Contact Form 7
Most common issues and how to fix them

Contact Form 7 is one of the most popular WordPress plugins used for creating contact forms. While extremely easy to set up. Over time here are the most common issue you might run into:

1. Failed to Send Message Error

"Failed to send your message. Please try later or contact the administrator by another method."

Symptoms: Users see a generic error message that says the message failed to send.

Fix: Ensure your hosting has PHP mail functions enabled, or configure SMTP for sending emails. A plugin like WP Mail SMTP can help with SMTP configuration.

2. ReCaptcha Errors

Symptoms: Forms do not submit properly due to CAPTCHA issues, or you see errors related to CAPTCHA keys.

Fix: Verify that the reCAPTCHA keys are correctly entered in Contact Form 7's Integration menu. Also, ensure you're using the correct version of reCAPTCHA as selected in the plugin settings.

3. JavaScript Conflicts

Symptoms: The form seems to freeze or doesn't submit, often due to JavaScript issues.

Fix: Deactivate other plugins and switch to a default theme temporarily to identify the conflict. Update all themes and plugins. If the issue persists, investigate and fix JavaScript errors using the browser's console.

4. Email Deliverability Issues

Symptoms: Emails sent through the contact form are not received.

Fix: Use an SMTP plugin to configure email sending via SMTP instead of PHP mail(). Also, check the spam folder and ensure the "From" email in the contact form settings is a valid email account on your domain.

5. Form Styling Issues

Symptoms: The form looks unstyled or broken on the front end.

Fix: Add custom CSS to your theme or via a custom CSS plugin to style the form elements. Ensure your theme's CSS doesn't conflict with form styles.

6. File Upload Issues

Symptoms: Users cannot upload files through the form, or uploads fail.

Fix: Check the file size and type settings within the form tag. Ensure your server's PHP settings (upload_max_filesize and post_max_size) support the file sizes. Modify .htaccess or php.ini to adjust these settings if necessary.

7. Form Fields Not Saving or Updating

Symptoms: Changes to form fields are not saved or reflected on the front end.

Fix: Clear your WordPress cache and browser cache. If using a caching plugin, ensure dynamic content like forms is excluded from caching.

8. Redirect or Confirmation Issues

Symptoms: After form submission, there's no confirmation, or redirects do not work as expected.

Fix: Use JavaScript or the additional settings in Contact Form 7 to customize the redirect URL. Ensure no JavaScript errors are present that might interfere with the form's submission process.

9. Form Submission Hanging

Symptoms: The form submission spinner keeps spinning indefinitely, and the form does not submit.

Fix: This is often due to a JavaScript error or a server-side issue. Check the browser's console for errors and ensure that AJAX requests are not blocked by server settings or security plugins.

10. Incompatibility With Gutenberg Editor

Symptoms: Difficulty inserting forms into posts or pages with the Gutenberg editor.

Fix: Ensure you're using the latest version of Contact Form 7, which includes a block for easy insertion into Gutenberg. Alternatively, use the classic shortcode method in a shortcode block.