diff --git a/api/v1/emailTemplates/PKPEmailTemplateController.php b/api/v1/emailTemplates/PKPEmailTemplateController.php
index 3e83f21461a..723d5445d81 100644
--- a/api/v1/emailTemplates/PKPEmailTemplateController.php
+++ b/api/v1/emailTemplates/PKPEmailTemplateController.php
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ public function delete(Request $illuminateRequest): JsonResponse
 
         $props = Repo::emailTemplate()->getSchemaMap()->map($emailTemplate);
         Repo::emailTemplate()->delete($emailTemplate);
-
+        Repo::emailTemplate()->deleteTemplateGroupAccess($requestContext->getId(), [$illuminateRequest->route('key')]);
         return response()->json($props, Response::HTTP_OK);
     }
 
diff --git a/classes/emailTemplate/DAO.php b/classes/emailTemplate/DAO.php
index 12bbfebe3f7..469ab30354e 100644
--- a/classes/emailTemplate/DAO.php
+++ b/classes/emailTemplate/DAO.php
@@ -360,34 +360,6 @@ public function installEmailTemplateLocaleData(
         return true;
     }
 
-
-    /**
-     * Registers default templates as unrestricted for the specified context ID.
-     */
-    public function registerDefaultTemplatesAsUnrestricted(int $contextId): void
-    {
-        $templates = Repo::emailTemplate()->getCollector($contextId)->getMany()->all();
-        $keys = array_map(fn (EmailTemplate $template) => $template->getData('key'), $templates);
-
-        $existingUnrestrictedTemplates = EmailTemplateAccessGroup::withContextId($contextId)
-            ->whereNull('user_group_id')
-            ->select('email_key')
-            ->pluck('email_key')->all();
-
-        // Identify templates to add as unrestricted
-        $defaultKeysToRegister = array_diff($keys, $existingUnrestrictedTemplates);
-
-        $data = array_map(function ($key) use ($contextId) {
-            return [
-                'email_key' => $key,
-                'context_id' => $contextId,
-                'user_group_id' => null
-            ];
-        }, $defaultKeysToRegister);
-
-        EmailTemplateAccessGroup::insert($data);
-    }
-
     /**
      * Installs the "extra" email templates for a context
      *
@@ -494,4 +466,37 @@ protected function getUniqueKey(EmailTemplate $emailTemplate): string
 
         return $key;
     }
+
+
+    /**
+     * Sets email template's unrestricted status to their defaults
+     */
+    public function setTemplateDefaultUnrestirctedSetting(int $contextId, ?array $emailKeys = null)
+    {
+        $xmlDao = new XMLDAO();
+        $data = $xmlDao->parseStruct($this->getMainEmailTemplatesFilename(), ['email']);
+
+        if (!isset($data['email'])) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        foreach ($data['email'] as $entry) {
+            $attrs = $entry['attributes'];
+
+            if ($emailKeys !== null && !in_array($attrs['key'], $emailKeys)) {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            // Default to true if `isUnrestricted` is not set.
+            $isUnrestricted = $attrs['isUnrestricted'] ?? '1';
+
+            if ($isUnrestricted !== '1' && $isUnrestricted !== '0') {
+                throw new Exception('Invalid value given for the `isUnrestricted` attribute on the ' . $attrs['key'] . ' template.');
+            }
+
+            Repo::emailTemplate()->markTemplateAsUnrestricted($attrs['key'], (bool)$isUnrestricted, $contextId);
+        }
+
+        return true;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/classes/emailTemplate/Repository.php b/classes/emailTemplate/Repository.php
index 746cc5e7038..373cad7d150 100644
--- a/classes/emailTemplate/Repository.php
+++ b/classes/emailTemplate/Repository.php
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 
 namespace PKP\emailTemplate;
 
+use APP\core\Application;
 use APP\emailTemplate\DAO;
 use APP\facades\Repo;
 use Illuminate\Support\Collection;
@@ -195,10 +196,11 @@ public function delete(EmailTemplate $emailTemplate)
     /**
      * Delete a collection of email templates
      */
-    public function deleteMany(Collector $collector)
+    public function deleteMany(Collector $collector): void
     {
         foreach ($collector->getMany() as $emailTemplate) {
             $this->delete($emailTemplate);
+            $this->deleteTemplateGroupAccess(Application::get()->getRequest()->getContext()->getId(), $emailTemplate);
         }
     }
 
@@ -217,11 +219,14 @@ public function restoreDefaults($contextId): array
             ->getMany();
 
         $deletedKeys = [];
-        $results->each(function ($emailTemplate) use ($deletedKeys) {
+        $results->each(function ($emailTemplate) use ($contextId, &$deletedKeys) {
             $deletedKeys[] = $emailTemplate->getData('key');
             $this->delete($emailTemplate);
         });
+
+
         $this->dao->installAlternateEmailTemplates($contextId);
+        Repo::emailTemplate()->restoreTemplateUserGroupAccess($contextId, $deletedKeys);
         Hook::call('EmailTemplate::restoreDefaults', [&$deletedKeys, $contextId]);
         return $deletedKeys;
     }
@@ -366,4 +371,24 @@ public function markTemplateAsUnrestricted(string $emailKey, bool $isUnrestricte
                 ->delete();
         }
     }
+
+
+    /**
+     * Deletes all user group access for an email
+     */
+    public function deleteTemplateGroupAccess(int $contextId, array $emailKey): void
+    {
+        EmailTemplateAccessGroup::where('context_id', $contextId)->whereIn('email_key', $emailKey)->delete();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Deletes all user group access for an email template and set unrestricted to their default
+     */
+    public function restoreTemplateUserGroupAccess(int $contextId, array $emailKeys)
+    {
+        if (!empty($emailKeys)) {
+            $this->deleteTemplateGroupAccess($contextId, $emailKeys);
+            return $this->dao->setTemplateDefaultUnrestirctedSetting($contextId, $emailKeys);
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/classes/mail/Repository.php b/classes/mail/Repository.php
index c6b199e6c1e..71b193cb226 100644
--- a/classes/mail/Repository.php
+++ b/classes/mail/Repository.php
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 use PKP\mail\mailables\SubmissionSavedForLater;
 use PKP\mail\traits\Configurable;
 use PKP\plugins\Hook;
+use PKP\userGroup\UserGroup;
 
 class Repository
 {
@@ -101,6 +102,14 @@ public function summarizeMailable(string $class): array
         $dataDescriptions = $class::getDataDescriptions();
         ksort($dataDescriptions);
 
+        $userGroups = collect();
+        Repo::userGroup()->getCollector()
+            ->filterByContextIds([Application::get()->getRequest()->getContext()->getId()])
+            ->getMany()->each(fn (UserGroup $group) => $userGroups->add([
+                'id' => $group->getId(),
+                'name' => $group->getLocalizedName()
+            ]));
+
         return [
             '_href' => Application::get()->getRequest()->getDispatcher()->url(
                 Application::get()->getRequest(),
@@ -117,6 +126,7 @@ public function summarizeMailable(string $class): array
             'supportsTemplates' => $class::getSupportsTemplates(),
             'toRoleIds' => $class::getToRoleIds(),
             'canAssignUserGroupToTemplates' => $this->isGroupsAssignableToTemplates($class),
+            'assignableTemplateUserGroups' => $userGroups
         ];
     }
 
diff --git a/classes/services/PKPContextService.php b/classes/services/PKPContextService.php
index 6a24bd4278d..7a0ceb223c6 100644
--- a/classes/services/PKPContextService.php
+++ b/classes/services/PKPContextService.php
@@ -561,7 +561,7 @@ public function add($context, $request)
         $navigationMenuDao->installSettings($context->getId(), 'registry/navigationMenus.xml');
 
         Repo::emailTemplate()->dao->installAlternateEmailTemplates($context->getId());
-        Repo::emailTemplate()->dao->registerDefaultTemplatesAsUnrestricted($context->getId());
+        Repo::emailTemplate()->dao->setTemplateDefaultUnrestirctedSetting($context->getId());
 
         // Load all plugins so they can hook in and add their installation settings
         PluginRegistry::loadAllPlugins();