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
- Have the user log in and click their Profile Avatar > Notifications.
- 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
- In WordPress admin, go to Settings > Forums.
- Locate the Forum Features section.
- Uncheck Allow members to subscribe to discussions and standalone forums.
- 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: