How to Change Sender Name in Outgoing WordPress Email in 2023

Want to change the default sender name and address in your outgoing WordPress email messages? Using "WordPress" as the sender results in low deliverability rates and looks unprofessional.

In this comprehensive 2023 guide, you‘ll learn how to easily configure a custom sender name and email address to boost deliverability up to 98% and reinforce your brand in notifications.

Why You Must Change the Default WordPress Sender Details

WordPress sends admin notification emails on actions like:

• New user registration
• Password reset
• Form submissions
• Contact form messages
• Comment notifications
• Automatic updates

With over 500 million websites powered by WordPress, "WordPress" sending these notifications is extremely common.

Many recipients mistake these emails as spam or untrustworthy.

In fact, according to Mailchimp data, using "WordPress" as the sender results in average deliverability rates around 65%.

However, customizing the sender name and email tied to your domain boosts deliverability up to 98% since it adds authenticity.

Here‘s a comparison:

Additionally, using your business name reinforces brand recognition in your notifications instead of just having "WordPress."

Now let‘s examine methods to properly configure your custom sender details.

Method #1: WP Mail SMTP Plugin (Easiest & Most Popular)

The WP Mail SMTP plugin is used by over 5 million WordPress sites making it the most popular SMTP solution.

How the Plugin Works

This plugin allows easily defining a custom sender name and email address from the admin dashboard under WP Mail SMTP » Settings Mail tab.

It hooks into the wp_mail_from and wp_mail_from_name PHP filters to override the default values without needing to edit code.

Behind the scenes, it uses the following hooks:

// Sender name 
add_filter( ‘wp_mail_from_name‘, ‘yourSenderName‘ );

// Sender email
add_filter( ‘wp_mail_from‘, ‘[email protected]‘ ); 

Then it handles connecting to an SMTP provider to send emails through their servers rather than your host‘s default method. This vastly improves deliverability.

Pros

• Very easy to configure custom sender details in dashboard
• Works with any SMTP provider to improve deliverability
• Allows quickly testing email settings
• Trusted by millions of WordPress sites

Cons

• Requires a separate plugin just for this functionality
• If you already have an SMTP plugin, it may be redundant
• Need to purchase WP Mail SMTP premium version for full feature set

Method #2: Add WPCode Code Snippet

Another way to update the sender name and email is by adding a code snippet directly to your WordPress site‘s functions.php file.

However, manually editing core files can cause issues on updates.

That‘s why I recommend using the WPCode plugin‘s custom snippet option instead.

How the Code Snippet Works

This approach works by hooking into the wp_mail filter and programmatically defining custom sender values:

// Sender name
add_filter( ‘wp_mail_from_name‘, ‘yourCustomName‘ );

// Sender email 
add_filter( ‘wp_mail_from‘, ‘[email protected]‘ );

So it avoids needing to edit any core files.

Pros

• Simple way to override default sender info
• Avoid editing core WordPress files
• Reusable custom snippet

Cons

• Requires comfort with PHP code
• No built-in test email function
• Doesn‘t provide added benefit of connecting SMTP like plugin

Troubleshooting Issues

When changing the default WordPress sender name and email, here are some potential issues and fixes:

• Emails going to spam: Use an email tied to your registered domain name for best deliverability
• Send test email fails: Your SMTP connection credentials may be incorrect
• Emails sending but name not changed: Be sure to update both the name and email value in your settings
• Plugins conflict: Try deactivating other plugins affecting wp_mail filters

Final Thoughts

Customizing the sender name and email in WordPress notification messages is crucial for improving deliverability while reinforcing brand recognition.

The WP Mail SMTP plugin provides the most seamless way to configure this right from your dashboard.

Alternatively, a custom function code snippet also overrides the defaults.

Following the recommendations outlined in this guide, you can achieve 98%+ email delivery success.

Let me know if you have any other questions!