How to Enable Low Stock Email Notifications in Magento 2?

If you run a Magento 2 store, balancing inventory control, pricing strategies, and business growth while staying ahead of competitors can be a major challenge. To help you stay on top of your operations, Magento 2 features an advanced inventory tool: Low Stock Notifications. This system automatically triggers email alerts to store administrators the moment a product’s inventory falls below a predetermined threshold. By keeping you informed in real-time, this essential feature ensures you can track product usage, restock efficiently, and never miss out on a sale due to unexpected stockouts.

Here is a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to enable these low stock email notifications and keep your inventory running smoothly.

How to Enable Low Stock Email Notifications in Magento 2?

Here’s how to enable low-stock notification emails to the admin in Magento:

1. Go to Magento Admin and click on Stores > Configuration.
2. In the left menu, go to Catalog under Inventory.

1. Under Product Stock Options, switch Manage Stock to Yes.

   💡 Tip: Update Inventory Numbers Accurately: Automated notifications are only as reliable as your data. Ensure your physical inventory levels are accurately recorded in your digital catalog to avoid false alarms or missed restocking windows.

2. Choose one of the following options for Backorders:
   • No Backorders — does not allow orders when the product is out of stock
   • Allow Qty Below 0 — allows orders when quantity drops below 0
   • Allow Qty Below 0 and Notify Customer — allows orders when quantity drops below 0 and notifies the customer
3. Set the following criteria:
   • Maximum Qty Allowed in Shopping Cart
   • Qty for Item’s Status to Become Out of Stock
   • Minimum Qty Allowed in Shopping Cart
4. Enter a stock level in Notify for Quantity Below. This indicates when the product is considered out of stock. For example, setting it to 5 will trigger notifications when the quantity drops below 5 units.

• Turn on Enable Qty Increments to activate quantity increments.
• To automatically return the item to inventory after a credit memo, switch Automatically Return Credit Memo Item to Stock to Yes.
• Finally, click Save Config to apply your settings.

⚠️ Essential Setup for Email Delivery (SMTP)

Even if your configuration is perfect, default server mailers (mail()) frequently cause automated emails to end up blocked or routed straight to spam folders.To guarantee that your low-stock alerts actually land in your inbox, always configure a dedicated SMTP extension for your store. This ensures secure and high-deliverability routing for all critical admin alerts.

What Magento’s Default Low Stock Notification Does Not Cover

The built-in low stock notification solves one specific operational problem: alerting the store admin when inventory drops below a set threshold. However, it comes with several critical limitations:

• No customer notifications: It only alerts administrators; it does not notify customers when a product is running low or goes out of stock.
• No subscriber tracking: There is no system to track which customers are interested in or waiting for a specific out-of-stock item.
• No management dashboard: It lacks a dedicated dashboard to view, manage, or analyze customer restock subscriptions.
• Global threshold limitations: The configuration applies globally to all products, lacking the flexibility to set unique, variable thresholds on a per-product basis.

To bridge this gap and fully resolve these customer-side limitations, Magento store owners often turn to specialized modules. The Magento 2 Out of Stock Notification extension extends Magento’s default functionality by adding a complete customer subscription and automated restock notification system, ensuring you never miss a sales recovery opportunity.

Final Words

Enabling default low stock email notifications in Magento 2 is a crucial first step for keeping your inventory under control and alerting store admins before products run out.

However, a complete backend strategy requires handling out-of-stock scenarios effectively. When items do sell out, you need to manage those product pages carefully to protect your store’s SEO value, while giving interested customers a clear way to subscribe for restock alerts. By combining default admin alerts with a robust system like Mageplaza Out of Stock Notification, you can automate the entire restock lifecycle, keep shoppers engaged, and recover potentially lost sales effortlessly.