A failed backup you never hear about is worse than no backup. Proxmox email notifications warn you about failed backup jobs, replication errors, disk problems and pending updates, as long as mail can actually leave the server.
Before you start
- Proxmox VE 8.1 or newer for the notification system described here (
pveversion). - An SMTP account (server, port, username, password) on a real mail service. Many hosting networks block direct mail on port 25, so plain local mail often never arrives.
- The email address that should receive alerts.
Set the root email address
Go to Datacenter → Permissions → Users, edit root@pam and set the email. The default notification target sends to this address.
Add an SMTP target
- Open Datacenter → Notifications.
- Under Notification Targets, click Add → SMTP.
- Enter a name, the SMTP server, encryption (STARTTLS on 587 or TLS on 465), username, password, and a From address on your domain.
- Add recipients: choose users (such as
root@pam) or type extra addresses. - Save, select the target and click Test.
Tip: Use a From domain whose SPF and DKIM records include your SMTP provider so alerts do not end up in spam.
Create matchers
Matchers decide which events go to which target.
- Under Notification Matchers, edit the default matcher or add a new one.
- Set the target to your SMTP target.
- Filter by severity (for example error and warning) to avoid noise, or match all events if you want everything.
- Save.
Backup job notifications
In Datacenter → Backup, edit each job and set notifications to use the notification system (or on failure in older versions), so a failed backup always sends an email.
Check afterwards
- The test email arrives.
- Run a small backup job and confirm you receive its report if configured.
Troubleshooting
- Test fails: wrong port or credentials, or outbound SMTP blocked; test with
nc -zv smtp.example.com 587. - Mail in spam: fix SPF/DKIM for the From domain.
- No mail on older versions: configure Postfix as a relay (smarthost) instead.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send alerts to chat apps?
Yes, Gotify and webhook targets are available in recent versions.
Does Proxmox alert on failed disks?
SMART and ZFS events (via ZED) can send mail when configured; set up ZFS event emails too.
Will I get spammed?
Filter matchers by severity to receive only warnings and errors.