Who gets which email
Six notifications to members, four to you. Each one can be switched off, retitled and rewritten, with merge tags for the details.
- Beginner
- 7 min read
- Applies to 2.0
Where it lives
User Access → Emails. Two sections matter here: User Notifications, a table with one row per email, and Admin Notifications below it.
The User Notifications table, with the enable switch, subject and content for each email type.
What members receive
| Sent when | |
|---|---|
| Welcome | a new account has been created |
| Password reset | someone asks to reset their password |
| Account locked | too many failed attempts have locked the account |
| Password expiry | a password is about to expire |
| Two-factor code | a sign-in needs the emailed code |
| Maintenance notification | maintenance mode is starting or ending |
Each row gives you three things: a switch, the subject, and the content. Switch one off and that email simply is not sent.
The two-factor code email is the one to leave alone unless you have a reason. A member waiting on a code is mid-sign-in, and a clever rewrite that buries the code below a paragraph of branding costs them time at the worst moment.
Merge tags
Type these in a subject or a body and they are replaced when the email goes out. The listing under each field shows the ones that email supports; not every tag makes sense everywhere.
| Tag | Becomes |
|---|---|
{site_name}, {site_url} | your site's name and address |
{user_login}, {user_display_name}, {user_email} | the member's details |
{login_url} | the sign-in page |
{reset_url} | the password reset link — required in the reset email |
{verification_code}, {expiry_minutes} | the two-factor code and its life |
{days_remaining}, {password_change_url} | for the expiry warning |
{lockout_duration}, {ip_address}, {login_time} | for the lockout notice |
{maintenance_start}, {maintenance_end}, {maintenance_duration} | for maintenance |
Preview shows the result with sample values, and Send Test puts a real copy in your inbox. Use both before switching an email on for a live site.
What you receive
Admin Notifications, at the bottom of the tab.
- Notification recipients — where these go. Leave it empty and they go to the site's admin address.
- New user registers — one email per registration.
- Multiple failed login attempts — sent once 10 failures have accumulated within an hour, not once per failure. The counter then resets.
- User locked out — when the throttle locks an account.
- IP address blocked — when an address is added to the blocked list, with at most one email per hour per address so a persistent visitor cannot flood your inbox.
Coming from version 1.x? Three of those four — failed logins, lockouts and blocked IPs — were offered on this screen with nothing behind them. Ticking them did nothing at all. They send in 2.0, so if you ticked them long ago and forgot, expect email you were not getting before. The thresholds above are there to keep that manageable.
Who the mail comes from
General Settings, at the top of the tab: Email From Name and Email From Address, defaulting to your site name and admin address.
These apply to all mail the site sends, not only the plugin's — comment notifications, other plugins, everything. That is usually what you want, but it is worth knowing before you set the sender to something unexpected.
If your notifications are not arriving at all, the sender is rarely the problem: see Sending email through SMTP.
Something missing or out of date? Tell support.