WordPress Contact Form Not Sending Email: How to Test and Fix This Common Issue

Contact forms are a vital component of website communication, serving as a bridge between site owners and their visitors. However, a common issue faced by many WordPress users is the failure of contact forms to send emails. 

In this article, we’ll talk about the reasons behind this problem and provide effective solutions to ensure reliable communication through your WordPress site.

Understanding the Issue

Let’s work on the understanding of the wordpress contact form not sending email problem.

Reasons for WordPress Contact Form 7 Not Sending Email

Several factors can contribute to WordPress contact forms not sending emails. Common issues include:

• Misconfigured Settings: This can happen if the destination address or other key settings are not properly defined.
• Limitations of the Hosting Provider: Your web hosting service plays a crucial role in how outbound communications are handled. Some providers may have restrictions or specific configurations that impact the successful dispatch of submissions. This could be due to server resource limits or particular security protocols that prevent standard sending methods from functioning correctly.
• Interference from Third-Party Services: Sometimes, third-party services integrated with your site can interfere with how submissions are processed. These services might include security plugins, optimization tools, or others that inadvertently block or alter the sending process.
• Incorrect DNS Settings: Domain Name System (DNS) misconfigurations can also lead to problems. For instance, if the SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record isn’t correctly set up, it might lead to the blocking or filtering of outgoing messages.
• Plugin Conflicts: WordPress sites often use multiple plugins, and occasionally, these can conflict with each other. A plugin designed for one functionality might interfere with the operation of Contact Form 7, leading to issues in dispatching submissions.
• JavaScript Conflicts: JavaScript issues can arise due to theme or plugin conflicts, potentially affecting the submission process. These conflicts can prevent the form from executing its sending action properly.
• CAPTCHA Related Issues: If you are using CAPTCHA to prevent spam, incorrect setup or failures in CAPTCHA verification can halt the submission process.
• Outdated Plugin Versions: Running outdated versions of Contact Form 7 or other plugins can cause compatibility issues. Regular updates are essential to ensure smooth operation.

Impact on Website Functionality

When submissions fail to be sent, it disrupts the line of communication with potential clients or users, leading to missed opportunities and a decline in user trust. You work hard enough to bring people to those landing pages, and make sure not to lose them when they already take their interest in your business.

To resolve the problem, you’ll need to hire WordPress programmer who knows exactly what to do. Hopefully, we have a lot of such experts on the team.

Testing the Submission Sending Functionality

To see why there’s an issue with the WordPress Divi contact form not sending email, you need to test the function yourself. Check the form’s settings to ensure that the fields are correctly configured with the right address. Then, use the fields to send a test message to see if it works. Sometimes, emails may be flagged as spam, so make sure to check that folder as well.

To help out, use additional tools like WP Mail SMTP. It can log emails sent from your website, helping to diagnose issues. And check your hosting server’s mail logs for any error messages related to sending.

Recommended: How to Change URL of WordPress Website

Fixing Contact Form WordPress Not Sending Email

We asked our experts for info on fixing the problem. Here’s what they shared:

• Troubleshooting Contact Form Plugins: Ensure your form plugin is up-to-date. Also, deactivate other plugins temporarily to see if they’re causing the issue.
• Configuring SMTP for Reliable Message Delivery: Plugins like WP Mail SMTP or Easy WP SMTP can be used to configure your WordPress site to send emails using SMTP, which is more reliable than the PHP mail function.
• Addressing Delivery Conflicts: Configure SPF and DKIM Records. These DNS settings can help prevent your emails from being marked as spam. You should also check in with your hosting provider. Some may have restrictions on email sending that may need to be addressed.
• Integrating HubSpot with WP:  It’s worth exploring comprehensive solutions, for example, to integrate HubSpot with WordPress. HubSpot offers a range of tools that can significantly improve email deliverability and overall form effectiveness. 

Best Practices for Contact Form Email Delivery

So, what can you do to avoid losing potential customers through contact form failure? Here are some of the best practices:

• Ensuring Consistent Email Delivery: Conduct routine tests to ensure they are functioning correctly and consider using services like SendGrid or Mailgun for better email deliverability.
• Implementing Email Logging and Monitoring: Keep logs of all emails sent from your website for future reference and use monitoring tools provided by your email service provider to keep track of email performance.

Small things like that allow you to control the situation at all times and fix any issues as soon as they come up.

ProCoders SMPT Configuration

WordPress, by default, will try to send emails using the PHP mail() function. While that may generally be a quick solution, it is not advisable for professional websites, as more often than not, emails delivered by PHP mail() function will end up in the receiver’s SPAM / JUNK folders.

For this reason, it is advisable to use an SMTP configuration plugin to send emails like WP Mail SMPT.

Once installed, here is a quick and easy configuration that works in most cases:

From Email:

Make sure to use the same email as the one being configured through the SMTP configuration. Trying to suggest a different “From Email” may lead to the delivered email ending up in the receiver’s SPAM / JUNK folder.

Force From Email:

This should be checked for the same reasons mentioned above

Mailer:

Choose “Other SMTP”

SMPT Configuration for popular mail providers:

Provider	Host	Encryption	Port
Google	smtp.gmail.com	TLS	587
Google	smtp.gmail.com	SSL	465
Outlook	smtp-mail.outlook.com	STARTTLS	587
Yahoo	smtp.mail.yahoo.com	TLS	587
Yahoo	smtp.mail.yahoo.com	SSL	465
Zoho Mail	smtp.zoho.com	TLS	587
Zoho Mail	smtp.zoho.com	SSL	465
AOL Mail	smtp.aol.com	STARTTLS	587
ProtonMail	smtp.protonmail.com	STARTTLS	587

If you otherwise use your own email service, you should check with your email provider documentation or mail server administrator to get the correct configuration. TLS / STARTTLS is the advisable encryption/port combination to be used.

SMTP username:

This is usually your full email address, the same as “From Email”. Otherwise, check with your email provider for the correct username to be used

SMTP password:

Again, this should be the password you use as login for this email address. Be careful if you are using 2-Step Verification for this email address. In this case, you will need to create an “Application Password”. More on those here:

– Google Application Password: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/185833

– Outlook App Password: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/using-app-passwords-with-apps-that-don-t-support-two-step-verification-5896ed9b-4263-e681-128a-a6f2979a7944

After you have completed the configuration, it’s time to test sending an email. Go to WP Mail SMTP > Tools > Send Email. If you get a splash screen like the one below, your email configuration is set up and working correctly.

Side Note: If you are working on your localhost, and you get a “Server misconfiguration” error as seen below:

Misconfigured server certificate.

This means OpenSSL on your server isn’t able to verify the host certificate.

There are a few reasons why this is happening. It could be that the host certificate is misconfigured, or this server’s OpenSSL is using an outdated CA bundle.

Then before checking anything else, first try to “Turn off” your system’s Antivirus program, which sometimes can block an application’s “outgoing” communication from your localhost.

And voila!

Conclusion

Resolving the issue with the contact form not sending email WordPress is crucial for maintaining effective communication with your website visitors. By implementing the solutions and best practices outlined in this article, you can ensure a seamless experience for potential customers. For those seeking further assistance, remember that ProCoders developers are always there to track down and fix the issue with your website.

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