diff --git a/accounts/tests/test_admin_email_otp.py b/accounts/tests/test_admin_email_otp.py
index 1cb139e1..f3d14f41 100644
--- a/accounts/tests/test_admin_email_otp.py
+++ b/accounts/tests/test_admin_email_otp.py
@@ -30,3 +30,9 @@ class AdminEmailOtpTestCase(TestCase):
         response = self.client.post(self.url)
         self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 302)
         mock_send.assert_called_once()
+
+    def test_the_smtp_connection_waits_a_bounded_time(self):
+        from django.core.mail.backends.smtp import EmailBackend
+
+        # None would wait for a server that stopped answering forever
+        self.assertIsNotNone(EmailBackend().timeout)
diff --git a/accounts/tests/test_audit_rows.py b/accounts/tests/test_audit_rows.py
index 17b68a65..c75a4f42 100644
--- a/accounts/tests/test_audit_rows.py
+++ b/accounts/tests/test_audit_rows.py
@@ -85,9 +85,9 @@ class AdminAccountRowTests(TestCase):
         with patch("accounts.views.send_email_with_otp") as send:
             self.client.post(url)
             send.assert_called_once()
-        with patch("accounts.views.send_email_with_otp", side_effect=SMTPException("refused")), \
-                self.assertRaises(SMTPException):
-            self.client.post(url)
+        with patch("accounts.views.send_email_with_otp", side_effect=SMTPException("refused")):
+            response = self.client.post(url, follow=True)
+        self.assertContains(response, "The OTP QR code could not be mailed to bob: refused")
         self.assertEqual(rows(), [
             ("User bob: mail OTP QR code: no email address", False),
             ("User bob: mail OTP QR code", True),
diff --git a/accounts/views.py b/accounts/views.py
index 52a29a02..f85b1b52 100644
--- a/accounts/views.py
+++ b/accounts/views.py
@@ -343,11 +343,16 @@ def admin_email_otp(request, user_id):
     user = get_object_or_404(get_user_model(), pk=user_id)
     subject = f"User {user.username}"
     if user.email != "":
-        with audit(request, None, subject, "mail OTP QR code"):
-            send_email_with_otp(user, get_user_totp_device(user))
-        messages.success(
-            request, _("OTP QR code was emailed to user %(user)s") % {"user": user}
-        )
+        try:
+            with audit(request, None, subject, "mail OTP QR code"):
+                send_email_with_otp(user, get_user_totp_device(user))
+        except OSError as err:  # the SMTP server refused it, or did not answer within EMAIL_TIMEOUT
+            messages.error(request, _("The OTP QR code could not be mailed to %(user)s: %(error)s") % {
+                "user": user, "error": err})
+        else:
+            messages.success(
+                request, _("OTP QR code was emailed to user %(user)s") % {"user": user}
+            )
     else:
         failed(request, None, subject, "mail OTP QR code", "no email address")
         messages.error(request, _("User email not set, failed to send QR code"))
diff --git a/locale/tr/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo b/locale/tr/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo
index c0e036c5..0db7dc95 100644
Binary files a/locale/tr/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo and b/locale/tr/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo differ
diff --git a/locale/tr/LC_MESSAGES/django.po b/locale/tr/LC_MESSAGES/django.po
index a60d2057..cbdb8bb5 100644
--- a/locale/tr/LC_MESSAGES/django.po
+++ b/locale/tr/LC_MESSAGES/django.po
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ msgid ""
 msgstr ""
 "Project-Id-Version: PACKAGE VERSION\n"
 "Report-Msgid-Bugs-To: \n"
-"POT-Creation-Date: 2026-11-05 06:39+0000\n"
+"POT-Creation-Date: 2026-11-05 07:49+0000\n"
 "PO-Revision-Date: 2020-11-04 12:00+0000\n"
 "Last-Translator: catborise <muhammetalisag@gmail.com>, 2020\n"
 "Language-Team: Turkish (https://www.transifex.com/catborise/teams/110663/tr/)\n"
@@ -636,12 +636,17 @@ msgstr "OTP %(email)s ye gönderildi"
 msgid "Email OTP"
 msgstr "OTP E-Postası"
 
-#: accounts/views.py:349
+#: accounts/views.py:350
+#, python-format
+msgid "The OTP QR code could not be mailed to %(user)s: %(error)s"
+msgstr "OTP QR kodu %(user)s kullanıcısına e-postayla gönderilemedi: %(error)s"
+
+#: accounts/views.py:354
 #, python-format
 msgid "OTP QR code was emailed to user %(user)s"
 msgstr "OTP QR kodu %(user)s kullanıcısına gönderildi"
 
-#: accounts/views.py:353
+#: accounts/views.py:358
 msgid "User email not set, failed to send QR code"
 msgstr "Kullanıcı e-postası girilmemiş, QR kod gönderimi başarısız"
 
diff --git a/locale/zh/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo b/locale/zh/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo
index 06b5670b..6bf6d42b 100644
Binary files a/locale/zh/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo and b/locale/zh/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo differ
diff --git a/locale/zh/LC_MESSAGES/django.po b/locale/zh/LC_MESSAGES/django.po
index 9a7cf0a1..4ce41557 100644
--- a/locale/zh/LC_MESSAGES/django.po
+++ b/locale/zh/LC_MESSAGES/django.po
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ msgid ""
 msgstr ""
 "Project-Id-Version: \n"
 "Report-Msgid-Bugs-To: \n"
-"POT-Creation-Date: 2026-11-05 06:39+0000\n"
+"POT-Creation-Date: 2026-11-05 07:49+0000\n"
 "PO-Revision-Date: \n"
 "Last-Translator: \n"
 "Language-Team: \n"
@@ -623,12 +623,17 @@ msgstr "OTP 已发送至 %(email)s"
 msgid "Email OTP"
 msgstr "邮件发送 OTP"
 
-#: accounts/views.py:349
+#: accounts/views.py:350
+#, python-format
+msgid "The OTP QR code could not be mailed to %(user)s: %(error)s"
+msgstr "无法将 OTP 二维码通过邮件发送给 %(user)s：%(error)s"
+
+#: accounts/views.py:354
 #, python-format
 msgid "OTP QR code was emailed to user %(user)s"
 msgstr "OTP 二维码已通过邮件发送给用户 %(user)s"
 
-#: accounts/views.py:353
+#: accounts/views.py:358
 msgid "User email not set, failed to send QR code"
 msgstr "未设置用户邮箱，无法发送二维码"
 
diff --git a/webvirtcloud/settings.py.template b/webvirtcloud/settings.py.template
index 1d81179e..788fbfb3 100644
--- a/webvirtcloud/settings.py.template
+++ b/webvirtcloud/settings.py.template
@@ -401,6 +401,8 @@ EMAIL_PORT = int(os.getenv("EMAIL_PORT", "587"))
 EMAIL_HOST_USER = os.getenv("EMAIL_HOST_USER", "")
 ## password associated with above email-id
 EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD = os.getenv("EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD", "")
+# seconds an SMTP server may take to answer; without it a server that stops answering holds the request for good
+EMAIL_TIMEOUT = 10
 
 # LDAP Config
 #