Do you have WordPress and want to change the WordPress admin email? If yes, then you’re in the right post at the right time.
Usually, WordPress sets the first email address that you provide as your admin email by default. Plus, that first email is also set for your first admin account.
But what if you want to change the previously provided email address now? That is why we’re here for you.
In this article, we’ll show you three different methods by which you can easily change the WordPress admin email address.
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Usually, WordPress newbies tend to use their personal email addresses when they install WordPress first time. Besides, some WordPress hosting companies automatically use your hosting account’s email address at installation time.
WordPress then uses this email address as the site’s email address and also the email address for the primary admin user profile.
However, this email address will be used by your website to deliver essential alerts. For example, when a new user account is registered, an auto-update is installed, as are content control notices.
Moreover, the admin user’s email address retrieves forgotten passwords and receives account notifications.
Usually, website owners quickly discover that they would like to utilize a professional business email address rather than a generic free email account. They should also use a distinct email address for site administration and the admin user.
With that said, let’s look at how to change the WordPress admin email address quickly.
Pro tip: Changing your admin email helps improve WordPress admin login security, especially on sites with multiple users.
Before you dive into updating your WordPress admin email, make sure the following items are in place:
Choose an email with your domain name (e.g., [email protected]) rather than a free email like Gmail or Yahoo. This builds brand authority and trust.
Make sure WordPress can send and receive emails correctly. If you’re not getting emails from your website:
Not receiving emails is the #1 reason verification fails when changing admin emails.
If you’re a newbie to WordPress, this is your method. The method is easy and quick to do. Interestingly, this is the method that almost all users, regardless of pros or newbies, use to change the WordPress site email and also the user account’s email address.
Well, to change the WordPress site email address, you need to navigate Settings > General in your admin dashboard. And finally, change the Administration Email Address.
Remember to save your modifications.
Once you save, WordPress will save your new admin email address. However, the admin email address will not change until you verify the email.
After you verify the new email address, all your important administration-related notifications will be delivered to the new address by WordPress.
Next, what about changing the admin user account’s email address? To do so, hover over the admin dashboard’s Users > All Users page. Once you reach there, click on the Edit link below the user for whom you want to change.
This will take you to the profile edit page for that specific user account. Simply change the email address by scrolling down to the email option.
Don’t forget to save your changes by clicking the ‘Update profile‘ button.
If you are presently signed in to the user account you want to change, WordPress will now send an email to the new email address.
To confirm your email address change, click on the link in the email.
We’ll show you how to change both of these email addresses using phpMyAdmin in this procedure. Only use this solution if you cannot access the WordPress admin area.
To begin, log in to your hosting account’s cPanel dashboard. Click on the phpMyAdmin icon under the database area.
N.B. Your cPanel dashboard may differ slightly from the screenshot above, depending on your hosting provider. Because we use Bluehost, here is a snapshot of our control center.
This will open the phpMyAdmin application. It’s a database administration tool, and we’ll use it to change the admin email address directly in the WordPress database.
Your database will be listed in the left column of the phpMyAdmin window. Clicking on it will show all of the tables included inside it. To open the _options table, locate it and click on it.
It will now display the data rows within the choices table to you. Click the ‘Edit‘ button next to the row with the option name ‘admin email.‘
The row will appear as a form through phpMyAdmin, where you can simply change your site’s admin email.
Remember to click the ‘Go’ button to save your changes.
You have successfully changed the email address associated with WordPress website email notifications.
Let’s update the email address for the admin user account.
In the phpMyAdmin window, click to open the _ users table. Then, on the row where the user login matches the user, you wish to update, click the edit button.
The user row will now be displayed in a form by PHPMyAdmin. In the user email field, insert the new email address.
Remember to click the ‘Go‘ button to save your changes.
You can use this procedure if you are unable to get the verification email to update the admin email address.
It essentially allows you to avoid WordPress verification and change the admin email address directly.
You must first install and activate the Change Admin Email plugin. For additional information, visit our step-by-step guide to installing a WordPress plugin.
After activation, go to the Settings > General page. Select the ‘Administration Email Address‘ option and input the new email address.
Finally, click the ‘Save Changes‘ button to save your modifications.
Without authentication, the plugin will change the admin address instantly. It will also send you a test email to your new administrative email account.
Keeping your admin panel secure and fast is just as important as updating the email. Here’s how:
A slow dashboard can affect productivity—optimize it to avoid delays during management.
Here are other key WordPress admin dashboard features and areas tied to your admin email:
| Feature | Purpose |
| Dashboard > Updates | Core, plugin, and theme updates |
| Users > Profile | Change password and personal info |
| Settings > General | Change site name, URL, and admin email |
| Tools > Site Health | Alerts about PHP version, email sending, etc. |
| Appearance > Themes | Customize the theme and design |
| Plugins > Installed Plugins | Manage essential tools like WP Mail SMTP |
| Problem | Fix |
| No verification email received | Use WP Mail SMTP to fix email sending issues |
| Hosting blocks outgoing mail | Use SMTP with Gmail, Mailgun, Sendinblue, etc. |
| Admin area inaccessible | Use phpMyAdmin to change the email directly |
| Mistyped email | Use database access or a plugin to correct it |
| The email change is not reflecting | Check email verification status or plugin conflicts |
Even with the right steps, you may encounter roadblocks. Here are quick fixes:
Make sure you’ve:
Used a professional domain email to build brand trust
Check spam folder, verify SMTP settings, or use tools like WP Mail SMTP.
Not always. The site admin email is for site-wide alerts, while the user email is tied to an individual login.
Check spam folder, verify SMTP settings, or use tools like WP Mail SMTP.
Yes, you can use a plugin like “Change Admin Email” or edit the database.
To manually change it, access your site’s database via phpMyAdmin, go to the wp_options table, and update the admin_email field. Don’t forget to clear your cache afterward.
This means a new email address was submitted but hasn’t been confirmed. WordPress waits for the new email owner to verify the change. If the email wasn’t received, try resending or manually updating it via the database.
Up to this point, we hope the post helped you learn how you can change the WordPress admin email. You may want to see our guide on how you can fix the missing appearance menu in WordPress. You may also want to see how you can clear cache files in WordPress.
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