# django.core.exceptions.ImproperlyConfigured: EMAIL_BACKEND must be set

- **ID:** `python/django-email-configuration-error`
- **Domain:** python
- **Category:** config_error
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 80%

## Root Cause

Email backend is not configured in settings.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| 3.x | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **** (95% success)
   ```
   Set EMAIL_BACKEND = 'django.core.mail.backends.console.EmailBackend' for development.
   ```
2. **** (90% success)
   ```
   For production: EMAIL_BACKEND = 'django.core.mail.backends.smtp.EmailBackend' with EMAIL_HOST, EMAIL_PORT, EMAIL_HOST_USER, EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD.
   ```

## Dead Ends

- **** — Setting EMAIL_BACKEND='' doesn't work; must be a valid backend path. (80% fail)
- **** — Using SMTP backend without host/user/password fails at runtime. (50% fail)