How to Disable Forum Subscription Notifications

Introduction

When Forum Subscriptions are enabled, email notifications for new posts are mandatory and cannot be toggled off in the backend—hence the grayed-out setting. Users can, however, disable these notifications individually on the front end. To remove email notifications site-wide, you must disable the subscription feature entirely.

Disable Notifications for Individual Users

  1. Have the user log in and click their Profile Avatar > Notifications.
  2. Under Forum Subscriptions, toggle off any subscription entries they no longer wish to receive.

Each user can manage their own subscription notifications from this interface.

Disable Email Notifications Globally

  1. In WordPress admin, go to Settings > Forums.
  2. Locate the Forum Features section.
  3. Uncheck Allow members to subscribe to discussions and standalone forums.
  4. Click Save Settings.

Turning off subscription features will prevent any new forum subscription notifications from being sent.

Troubleshooting and FAQs

Q: The subscription setting is still grayed out—what am I missing?
A: Forum Subscriptions must remain enabled for subscription notifications to function. You can only disable them by unchecking the subscription option under Settings > Forums.

Q: Is there a way to hide the subscription button on the front end?
A: You can add a small CSS snippet to your child theme or customizer:

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