Updates and Notifications gives you fine-grained control over when WordPress updates itself and which email notifications get sent to you and your team. Disable auto-updates that disrupt your workflow, or turn off alert emails that clutter your inbox.

What this feature does

WordPress sends you emails about nearly everything: when updates happen, when users register, when comments arrive, when recovery mode activates. At the same time, WordPress can silently update itself in the background without asking permission first.

This feature lets you control both. You can disable automatic updates for WordPress core, plugins, themes, and translations, so you decide when they run. You can also suppress individual notification emails, or redirect recovery mode alerts to a different email address.

Why use this?

If you manage a staging site and don't want surprise updates breaking your tests, or if your inbox is flooded with AdminEase alerts you don't need, these toggles give you peace of mind. You can also keep critical notifications (like recovery mode) while silencing less important ones (like theme updates).

How to enable it

  1. Open AdminEase and navigate to Updates & Notifications. Click AdminEase in the WordPress admin menu, then look for the Updates & Notifications tab.
  2. Toggle the settings you want. Each option has its own switch. Disable auto-updates, suppress emails, or customize recovery mode notifications. Changes save immediately.
  3. Verify the changes. If you disabled core auto-updates, check Dashboard > Updates. The available update notice should still appear, but it won't install automatically.

Settings reference

Setting What it does Default
Disable auto update core Prevents WordPress itself from automatically updating to new versions. You'll still see the update notice in the dashboard, but WordPress won't install it without your approval. Off
Disable auto update plugins Stops WordPress from automatically updating plugins. Plugins that have auto-updates enabled will be held back and require manual updates instead. Off
Disable auto update themes Prevents WordPress from automatically updating themes. Useful if you've customized a theme and don't want updates overwriting your changes. Off
Disable auto update translations Stops automatic updates to WordPress translation files (language packs). Translation updates are usually safe, so most sites leave this on. Off
Disable auto core update send email Suppresses the email notification that WordPress sends after a core auto-update completes. Reduces inbox clutter if auto-updates are on. Off
Disable auto theme update send email Stops the notification email after a theme auto-update. Useful for high-volume update scenarios. Off
Disable auto plugin update send email Suppresses the notification email after a plugin auto-update. Reduces alerts when you're actively managing updates yourself. Off
Disable new user admin notification email Stops the email sent to administrators when a new user registers on your site. Useful for sites with high signup volumes or custom user management. Off
Disable user password change admin notification email Suppresses the email sent to admins when a user changes their password. Reduces alerts unless you need to monitor password changes for security. Off
Disable comment admin notification email Stops the notification sent to moderators when a new comment is posted. Useful if you have a separate comment moderation workflow. Off
Disable comment post author notification email Suppresses the email sent to post authors when someone comments on their post. Useful for sites where comment notifications aren't needed. Off
Disable recovery mode email notification Stops the email sent when WordPress enters Recovery Mode (usually due to a fatal error or plugin conflict). Only disable if you actively monitor site health elsewhere. Off
Customize recovery mode recipient email When enabled, lets you redirect recovery mode notifications to one or more email addresses instead of the default site admin email. Useful for teams where a specific person handles recovery. Off
Recovery mode recipient email (child field) The email address or comma-separated list of addresses where recovery mode notifications should be sent. Only visible when "Customize recovery mode recipient email" is enabled. (empty)

What happens behind the scenes

WordPress filters used

AdminEase uses standard WordPress hooks to intercept auto-updates and email notifications. When you toggle an option, AdminEase hooks into the relevant filters at priority 9999 to override WordPress defaults:

  • auto_update_core, allow_major_auto_core_updates, allow_minor_auto_core_updates for core updates
  • auto_update_plugin, plugins_auto_update_enabled for plugin updates
  • auto_update_theme, themes_auto_update_enabled for theme updates
  • auto_update_translation for translation updates
  • auto_core_update_send_email, auto_theme_update_send_email, auto_plugin_update_send_email for update notification emails
  • wp_send_new_user_notification_to_admin for new user alerts
  • send_password_change_email, send_email_change_email for user account change notifications
  • notify_moderator, notify_post_author for comment notifications
  • recovery_mode_email for recovery mode alerts (can be redirected to custom emails)

These filters are applied at startup, so changes take effect immediately after saving.

Troubleshooting

I disabled auto-updates for core, but WordPress still updated

Check that you saved the AdminEase setting successfully. If you use a server with periodic maintenance windows or cron jobs that run WordPress independently of the dashboard, those might trigger updates. AdminEase controls the admin interface; it doesn't affect dedicated update cron jobs you may have set up externally. Verify by going to AdminEase > Updates & Notifications and confirming the toggle is still on.

I'm still receiving emails even after disabling them

Some notification emails are sent by plugins or custom code that don't use the standard WordPress hooks. AdminEase hooks only into core WordPress filters. If you're receiving emails from a third-party plugin, you'll need to disable notifications in that plugin directly. Also check that you've saved the setting and refreshed the page.

Recovery mode emails won't go to my custom address

Make sure you enable the Customize recovery mode recipient email toggle first, then enter the email address in the field that appears. If you want multiple recipients, separate them with commas (e.g., admin@example.com, ops@example.com). Verify the addresses are valid; if AdminEase can't parse an email, it falls back to the default site admin email.

I don't see a particular notification email type I want to disable

AdminEase covers the most common notification emails that WordPress sends. If you need to suppress an email that's not listed here (for example, from a custom plugin or a non-standard WordPress hook), you may need to contact your host or use code to filter that email's hook directly.