Keeping your Joomla up-to-date is a key to making your website secure. Minor Joomla updates with security and bug fixes are released regularly. By default, all super administrators of a Joomla site will receive a notification email when a new Joomla version is available. This article explains how to disable or enable this feature.
The piece of Joomla that's responsible for the new version notification emails is a plugin named "System - Joomla! Update Notification". You can find it in the plugin manager Extensions > Plugins (Joomla 3.x) or System > Manage > Plugins (Joomla 4.x). There are many plugins on the plugin manager page. So, to find the correct plugin easier, enter "update" in the search field.
How to disable Joomla new version notification emails?
This can be done simply by unpublishing the plugin "System - Joomla! Update Notification" we mentioned above. So, simply go to the plugin manager and unpublish the plugin by clicking on its status icon.
Why any Joomla user would ever want to disable this? Well, if this user maintains a dozen (or hundreds) of Joomla websites, s/he will receive dozens or hundreds of the same email notifications any time when the new Joomla version is available. It's enough to receive just one notification and then update Joomla everywhere.
How to enable Joomla new version notification emails?
It's enabled by default. So, if you didn't change the status of the module or its parameters, all super administrators should receive the notification emails regularly.
Joomla! Update Notification plugin parameters
There is only one important parameter in this plugin: Super User Emails. By default, it's blank and, in this case, all super administrators will receive Joomla new version notification emails. If you want only specific super administrators to receive the notification emails, enter them here (as a comma-separated list of email addresses). Make sure that each email address is a registered email address of a super administrator.
The second parameter is the "Email Language". By default, it's set to "auto" value. This means that each super administrator will receive the notification email in the language s/he set in her/his profile.
Why I am not receiving Joomla! update notification emails?
There could be several reasons for this. Let's mention the most possible reasons here:
- Joomla! Update Notification plugin is unpublished. Check this in the Plugin Manager.
- The update notification emails often end up in the Spam or Junk folder. Check this and add your website FROM email address to the list of your contacts.
- Your Joomla is not capable to send any emails. Check if the contact form or user registration form works. Consult your hosting provider and set correct mail parameters in the global configuration of Joomla.
- In the Joomla! Update Notification plugin parameters you entered an email address that's not a registered address of any super administrator. Make sure you keep this parameter blank or use only the registered email address(es) of one or more super administrators.