If you’re using internal email notifications in a HubSpot workflow and see an error that says “Email failed to send to 1 out of 3 recipients. The recipient needs to turn on workflow notifications,” you’re not alone. This common issue typically arises when one or more recipients haven’t enabled workflow email notifications in their HubSpot settings.
What the Error Means
HubSpot allows internal email notifications to be sent as part of automation workflows—typically for alerting team members of form submissions, lifecycle stage changes, and more. However, if a recipient hasn’t enabled workflow notifications in their personal notification settings, HubSpot will be unable to deliver the message, causing a delivery failure.
How to Identify the Issue
In the example shown, an internal email notification was set to be sent to three users. However, one recipient did not receive the email due to notification settings being disabled. The error message provides a direct link to view notification settings and notes the issue occurred multiple times in the past week.
How to Fix It
To resolve the issue:
- Determine the Affected User
- In your workflow’s internal email step, identify all users set to receive the email (e.g., Lisa Traverse, John Foley, Alida Claudino).
- Only one of them has likely disabled workflow notifications.
- Ask the User to Enable Workflow Notifications Share these instructions with the affected user:
- Click the gear icon to access HubSpot Settings.
- Go to Notifications > Email.
- Scroll down to the section labeled “Workflow notifications.”
- Check the box to enable workflow notifications.
- Test the Fix
- After the user updates their settings, test the workflow again by submitting a form or triggering the associated action.
- Verify that all intended recipients receive the internal email notification.
Why This Happens
This safeguard is in place to ensure users have control over their notification preferences. Since workflows can generate a large number of internal messages, HubSpot requires that users opt in before they start receiving them.
Final Tip
To prevent issues like this in the future, it’s a good idea to remind all internal workflow email recipients to verify their notification settings when they’re added to an automated workflow.