WordPress Emails

This document lists all the situations where WordPress core sends an email, how and when they happen, and how to filter or disable each one.

This list was last updated for WordPress 5.8.

Table of Contents

• Information Applicable to All Emails
• Comments
• Change of Admin Email
• Change of User Email or Password
• Personal Data Requests
• Automatic Updates
• New User
• New Site
• Other

Information Applicable to All Emails

All emails sent by WordPress go through the pluggable

wp_mail()

Filters:   wp_mail
           pre_wp_mail
           wp_mail_from
           wp_mail_from_name
           wp_mail_content_type
           wp_mail_charset
Actions:   phpmailer_init
           wp_mail_failed

Comments

Comment is awaiting moderation

Sent when a user or visitor submits a comment that gets held for moderation.

To:        Site Admin
           Post author, if they have the ability to edit the comment
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%1$s] Please moderate: "%2$s"
Function:  wp_notify_moderator()
Pluggable: Yes
Filters:   comment_moderation_recipients
           comment_moderation_subject
           comment_moderation_text
           comment_moderation_headers
Disable:   Return false from notify_moderator filter
           Remove wp_new_comment_notify_moderator action on comment_post hook
           "Email me whenever" on Settings -> Discussion
           Overwrite the pluggable function

Comment is published

Sent when a user or visitor submits a comment that gets automatically approved, or when a comment previously held for moderation gets approved.

To:        Post author
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%1$s] Comment: "%2$s"
           [%1$s] Pingback: "%2$s"
           [%1$s] Trackback: "%2$s"
Function:  wp_notify_postauthor()
Pluggable: Yes
Filters:   comment_notification_recipients
           comment_notification_subject
           comment_notification_text
           comment_notification_headers
Disable:   Return false from notify_post_author filter
           Remove wp_new_comment_notify_postauthor action on comment_post hook
           Overwrite the pluggable function
           See also the hardcoded action added to wp_set_comment_status in wp_set_comment_status()

Change of Admin Email

Change of site admin email address is attempted

Sent when a user attempts to change the Administration Email Address option on the General Settings screen.

To:        Proposed new email address
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%s] New Admin Email Address
Function:  update_option_new_admin_email()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   new_admin_email_content
Disable:   Remove action on add_option_new_admin_email and update_option_new_admin_email hooks
Note:      Prior to WordPress 4.9 this was Multisite-only functionality

Site admin email address is changed

Sent when a user clicks the link in the email requesting confirmation of the change to the site admin email address (see above).

To:        Old site admin email address
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%s] Admin Email Changed
Function:  wp_site_admin_email_change_notification()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   site_admin_email_change_email
Disable:   Return false from send_site_admin_email_change_email filter
Note:      Prior to WordPress 5.2 the subject was: [%s] Notice of Admin Email Change

Change of network admin email address is attempted

Multisite only. Sent when a user attempts to change the Network Admin Email option on the Network Settings screen.

To:        Proposed new email address
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%s] Network Admin Email Change Request
Function:  update_network_option_new_admin_email()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   new_network_admin_email_content
Disable:   Remove action on add_site_option_new_admin_email and update_site_option_new_admin_email hooks
Note:      Prior to WordPress 5.2 the subject was: [%s] New Network Admin Email Address

Network admin email address is changed

Multisite only. Sent when a user clicks the link in the email requesting confirmation of the change to the network admin email (see above).

To:        Old network admin email address
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%s] Notice of Network Admin Email Change
Function:  wp_network_admin_email_change_notification()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   network_admin_email_change_email
Disable:   Return false from send_network_admin_email_change_email filter

Change of User Email or Password

User or Administrator requests a password reset

Sent when:

• A user clicks the "Lost your password?" link on the login screen and submits their email address
• An Administrator clicks the "Send password reset" link next to a user on the Users screen (WP 5.7+)
• Ad Administrator clicks the "Send Reset Link" from the user editing screen of another user (WP 5.7+)

Details:

To:        User
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%s] Password Reset
Function:  retrieve_password()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   retrieve_password_title
           retrieve_password_message
Disable:   Return an empty message from retrieve_password_message filter

User resets their password

Sent when a user resets their password after clicking the confirmation link sent by the "Lost your password?" feature (see above).

To:        Site admin
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%s] Password Changed
Function:  wp_password_change_notification()
Pluggable: Yes
Filters:   wp_password_change_notification_email
Disable:   Remove action on after_password_reset hook
           Overwrite the pluggable function

User changes their password

Sent when a logged in user changes their password from the user profile screen.

To:        User
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%s] Password Changed
Function:  wp_update_user()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   password_change_email
Disable:   Return false from send_password_change_email filter
Note:      Prior to WordPress 5.2 the subject was: [%s] Notice of Password Change

User attempts to change their email address

Sent when a logged in user attempts to change their email address from the user profile screen.

To:        Proposed new email address
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%s] Email Change Request
Function:  send_confirmation_on_profile_email()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   new_user_email_content
Disable:   Remove action on personal_options_update hook
Note:      Prior to WordPress 5.2 the subject was: [%s] New Email Address
Note:      Prior to WordPress 4.9 this was Multisite-only functionality

User changes their email address

Sent when a user clicks the link in the email requesting confirmation of the change to their email address (see above).

To:        User
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%s] Email Changed
Function:  wp_update_user()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   email_change_email
Disable:   Return false from send_email_change_email filter
Note:      Prior to WordPress 5.2 the subject was: [%s] Notice of Email Change

Personal Data Requests

Personal data export or erasure request is created or resent

Sent when a request is created or resent from the Tools -> Export Personal Data or Tools -> Erase Personal Data screen.

To:        Requester email address
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%1$s] Confirm Action: %2$s
Function:  wp_send_user_request()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   user_request_action_email_subject
           user_request_action_email_content
           user_request_action_email_headers
Disable:   Unknown, may have to remove the admin pages entirely by removing _wp_privacy_hook_requests_page action from admin_menu hook

User confirms personal data export or erasure request

Sent when a user clicks the link in the personal data export or erasure request confirmation email (see above).

To:        Site admin on a single site installation, Network admin on Multisite
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%1$s] Action Confirmed: %2$s
Function:  _wp_privacy_send_request_confirmation_notification()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   user_request_confirmed_email_to
           user_request_confirmed_email_subject
           user_request_confirmed_email_content (WP 5.9+)
           user_request_confirmed_email_headers
           user_confirmed_action_email_content (deprecated in 5.9)
Disable:   Remove action on user_request_action_confirmed hook

Site admin sends link to a personal data export

Sent when a site admin clicks the Send Export Link button next to a confirmed data export request.

To:        Requester email address
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%s] Personal Data Export
Function:  wp_privacy_send_personal_data_export_email()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   wp_privacy_personal_data_email_to
           wp_privacy_personal_data_email_subject
           wp_privacy_personal_data_email_content
           wp_privacy_personal_data_email_headers
Disable:   Remove filter on wp_privacy_personal_data_export_page hook

Site admin erases personal data to fulfill a data erasure request

Sent when a site admin clicks the Erase Personal Data button next to a confirmed data erasure request, or clicks the Force Erase Personal Data button next to a data erasure request of any status.

To:        Requester email address
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%s] Erasure Request Fulfilled
Function:  _wp_privacy_send_erasure_fulfillment_notification()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   user_erasure_fulfillment_email_to
           user_erasure_fulfillment_email_subject (WP 5.9+)
           user_erasure_fulfillment_email_content (WP 5.9+)
           user_erasure_fulfillment_email_headers (WP 5.9+)
           user_erasure_complete_email_subject (deprecated in 5.9)
           user_confirmed_action_email_content (deprecated in 5.9)
           user_erasure_complete_email_headers (deprecated in 5.9)
Disable:   Remove filter on wp_privacy_personal_data_erased hook

Automatic Updates

Automatic plugin or theme updates

Sent when a background automatic update to plugins and/or themes completes or fails.

To:        Site admin on a single site installation, Network admin on Multisite
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%s] Some plugins and themes have automatically updated
           [%s] Some plugins were automatically updated
           [%s] Some themes were automatically updated
           [%s] Some plugins and themes have failed to update
           [%s] Some plugins have failed to update
           [%s] Some themes have failed to update
Function:  WP_Automatic_Updater::after_plugin_theme_update()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   auto_plugin_theme_update_email
Disable:   Return false from auto_plugin_update_send_email filter
           Return false from auto_theme_update_send_email filter

Automatic core update

Sent when a background automatic update to WordPress core completes or fails.

To:        Site admin on a single site installation, Network admin on Multisite
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%1$s] Your site has updated to WordPress %2$s
           [%1$s] WordPress %2$s is available. Please update!
           [%1$s] URGENT: Your site may be down due to a failed update
Function:  WP_Automatic_Updater::send_email()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   auto_core_update_email
Disable:   Return false from auto_core_update_send_email filter
           Return false from send_core_update_notification_email filter

Full log of background update results

Only sent when you are using a development version of WordPress.

To:        Site admin on a single site installation, Network admin on Multisite
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%s] Background Update Failed
           [%s] Background Update Finished
Function:  WP_Automatic_Updater::send_debug_email()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   automatic_updates_debug_email
Disable:   Return false from automatic_updates_send_debug_email filter
Note:      Prior to WordPress 5.2 the subjects were:
           [%s] There were failures during background updates
           [%s] Background updates have finished

New User

An existing user is invited to a site

Multisite only. Sent when an existing user is added to a site from Users -> Add New -> Add Existing User.

To:        User being invited
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%s] Joining Confirmation
Function:  wp-admin/user-new.php
Pluggable: No
Filters:   invited_user_email (WP 5.6+)
Disable:   Click the "Skip Confirmation Email" checkbox when adding the user
Note:      Prior to WordPress 5.6 there was no filter to alter this email

A new user is invited to join a site

Multisite only. Sent when a new user is invited to join a site from Users -> Add New -> Add New User.

To:        User being invited
From:      [Network Name] 
Subject:   [%1$s] Activate %2$s
Function:  wpmu_signup_user_notification()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   wpmu_signup_user_notification_subject
           wpmu_signup_user_notification_email
Disable:   Click the "Skip Confirmation Email" checkbox when adding the user
           Return false from wpmu_signup_user_notification filter
Note:      There is a default filter on wpmu_signup_user_notification_email: admin_created_user_email()

A new user account is created

Multisite only. Sent when a new user account is created via

wpmu_create_user()

• From Network Admin -> Sites -> Add New and the email address doesn't already exist
• From Network Admin -> Sites -> [Edit] -> Users -> Add New User
• From Network Admin -> Users -> Add New
• From Users -> Add New -> Add New User and the "Skip Confirmation Email" checkbox is checked
• When a user activates their new account on

  wp-activate.php

• Via a REST API request to create a new user (

  POST

  to

  /wp/v2/users

  )

Details:

To:        Network Admin
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   New User Registration: %s
Function:  newuser_notify_siteadmin()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   newuser_notify_siteadmin
Disable:   Filter registrationnotification option value
           Remove action on wpmu_new_user hook
           Toggle "Registration notification" in Network Admin -> Settings

A user is added, or their account activation is successful

Multisite only.

To:        User being added
From:      [Network Name] 
Subject:   New %s User: %s
Function:  wpmu_welcome_user_notification()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   update_welcome_user_subject
           update_welcome_user_email
           See also "Welcome User Email" setting in Network Admin -> Settings
Disable:   Click the "Skip Confirmation Email" checkbox when adding the user
           Return false from wpmu_welcome_user_notification filter
           Remove action on wpmu_activate_user hook

A new user is created

When a new user is created, two emails are sent from the same function. One to the site admin:

To:        Site Admin
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%s] New User Registration
Filters:   wp_new_user_notification_email_admin

and one to the newly created user:

To:        New user
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%s] Login Details
Filters:   wp_new_user_notification_email
Note:      Prior to WordPress 5.2 the subject was: [%s] Your username and password info

Details:

Function:  wp_new_user_notification()
Pluggable: Yes
Disable:   Remove wp_send_new_user_notifications action on register_new_user hook
           Remove wp_send_new_user_notifications action on edit_user_created_user hook
           Remove wp_send_new_user_notifications action on network_site_new_created_user hook
           Remove wp_send_new_user_notifications action on network_site_users_created_user hook
           Remove wp_send_new_user_notifications action on network_user_new_created_user hook
           Overwrite the pluggable function

New Site

A new site is created

Multisite only. Sent when a new site is created from Network Admin -> Sites -> Add New.

To:        Network Admin
From:      Site Admin 
Subject:   [%s] New Site Created
Function:  wpmu_new_site_admin_notification()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   new_site_email (WP 5.6+)
Disable:   Return false from send_new_site_email filter (WP 5.6+)
Note:      Prior to WordPress 5.6 there were no filters to alter or disable this email

User registers for a new site

Multisite only, with site registration allowed. Sent when a visitor registers a new user account and site from wp-signup.php.

To:        Site Admin
From:      [Network Name] 
Subject:   [%1$s] Activate %2$s
Function:  wpmu_signup_blog_notification()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   wpmu_signup_blog_notification_subject
           wpmu_signup_blog_notification_email
Disable:   Return false from wpmu_signup_blog_notification filter
           Remove action on after_signup_site hook

User activates their new site, or site added from Network Admin -> Sites -> Add New

Multisite only.

To:        Network Admin
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   New Site Registration: %s
Function:  newblog_notify_siteadmin()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   newblog_notify_siteadmin
Disable:   Filter registrationnotification option value
           Remove action on wpmu_new_blog or wp_initialize_site hooks
           Toggle "Registration notification" in Network Admin -> Settings

User activates their new site, or site added from Network Admin -> Sites -> Add New

Multisite only.

To:        New Site Admin
From:      [Network Name] 
Subject:   New %1$s Site: %2$s
Function:  wpmu_welcome_notification()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   update_welcome_subject
           update_welcome_email
           See also "Welcome Email" setting in Network Admin -> Settings
Disable:   Return false from wpmu_welcome_notification filter
           Remove action on wpmu_activate_blog hook

Other

Installation

Sent when WordPress is initially installed.

To:        Site Admin
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   New WordPress Site
Function:  wp_new_blog_notification()
Pluggable: Yes
Filters:   wp_installed_email (WP 5.6+)
Disable:   Overwrite the pluggable function
Note:      Prior to WordPress 5.6 there was no filter to alter this email

A fatal error occurs

Sent when a fatal error occurs in a plugin or theme and Recovery Mode is not active.

Important: The

wp_fatal_error_handler_enabled

To:        Site Admin / Value of RECOVERY_MODE_EMAIL constant
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%s] Your Site is Experiencing a Technical Issue
Function:  send_recovery_mode_email()
Pluggable: No
Filters:   wp_fatal_error_handler_enabled
           recovery_email_support_info
           recovery_email_debug_info
           recovery_mode_email
Disable:   Define WP_DISABLE_FATAL_ERROR_HANDLER as true
           Return false from wp_fatal_error_handler_enabled filter
Note:      Does not currently apply to Multisite

Site admin requests to delete site

Multisite only. Sent when an Administrator requests to delete their site from the Tools -> Delete Site screen.

To:        Site Admin
From:      WordPress 
Subject:   [%s] Delete My Site
Function:  wp-admin/ms-delete-site.php
Pluggable: No
Filters:   delete_site_email_content
Disable:   Not possible

License: GPLv2

Copyright 2015 - 2021 John Blackbourn

This documentation is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This documentation is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.