How to switch off Mass Mail in Joomla

What is Mass Mail?

Mass Mail is a tool inside Joomla. It lets an administrator write one message and send it to all users, or to chosen groups. It is handy for news. It can also be a risk. Someone with access could send many emails by mistake. Mail servers may mark your site as a spam sender if that happens.

Joomla changes its menus between versions. If a name below looks a little different on your site, look for the closest match.

Method 1: Turn off the mass mail setting

1. Log in to the Joomla administrator area. It is usually your site name plus /administrator.
2. Click System, then Global Configuration.
3. Open the Server tab.
4. Look in the Mail Settings section. Find the option for mass mailing and set it to disabled. Some Joomla versions do not have this option. If you cannot see it, use Method 2.
5. Click Save & Close.

Method 2: Remove the right to use it

You can let nobody except you open Mass Mail. This works on all versions.

1. Go to Users, then Mass Mail Users. Click Options at the top.
2. Open the Permissions tab.
3. Click a user group, like Administrator.
4. Set the Access Administration Interface or similar action to Denied.
5. Click Save.

Keep the right for the Super Users group, because that group cannot be fully blocked.

Stop users from getting system emails

Each user can also choose to skip emails. Go to Users, then Manage. Open a user. Find Receive System Emails and set it to No. Click Save & Close.

Quick recap

• Mass Mail sends one email to many users.
• Check Global Configuration, Server, Mail Settings for a switch.
• Otherwise deny access in the Permissions tab of the Mass Mail options.
• Users can also turn off system emails in their profile.
• Back up before changing permissions.