How to Send an Email When an ACF Field Is Updated on a User Profile

ACF can add extra fields to the WordPress user profile — a membership level, a company name, a verification status. When one of those fields changes, Zapify can email you straight away with the A field is updated on a user's profile trigger and the Send an email action.

What this automation does

The automation is one trigger plus one action:

• Trigger: A field is updated on a user's profile (ACF_USER_FIELD_UPDATED, Advanced Custom Fields)
• Action: Send an email (WP_SEND_EMAIL, WordPress)

When a user profile is saved and the field you chose holds a different value, Zapify sends the email. The run is about the user whose profile changed, not the administrator who edited it.

Each changed field fires its own run, and a field that was saved with the same value it already had does not fire at all. A change made by other code calling ACF's update_field() function is not seen — only saves that go through ACF's own screens or forms are.

Before you start

• Advanced Custom Fields installed and active, with a field group whose location rule is a user form, such as User Form is equal to Add / Edit.
• A working mail setup so WordPress can send email.

How to build the automation

Step 1: Create a new automation

1. In the WordPress admin, go to Zapify → Automations.
2. Click Add New to open the builder.
3. Name it clearly, such as Tell the team when a member changes level.

Step 2: Add the "A field is updated on a user's profile" trigger

1. Click Add Trigger.

2. Choose Advanced Custom Fields as the app.

3. Select A field is updated on a user's profile.

4. Configure the trigger:

Field	Required	What it does
Field	Yes	The user-profile field to watch, or Any field.
Only when the new value is	No	Run only for one exact value, such as Gold. Leave it empty to run for any change.

Step 3: Add the "Send an email" action

1. Click Add Action.

2. Choose WordPress as the app.

3. Select Send an email.

Step 4: Configure the email

For example:

• To: memberships@example.com
• Subject: {{trigger:USER_DISPLAY_NAME}} changed their {{trigger:FIELD_LABEL}}
• Body: {{trigger:USER_EMAIL}} went from {{trigger:OLD_VALUE}} to {{trigger:NEW_VALUE}}.

To email the member instead, put {{trigger:USER_EMAIL}} in the To field.

Step 5: Set the steps Live and save

Each trigger and action has its own Live / Off / Draft switch. A new automation starts as a Draft and does nothing until its steps are Live.

1. Set the trigger and every action to Live.
2. Click Save.

Step 6: Test it

Edit a test user under Users → Edit, change the field and click Update User. Check the recipient inbox, or Zapify → Logs.

Tokens you can use

Token	What it holds
User ID / User email / Username / User display name	The user whose profile changed.
Field label / Field name / Field key / Field type	Which field changed.
New value (formatted) / New value (as stored) / Old value	The value after and before the change.

Conclusion

With the A field is updated on a user's profile trigger and the Send an email action, a change to an ACF profile field reaches the right person without anyone watching the Users screen. To write to a profile field automatically, see updating an ACF user field when a product is purchased.

FAQs

Is this free in Zapify?

The Send an email action is free. The ACF trigger needs an active Zapify PRO licence.

Does it fire when the user edits their own profile?

Yes. It fires whenever the profile is saved, whether by the user from their own profile screen or by an administrator.

Does it fire when a user registers?

Only if the registration form saves ACF fields through ACF. A field filled in for the first time counts as a change from empty.

Can I email the user whose field changed?

Yes. Use the User email token in the To field.

Why is the field list empty?

The list shows fields from field groups that apply to a user form. Check the field group's location rules in ACF.

Do I need to write any code?

No. Everything is configured in the Zapify visual builder.