Fix a WordPress contact form that isn't sending email

Contact Form 7, WPForms, Elementor and most other WordPress form tools hand each message to wp_mail(). Unless an SMTP plugin replaces it, wp_mail() sends through your host's PHP mail() function, and that is where messages get lost.

Many hosts limit or block PHP mail to stop spam. When it does go out, the email claims to come from your domain but leaves from a shared server your SPF and DKIM records don't cover, so Gmail and Outlook file it as spam or reject it. Most free form plugins don't store the message either, so a failed email means a lost lead. In Contact Form 7 you'll see "There was an error trying to send your message." Other plugins say thank you and the email never shows up.

Two ways to fix it#

The usual fix is an SMTP plugin connected to a mail provider like SendGrid or Mailgun. You verify your domain, add DNS records and keep both plugins updated. Do that if WordPress sends other email you care about, like WooCommerce receipts and password resets.

If the contact form is the problem, you can take WordPress out of the email path. Paste a Nisuform form into a Custom HTML block and the form posts to Nisuform, which saves the submission, filters spam and sends the notification itself. There's no plugin to install, and nothing breaks when you move hosts.

Add the form#

1. Create and style a form#

   Create a contact form in Nisuform. Add any fields you need in the form builder and pick a theme and accent color close to your site's.

2. Copy the embed code#

   On the form's Setup tab, choose Site builder, then WordPress, then Copy the embed code.

3. Paste it into a Custom HTML block#

   Edit your contact page, add a Custom HTML block where the form goes, paste the code and update the page. In the Classic Editor, paste it into the Text tab.

4. Send a test#

   Open the page, wait two seconds and send. The message should be in your Nisuform inbox and your email within seconds.

Plain HTML instead#

To style the form with your theme's CSS, use plain markup instead of the styled embed. It posts without JavaScript, so it also works where scripts get stripped.

<form action="https://api.nisuform.com/s/YOUR_FORM_KEY" method="POST">
  <label for="name">Name</label>
  <input id="name" type="text" name="name" autocomplete="name" required>
  <label for="email">Email</label>
  <input id="email" type="email" name="email" autocomplete="email" required>
  <label for="message">Message</label>
  <textarea id="message" name="message" rows="5" required></textarea>
  <input type="text" name="_gotcha" tabindex="-1" autocomplete="off" style="display:none">
  <button type="submit">Send</button>
</form>

After submitting, visitors see a Nisuform thank-you page with a link back to your site. On Pro, a redirect sends them to your own page instead.

If you're replacing Contact Form 7, the Contact Form 7 comparison shows how its form tags map to plain HTML with the same field names.

When WordPress strips the script#

WordPress removes <script> tags for anyone without the unfiltered_html capability. On a single site, Authors and Contributors don't have it. On a multisite network, only super admins do. Some security plugins strip scripts too. The styled embed still posts as a normal form when that happens, and visitors see the thank-you page instead of the success message in place. Paste the code as an administrator, or use the plain HTML version.

Page builders#

The same embed code works in any builder's raw HTML element: the free HTML widget in Elementor (see the Elementor page), the Code module in Divi, the HTML module in Beaver Builder, and the Custom HTML block in block themes, including templates and template parts.

Spam#

Every submission goes through a honeypot, a fill-time check, rate limits, and link and duplicate checks. There's nothing to configure and no CAPTCHA plugin. Spam lands in its own folder, doesn't notify you and doesn't count toward your monthly limit. If spam still gets through, turn on Cloudflare Turnstile, and add your domain to the form's allowed websites so other sites can't post to it.