Moderator
t-p
(@t-p)
Hi there,
This is a typical issue, especially if your site is not using an email service with proper configuration. When WordPress confirms that the email has been sent, but you don’t receive anything, it often means the email was blocked or couldn’t be delivered. This generally occurs because the default wp_mail() is based on your server’s mail, and it may not be properly configured or authenticated.
Try to use an SMTP plugin like WP Mail SMTP (https://ww.wp.xz.cn/plugins/wp-mail-smtp/) and configure it with a reliable mailer service like Gmail SMTP or your host’s SMTP credentials. You can use the “Other SMTP” mailer option, which is free but less secure than other mailer options.
This significantly improves email deliverability and should certainly fix your issue.
Please check out the complete guide on WP Mail SMTP mailers:
https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/a-complete-guide-to-wp-mail-smtp-mailers
Here is a useful guide on setting up the Other SMTP mailer in WP Mail SMTP:
https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/how-to-set-up-the-other-smtp-mailer-in-wp-mail-smtp
Once all is set up, don’t forget to check your email’s spam folders, especially if you’re using a work or organization email address; The email might be filtered before reaching your inbox.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you need further assistance.
Best regards,
Hyppolite
Edit the database directly, using phpMyAdmin,
A Quick Guide to phpMyAdmin (And How You Can Use It)
update wp_options set option_value = ‘[email protected]’ where option_name = ‘admin_email’
Thread Starter
sm5987
(@sm5987)
Hello,
Thank you all. @hyppolitak I was able to reset the email using the plugin. However, I’d like to not use the plugin in the future. Is there a way to permanently fix this issue?
And regarding Post SMTP: I have that downloaded, but it has not been activated yet because I haven’t been able to change the WP admin email. I wanted to get that changed before changing the emails in Post SMTP.
Thanks again!
Hi @sm5987
It’s great to hear that the admin email change worked with the plugin.
Just to make sure I understand, it seems you downloaded Post SMTP earlier but decided to wait on activating it until the admin email was updated. Now that you’ve taken care of that, you should be all set to activate Post SMTP. Please note that you should not run WP Mail SMTP and Post SMTP simultaneously on the same WordPress site as this may result into conflict since both plugins hook into the same wp_mail() function.
As for your question about avoiding plugins in the future, I’m afraid it’s not that simple. WordPress’s built-in wp_mail() relies on your web hosting server’s mail setup, which can often be unreliable or not properly authenticated. That’s why it is recommended to opt for email plugins like WP Mail SMTP or Post SMTP, they send emails through a reliable, authenticated SMTP service, ensuring better deliverability.
If you want a more permanent solution without using a plugin, your site needs to send emails reliably on its own, which means configuring SMTP directly on the server (like through php.ini, sendmail, or authenticated server mail relays), setting up valid SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your domain, ensuring no firewall or spam filter blocks outgoing emails. These adjustments require server-level access or assistance from your hosting provider, and are often not supported by most shared hosting environments.
I hope that clears things up!
Thread Starter
sm5987
(@sm5987)
@hyppolitak Thank you. Yes, you are understanding correctly. Thank you for the information about using plugins. For now I will go with the plugin, as I’m not sure how I would configure SMTP directly on the server and it sounds like that is not the best option anyway.
Thanks so much again, everyone, for your help!
