Question 1

How do I set up Laravel Mail Preview to test email content in my local environment?

Accepted Answer

Install via Composer, change the mail transport to 'preview' in config/mail.php, add the provided middleware to your web group, and register the mailPreview route in routes/web.php. This allows emails to be captured and previewed without sending them.

Question 2

Laravel Mail Preview vs using Laravel's Mail::fake for testing: which is better?

Accepted Answer

Laravel Mail Preview is superior for content assertions because it saves and renders actual email files, enabling checks on body text, subjects, and recipients. Mail::fake only fakes sending without rendering, so it's limited to verifying that emails were sent, not their content.

Question 3

Does Laravel Mail Preview work when emails are sent via Laravel queues?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the queue setup. If emails are dispatched through queues that process jobs via web requests, it might work, but for CLI-based queue workers, the overlay won't show since there's no web response. However, files are still saved locally for inspection.

Question 4

Can I disable the popup overlay in Laravel Mail Preview?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can disable the overlay by setting 'show_link_to_preview' to false in the config file, or adjust the 'popup_timeout_in_seconds' to control visibility. This is useful if you only want file storage without the visual distraction.

Question 5

Is it safe to use Laravel Mail Preview in a production environment?

Accepted Answer

No, it's not recommended for production. The package is designed for development and testing, as it intercepts emails without sending them. Use it only in debug mode or non-production environments to avoid disrupting actual email delivery.

Mail Preview

What is Mail Preview?

Overview

Use Cases

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Pros & Cons

Pros

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Frequently Asked Questions