### [[SOLVED] How to Fix WPForms Not Sending Email](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wpforms-not-sending-email/)

**Published:** February 24, 2021
**Author:** Claire Broadley

**Excerpt:** Is WPForms not sending email when your forms are submitted?

Sometimes WPForms notifications are marked as spam so they never land in your inbox.

In this article, we'll show you how to fix your WPForms emails so you never miss another contact form notification.

**Content:**

Is WPForms not sending email when your forms are submitted?

Sometimes WPForms notifications are marked as spam so they never land in your inbox. It’s a common problem and many users face issues with WordPress form emails.

In this article, we’ll show you how to fix your WPForms emails so you never miss another contact form notification.

[Fix Your WPForms Emails Now](https://wpmailsmtp.com/pricing/)

### Why Is WPForms Not Sending Email Notifications?

WPForms is likely not sending emails because your messages are being filtered as spam. This can be an issue with any [contact form plugin](https://wpmailsmtp.com/best-contact-form-plugins/) in WordPress.

It’s also becoming more common now that [Gmail is blocking emails without authentication](https://wpmailsmtp.com/fix-gmail-blocking-emails/). Yahoo and Outlook have also already implemented stricter rules for authenticating incoming email and other providers will follow.

By default, WordPress doesn’t add authentication to emails. So when your email provider receives a message from WordPress, it “looks” very much like a spam email.

You can easily fix WPForms not sending emails with the [WP Mail SMTP plugin](https://wpmailsmtp.com/pricing/ "Pricing"). WP Mail SMTP takes over the default method of sending email and adds the correct authentication.

WP Mail SMTP is easy to install and has a wizard to help you set up your chosen mailer. It’s a proven solution when you have any [WordPress contact form not sending email](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wordpress-not-sending-email/).

**Note:** Some customers have issues with WPForms appearing to hang when the form is submitted. Check out the solution to this if you’re [having issues with slow forms on GoDaddy Managed Hosting](https://wpmailsmtp.com/godaddy-managed-hosting-fix-emails-forms/).

## How to Fix WPForms Not Sending Email

WPForms is incredibly flexible when it comes to sending form notifications. You can even [make a form with multiple email addresses](https://wpmailsmtp.com/how-to-make-a-contact-form-with-multiple-email-addresses/) to send your form notifications to.

But all these cool features will be of no use if your WordPress emails are broken. The step-by-step guide below provides solutions to some common email notification problems with WPForms.

- [1. Fix WPForms Not Sending Email](#1-fix-wpforms-not-sending-email)
    - [Install WP Mail SMTP](#install-wp-mail-smtp)
    - [Configure WPForms SMTP](#configure-wpforms-smtp)
    - [Configure Mailer, From Name, and From Email](#configure-mailer-from-name-and-from-email)
    - [Enable Email Logging for WPForms](#enable-email-logging-for-wpforms)
- [2. Fix WPForms Sending Emails to the Wrong Address](#2-fix-wpforms-sending-emails-to-the-wrong-address)
    - [Form Abandonment Notifications](#form-abandonment-notifications)
- [3. Fix Errors in WPForms](#3-fix-errors-in-wpforms)
    - [WPForms has detected an issue with JavaScript](#wpforms-has-detected-an-issue-with-javascript)
    - [Form token is invalid](#form-token-is-invalid)
    - [This field is required](#this-field-is-required)
    - [WPForms Not Sending Email to Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook](#wpforms-not-sending-email-to-gmail-yahoo-or-outlook)

We’ll start out by adding WordPress SMTP to make your emails more reliable.

### 1. Fix WPForms Not Sending Email

If it looks like your contact form is working, but [WPForms](https://wpforms.com) is not sending emails, it’s probably because your web server is sending messages without any authentication.

The WP Mail SMTP plugin makes it easy to fix this. It sends all of your emails through an external email provider so that your emails will be properly authenticated.

Generally, if you’re not receiving emails from your WordPress contact form, setting up SMTP can fix the problem.

Let’s set it up now.

#### Install WP Mail SMTP

First, let’s download the WP Mail SMTP plugin. You can grab the latest version in the **Downloads** tab of your [WP Mail SMTP account](https://wpmailsmtp.com/account/).

![Download WP Mail SMTP Pro to fix WPForms contact form not sending email](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/download-wp-mail-smtp-button-1024x643.png)Next, upload the plugin to your WordPress site. If you need help with this, jump over to this [guide to installing a WordPress plugin](https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/step-by-step-guide-to-install-a-wordpress-plugin-for-beginners/).

![Install WP Mail SMTP](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/install-wp-mail-smtp.png)As soon as you activate WP Mail SMTP you’ll see the Setup Wizard open up in your browser.

To start setting it up, click the **Let’s Get Started** button in the wizard.

![Start the WP Mail SMTP setup wizard to fix WPforms not sending email](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/setup-wizard-get-started-1024x517.png)The wizard will then take you to a new screen where you can configure the email provider settings to ensure your WordPress form emails work without issues.

#### Configure WPForms SMTP

On the next screen, you’ll see a list of email providers that you can use in WordPress.

We recommend that you choose a [transactional email provider](https://wpmailsmtp.com/transactional-email-providers/). Transactional email providers are designed to send large volumes of emails quickly, so they’re ideal for the best possible email deliverability.

That’s why we recommend that you pick [SendLayer](http://sendlayer.com), [SMTP.com](https://wpmailsmtp.com/go/smtp/ "SMTP.com"), or [Brevo](https://wpmailsmtp.com/go/brevo/ "Brevo(Formerly Sendinblue)") (formerly Sendinblue). In this example, I’ve chosen SendLayer.

![Choose SMTP mailer in setup wizard](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/setup-wizard-choose-mailer-1024x845.png)Go ahead and pick the email provider you want to use.

Next, you’ll want to create your account with your provider if you haven’t done that already.

Click the link below to open the documentation for your email provider. It’ll explain what you need to do to connect your new account to your WordPress site:

Mailers available in all versionsMailers in [WP Mail SMTP Pro](https://wpmailsmtp.com/pricing/)[SendLayer](https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/how-to-set-up-the-sendlayer-mailer-in-wp-mail-smtp/)[Amazon SES](https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/how-to-set-up-the-amazon-ses-mailer-in-wp-mail-smtp/)[SMTP.com](https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/how-to-set-up-the-smtp-com-mailer-in-wp-mail-smtp/)[Microsoft 365 / Outlook.com](https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/how-to-set-up-the-outlook-mailer-in-wp-mail-smtp/)[Brevo](https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/how-to-set-up-the-sendinblue-mailer-in-wp-mail-smtp/)[Zoho Mail](https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/how-to-set-up-the-zoho-mailer-in-wp-mail-smtp/)[Google Workspace / Gmail](https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/how-to-set-up-the-gmail-mailer-in-wp-mail-smtp/) [Mailgun](https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/how-to-set-up-the-mailgun-mailer-in-wp-mail-smtp/) [Postmark](https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/how-to-set-up-the-postmark-mailer-in-wp-mail-smtp/) [SendGrid](https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/how-to-set-up-the-sendgrid-mailer-in-wp-mail-smtp/) [SparkPost](https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/how-to-set-up-the-sparkpost-mailer-in-wp-mail-smtp/) [Other SMTP](https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/how-to-set-up-the-other-smtp-mailer-in-wp-mail-smtp/) #### Configure Mailer, From Name, and From Email

The wizard will link directly to setup instructions for the mailer of your choice. As I chose SendLayer, all I need to do at this stage is enter an API key.

On this page you also need to enter the **From Name** that your WPForms emails will come from and the **From Emai**l address that form notifications will be sent from.

![Configure mailer settings for your WPForms emails](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/configure-mailer-settings-in-wizard-1024x855.png)**Note:** Make sure you use the same email address you set up in your chosen mailer.

#### Need a hand?

Our [Elite license](https://wpmailsmtp.com/pricing/) includes White Glove Setup for SendLayer, Brevo, or SMTP.com.

Want to set up multiple mailers? You can do so in the [Additional Connections](https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/configuring-additional-connections/) settings once you’ve finished the Setup Wizard. Then you can select a [Backup Connection](https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/configuring-backup-connection/) and configure [Smart Routing](https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/setting-up-smart-email-routing/).

When you’re done with the setup steps in the doc above, switch back to this guide.

#### Enable Email Logging for WPForms

At the end of the wizard, 2 settings will be automatically enabled:

- Improved [email deliverability](https://wpmailsmtp.com/email-deliverability/)
- Email error tracking

We recommend that you also turn on **Detailed Email Logs**.

![Enabling email logs and email alerts in the WP Mail SMTP Setup Wizard](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/setup-wizard-enable-features.png)When you enable **Detailed Email Logs**, you can keep track of every email that the plugin is sending from your site, including:

- Email headers
- Subject line
- Date sent
- Status

WP Mail SMTP displays this data in **Complete Email Reports** as well as the WP Mail SMTP Dashboard Widget.

The **Weekly Email Summary** includes a roundup of your email deliverability statistics for the week.

![Email Summary With Statistics in WP Mail SMTP Pro](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/email-summary-pro-statistics.png)The other feature available here is **Instant Email Alerts**. If your website [fails to send an email](https://wpmailsmtp.com/how-to-get-alerts-when-wordpress-emails-fail/), you’ll receive a notification about it right away.

![An email alert notification](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/example-email-alert.png)The email logs feature also unlocks some advanced settings in the next step of the Setup Wizard.

![Configuring email log settings in the WP Mail SMTP Setup Wizard](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/setup-wizard-email-log-settings.png)- **Email content logging**: Save a copy of the body of each email along with the headers
- **Save email attachments**: [Store every attachment sent from WordPress](https://wpmailsmtp.com/save-wordpress-email-attachments/)
- **Open and click tracking**: See [open and click analytics for your WordPress emails](https://wpmailsmtp.com/enable-wordpress-email-tracking/)
- **Export email logs**: Export details of sent emails and any attachments
- **Export in EML format**: Save a complete copy of a sent email and its attachments
- **Email resend**: Resend failed emails individually or in bulk – ideal if you want to [resend the new user registration email in WordPress](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wordpress-resend-new-user-email/)

Read our article on [how to log WordPress emails](https://wpmailsmtp.com/log-emails-wordpress/) to get more details.

Don’t forget to paste in your license key at the end of the wizard to activate all of the features and updates in the Pro version.

![Enter WP Mail SMTP license key](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/wp-mail-smtp-license-key.png)Using WP Mail SMTP fixes most types of email problems, including[ user registration email issues](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wordpress-user-registration-email-not-sending/) in WPForms. Still having problems? Let’s look at your notifications next.

### 2. Fix WPForms Sending Emails to the Wrong Address

Every form in WPForms has its own notification settings. If WPForms emails are not received in your inbox, you’ll want to check that you have the correct settings on the notifications for that form.

These steps will fix WPForms Pro or WPForms Lite not sending email.

In [WPForms](https://wpforms.com), open up the WordPress form you’re having trouble with. We’ll use a simple contact form in this example.

![Simple Contact Form in WPForms](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/wpforms-simple-contact-form.png)Then click the **Settings** icon on the left-hand side of the form builder.

![WPForms settings](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/wpforms-settings.png)Now click **Notifications** to open up the email template for the form.

![WPForms notification settings](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/wpforms-notifications-1.png)Your default notification will look like this:

![WPForms notification settings](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/notifications-settings-wpforms.png)If these WPForms notifications are not working, here are a few things to check in your email notification settings:

- The **Send To** is set to the `{admin_email}` in WordPress by default. If you don’t want notifications to be sent there, you can delete the `{admin_email}` Smart Tag and type in another email address.
- If you want to use more than 1 email address in the **Send To** field, be sure to separate the email addresses with a comma.
- The **Send To** and **From Email** should be different. This will avoid triggering the [“be careful with this message” warning in Gmail](https://wpmailsmtp.com/be-careful-with-this-message-gmail/).

Remember, it’s important to use a **From Email** that’s authenticated in WP Mail SMTP.

When you have the basic form notifications set up, click **Save** at the top of the form builder.

#### Form Abandonment Notifications

WPForms has a [Form Abandonment addon](https://wpforms.com/addons/form-abandonment-addon/) that captures incomplete form submissions. This is a great way to capture leads from visitors who quit part way through filling in a form.

If you have this enabled, you need to have 2 notifications set up on your form. One will be used for abandoned entries, and the other will be used for completed ones.

Abandoned form notification emails are enabled in the notification settings. You’ll want to scroll right down to the bottom and toggle on the **Enable for abandoned form entries** option:

![Form abandonment notification](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/form-abandonment-notification-1.png)If you *also* want to get emails for completed forms, you’ll want to make a second notification. You can easily click the clone icon to make a copy of your first notification.

![Clone WPForms notification](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/clone-wpforms-notification.png)In the cloned notification, make sure that the **Enable for abandoned form entries** setting is turned off.

Now you’ll get 2 notifications for the form: one for abandoned entries, and a separate notification for completed ones.

### 3. Fix Errors in WPForms

If you still aren’t getting WPForms notifications, it’s a good idea to test the form to make sure that everything works as expected. Problems with conflicting plugins or themes can prevent forms from being submitted.

Here are the 3 most common error messages you’ll see when you’re not receiving emails from your WordPress contact forms.

#### WPForms has detected an issue with JavaScript

This is usually caused by caching plugins that try to minify the JavaScript in WordPress. Although this is helpful for some parts of your website, minification can break your forms and your visitors won’t be able to submit them.

You can solve this error by disabling JavaScript optimization in your caching plugin, or excluding the following files:

- WPForms Lite: `/wp-content/plugins/wpforms-lite/assets/js/wpforms.min.js`
- [WPForms Pro](https://wpforms.com/pricing/): `/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/assets/js/wpforms.min.js`

Don’t forget to clear the cache before trying your forms again.

#### Form token is invalid

This error message also means JavaScript isn’t working on your form. When JavaScript doesn’t work, the [anti-spam token](https://wpforms.com/how-to-build-spam-free-wordpress-contact-forms-the-ultimate-guide/) doesn’t work so the form can’t be submitted.

To fix this, follow the steps above to exclude WPForms JavaScript in your caching plugin.

#### This field is required

WPForms has the best anti-spam features in any contact form plugin. You can choose between different anti-spam tools for each form. For example, you can [add hCaptcha to your WordPress forms](https://wpmailsmtp.com/hcaptcha-on-wordpress-forms/) easily.

Occasionally, these CAPTCHAs generate an error message like “This field is required,” even though they’ve been completed.

If your visitors can’t submit the form because they see this error, it could be because reCAPTCHA or hCaptcha is loading twice. This is caused by a conflict with your theme or another plugin.

To correct this, disable the plugin that’s loading reCAPTCHA or hCaptcha outside of WPForms.

If you can’t find the cause, you can also force the CAPTCHA to only load once. To do that, head to the main **WPForms » Settings** page:

![WPForms settings](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/wpforms-settings-1.png)Next, click the **CAPTCHA** tab at the top to open your CAPTCHA settings.

![CAPTCHA settings in WPForms](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/captcha-wpforms.png)Click the **No-Conflict Mode** checkbox to prevent any other reCAPTCHA code from loading on your page.

![WPForms no conflict mode](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/no-conflict-mode.png)#### WPForms Not Sending Email to Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook

If WPForms is not sending emails to Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook it’s likely because the emails aren’t authenticated. These email providers have super strict filters that will prevent any suspicious email from being delivered. This sometimes means that the email won’t even appear in the Junk Mail folder.

To make sure your WPForms form notification emails reach Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, and Hotmail email addresses, you need to make sure the domain you’re sending email from (that’s the part of your From email after the “@” symbol) is properly authenticated.

After you install WP Mail SMTP, make sure to set up your domain with correct [DMARC, DKIM, and SPF records](https://wpmailsmtp.com/dmarc-spf-dkim/).

If you need help, start with this guide on [how to create a DMARC record to protect your domain](https://wpmailsmtp.com/how-to-create-dmarc-record/).

You can make sure your sender email is authenticated by using the email testing feature of WP Mail SMTP. As well as sending an email to a an email address of your choice to make sure you’ve set up the plugin correctly, you’ll also see if any of your DNS records are not set up properly (indicated by a yellow or red icon.)

![domain check results](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/domain-check-results-1020x1024.png)As well as requiring domain authentication, Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook have strict guidelines about staying within spam complaint limits, and making it easy for users to unsubscribe from marketing emails. Gmail and Yahoo implemented these restrictions in 2024 and Outlook followed suit in 2025.

You can take a look at our guide on [what to do if Gmail is blocking your emails](https://wpmailsmtp.com/fix-gmail-blocking-emails/) for more detailed instructions to make sure your WPForms emails reach the inbox.

And that’s it! You learned how to troubleshoot errors and fix WPForms not sending email notifications.

[Fix Your WPForms Emails Now](https://wpmailsmtp.com/pricing/)

### FAQ About WPForms Not Sending Email

Here are some of the most common questions we get about problems with WPForms outgoing emails.

#### Does WPForms use SMTP?

WPForms uses your site’s default email configuration. So, if SMTP is not set up on your site, WPForms will use PHP mail to send emails, which is what causes most [email deliverability](https://wpmailsmtp.com/email-deliverability/) issues.

In order to get WPForms to send emails through SMTP, you’ll need to set up WP Mail SMTP, as[ shown above](#install-smtp).

#### Why is WPForms not sending me an email once submitted

The most common reason why WPForms doesn’t send an email after a user submits a form is that your site lacks proper SMTP configuration.

To configure SMTP and start receiving emails from WPForms, make sure to set up WP Mail SMTP as explained above.

#### How do I test email notifications for my form?

You can test your email notifications by submitting a form entry yourself after you’ve finished creating your form.

This can be done while you’re previewing a form you’ve just created using WPForms. As soon as you submit an entry, you should get an email notification for the form submission.

If you didn’t receive a notification, make sure to check your WP Mail SMTP Email Log to see if there are any configuration errors.

#### What does “attempt to submit corrupted post data” mean in WPForms?

This error usually indicates a security token mismatch, often caused by caching plugins or CDN services storing an old version of your form.

The form’s security token expires, but the cached version still shows the old token. To fix it, clear your cache (including CDN cache if you use Cloudflare), disable caching on pages with forms, or add an exception rule in your caching plugin for WPForms pages.

#### How do I fix WPForms not sending email to Gmail?

Gmail has strict authentication requirements that often block WordPress emails. Install WP Mail SMTP and connect it to an authenticated email service.

Set your “From Email” to use your domain (like contact@yoursite.com), not a Gmail address. Enable SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your domain.

After setup, send a test WPForms submission to verify Gmail delivery works.

#### Why is WPForms Lite not sending email?

WPForms Lite uses the same email notification system as WPForms Pro, so email failures affect both versions equally.

The issue isn’t with WPForms Lite’s functionality but with WordPress’s default email system. Install WP Mail SMTP (works with both Lite and Pro) to fix email delivery for all WPForms versions.

#### Can WPForms send to multiple email addresses?

Yes, in your form’s Notifications settings, enter multiple email addresses in the “Send To Email Address” field, separated by commas.

For example: sales@yoursite.com, support@yoursite.com, manager@yoursite.com. Each address will receive a copy of the notification when the form is submitted.

#### How do I know if my WPForms email failed to send?

Enable Email Logs in WP Mail SMTP (Settings » Email Log) to see every email WordPress attempts to send, including WPForms notifications.

Failed emails show a red “Failed” status with the specific error message explaining why delivery failed (invalid SMTP credentials, DNS authentication issues, blocked by recipient, etc.).

You can also enable Instant Email Alerts in WP Mail SMTP to receive immediate notifications when any email fails.

### Next, Check Out These Page Builder Plugins

Did you know that you can embed any WPForms contact form easily using SeedProd?

Check out this list of the [best page builder plugins](https://wpmailsmtp.com/best-wordpress-page-builder/) to see how WPForms and SeedProd make it easy to develop custom landing pages.

If you’d like to know more about WPForms and its best features, check out our in-depth [WPForms review](https://wpmailsmtp.com/wpforms-review/) for details.

[Fix Your WPForms Emails Now](https://wpmailsmtp.com/pricing/)

Ready to fix your emails? [Get started today](https://wpmailsmtp.com/pricing) with the best WordPress SMTP plugin. If you don’t have the time to fix your emails, you can get full White Glove Setup assistance as an extra purchase, and there’s a 14-day money-back guarantee for all paid plans.

If this article helped you out, please follow us on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/wpmailsmtp) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/wpmailsmtp) for more WordPress tips and tutorials.

**Categories:** WordPress Tutorials

**Tags:** Email notifications, wpforms

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