Create mailing lists in Plesk with Mailman

A mailing list sends one message to many recipients through a single address, such as members@example.com. Plesk uses Mailman, a mature list manager with subscriptions, moderation and archives. It suits clubs, teams and small communities.

Before you start

• Administrators: install Mailman under Tools & Settings → Updates → Add/Remove Components → Mail hosting features → Mailman. Mailman availability depends on the operating system and Plesk version.
• Your service plan must allow mailing lists.
• Subscribers must have agreed to join – unsolicited bulk email harms the server's reputation.

Create a list

1. Go to Mail (or Websites & Domains → Mailing Lists).
2. Open the Mailing Lists tab and click Create Mailing List.
3. Enter the list name, for example members.
4. Enter the list administrator's email address and a password.
5. Optionally add initial subscribers, one per line.
6. Click OK.

Manage subscribers

Click the list name in Plesk to add or remove subscribers. For more control, open the Mailman web interface with the link Plesk shows (usually https://lists.example.com/mailman/admin/members) and log in with the list password.

Important Mailman settings

• Privacy options → Sender filters: allow only members to post, or hold all posts for moderation (announcement lists).
• Privacy options → Subscription rules: require confirmation (double opt-in) and approval.
• General options: subject prefix such as [members], reply-to behaviour and maximum message size.
• Digest options: let members receive a daily digest instead of every message.
• Archiving: keep a private web archive for members, or disable it.

Deliverability

List mail is forwarded on behalf of senders, which can conflict with DMARC policies of big providers. In Mailman's settings, enable DMARC mitigation (munge From) so messages from Gmail or Yahoo senders are not rejected. Also make sure the list domain has SPF and DKIM; see SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

When to use a newsletter service

For marketing newsletters to customers, use a dedicated email marketing platform. It handles unsubscribe links, bounce processing, analytics and sending reputation, and keeps bulk mail away from your hosting server's IP. Plesk's outgoing limits may also block large sends; see mail queue and limits.

Troubleshooting

• Mailing Lists tab missing: Mailman not installed, or not allowed by your plan.
• Posts never arrive: they are held for moderation; check the Mailman admin queue.
• Members at Gmail don't receive mail: enable DMARC mitigation and check spam folders.

Next steps

• Forwarding for small groups.
• Mail server settings.
• Spam filter.