Disabling Password Change Emails in WordPress

How to Disable Lost/Changed Password Emails in WordPress

There are several methods to accomplish this within WordPress.  Today we’ll show you two methods, one directly in your functions.php file and the other with a plugin.

Method 1 – Adding code to your functions.php file

To disable password change emails in WordPress, you can follow these steps:

1. Access your WordPress website’s admin dashboard.
2. Go to “Plugins” and click on “Add New.”
3. Search for the “Disable Password Change Email” plugin.
4. Install and activate the plugin.
5. Once activated, the plugin will automatically disable password change emails.

Alternatively, if you prefer not to use a plugin, you can add a code snippet to your theme’s functions.php file. Here’s how:

1. Access your WordPress website’s admin dashboard.
2. Go to “Appearance” and click on “Theme Editor.”
3. On the right-hand side, you’ll see a list of theme files. Look for functions.php and click on it.
4. Scroll to the bottom of the functions.php file and add the following code:

function disable_password_change_email() {
    return false;
}
add_filter('send_password_change_email', 'disable_password_change_email');

If that code doesn’t work here is another option:

if ( !function_exists( 'wp_password_change_notification' ) ) {
    function wp_password_change_notification() {}
}

5. Click the “Update File” button to save the changes.

With this code snippet, you’re overriding the default behavior of sending password change emails and returning false, effectively disabling those emails.

Please note that modifying theme files directly can be risky, as any mistakes can potentially break your site. It’s recommended to create a backup of your website or use a child theme before making any changes. If you’re uncomfortable with code modifications, using a plugin is a safer option.

Method 2 – Using WP Mail SMTP Plugin

This method requires no coding changes, but you do need the pro version of WP Mail SMTP plugin to configure the settings you’ll need.

Once activated, go to WP Mail SMTP -> Settings from WP-Admin:

You can then click on the “Email Controls” tab:

On this page, you’ll see all the emails that WordPress sends automatically.

To disable the lost/changed password email, just scroll to the “Change of User Email or Password” section.

From here just toggle the email you would like to disable and save!

Need help integrating this code?  Contact us today for an estimate!