follow the steps for Email not in SMTP Discovery.
- Sign in to Advanced Email Security. Use your Microsoft 365 email address and password (your GoDaddy username and password won't work here).
- Under Administration, select User Management, and then SMTP Discovery.
- Select the checkbox next to the distribution group address you want to add.
- Select Create functional account from the list, and then Apply.
- Select OK to confirm. It can take up to 90 minutes for these changes to take effect.
Email not in SMTP Discovery
If the email doesn't appear in SMTP Discovery, add it as an alias or functional account so Advanced Email Security knows to deliver messages sent to the address. Here's how to add an alias:
- Sign in to Advanced Email Security. Use your Microsoft 365 email address and password (your GoDaddy username and password won't work here).
- Under Administration, select User Management, and then Users.
- Select the address where the alias will be added.
- At the top of the page, select Aliases.
- Select ADD ALIAS.
- Enter your alias and select SAVE.
Here's how to add a functional account:
- Sign in to Advanced Email Security. Use your Microsoft 365 email address and password (your GoDaddy username and password won't work here).
- Under Administration, select User Management, and then Functional Accounts.
- Select ADD A FUNCTIONAL ACCOUNT.
- Enter a Name (this is optional), Email address, and choose the Account type.
- Select Save. You'll see confirmation that the functional account updated.
Note: If the email address is a Microsoft 365 user in your Email & Office Dashboard and it wasn't added to your Advanced Email Security account, contact our GoDaddy Guides for help.
More info
- SMTP Discovery runs 4 times a day, so there might be a delay in discovered addresses appearing.
- Send encrypted email using Advanced Email Security.
- Here are ways you can customize Advanced Email Security.