How to Fix the WordPress Not Sending Emails Issue

Struggling with WordPress not sending emails can be a common but frustrating issue, especially when important messages or form submissions are not being delivered. This problem often occurs with popular plugins like Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms, and Formidable Forms.

In this guide, we’ll explore the most common causes of email issues in WordPress and provide simple steps to fix them.

Why Is WordPress Not Sending Emails Correctly?

WordPress email not sending issues often happen due to misconfigurations, server problems, or plugin conflicts. These problems can stop emails from being sent or cause them to land in spam folders. Identifying the root cause helps you find the right solution.

Incorrect WordPress Email Settings

One common reason WordPress does not send emails is incorrect email settings. WordPress uses the PHP mail function by default, which may not be properly configured by your hosting provider. Additionally, using a non-authenticated email address or an invalid “From” email can cause delivery failures. Analyzing form statistics can help you understand user behavior, identify issues with form submissions, and improve overall conversion rates.

How to fix:

1. Verify Your Email Address: Make sure the “From” email address in your WordPress settings is valid and uses your domain name (e.g., [email protected]). Generic email addresses like gmail.com or yahoo.com may cause delivery issues.
2. Check WordPress General Settings: Go to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Settings > General. Confirm that the “Email Address” field contains the correct email.
3. Use an SMTP Plugin: Install an SMTP plugin like WP Mail SMTP or Post SMTP. SMTP ensures your emails are sent using an authenticated email server, improving delivery rates.

• Install and activate the plugin.
• Set up the plugin with your email service provider’s SMTP details (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, or a custom domain).
• Test the connection to make sure emails are being sent correctly.

When you fix your email settings and start using SMTP, you usually resolve most issues related to contact form WordPress contact form not sending emails.

WordPress Emails Are Going to Spam

Even when WordPress sends emails, they may end up in spam folders instead of inboxes. This often happens due to unverified email addresses, lack of domain authentication, or spam filter triggers.

How to fix:

1. Check Your Email Address: Make sure the “From” email address in your WordPress or plugin settings uses a domain-specific email (e.g., [email protected]). Avoid free email providers like Gmail or Yahoo, as they are more likely to be flagged as spam.
2. Authenticate Your Domain: Set up email authentication for your domain by adding SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. These protocols verify that your emails are sent from a trusted source:

• SPF: Specifies which mail servers can send emails on behalf of your domain.
• DKIM: Adds a digital signature to your emails, proving authenticity.
• DMARC: Combines SPF and DKIM to protect against spoofing.

You can add these records through your domain registrar or hosting control panel. Most email service providers, like Gmail or Microsoft, provide guides for this process.

3. Whitelist Your Email Address: Ask recipients to add your email address to their safe sender list or contacts. This reduces the chances of your emails being marked as spam in the future.

Server Is Misconfigured

A misconfigured server can block or fail to send emails from your WordPress site. Many hosting providers don’t properly configure their servers for email delivery, which leads to issues like emails not being sent.

How to fix:

1. Check for Email Misconfiguration: Review your hosting provider’s email settings. Ensure they support PHP mail or SMTP for sending emails. Test your email functionality by using a plugin like WP Mail Logging to see if WordPress is trying to send emails and where they might fail.
2. Reconfigure Your Server: If PHP mail is unreliable, switch to SMTP for email delivery. Install and configure an SMTP plugin like Post SMTP or WP Mail SMTP with your email service provider’s credentials. Ensure your hosting server is using the correct ports (typically 587 or 465 for SMTP). Contact your hosting provider to confirm that email services are enabled and properly configured. Some hosts disable email functions by default.
3. Consider a Third-Party Email Service: If your hosting server continues to cause problems, use a third-party email service like SendGrid, Amazon SES, or Google Workspace for reliable email delivery. These services bypass server restrictions and ensure emails are authenticated.

Contact Form Plugin Issues

Contact form plugins help you collect messages and leads, but they can sometimes stop sending emails. This can happen because of wrong settings, plugin problems, or server issues. In this section, we’ll go over common problems with popular plugins and how to fix them.

Contact Form 7 Email Not Sending

Contact Form 7 is a widely used plugin for WordPress, but it’s not free from issues. Users often face problems like the Contact Form 7 emails not sending, emails ending up in spam, or hosting providers not supporting the PHP mail function.

Common causes:

1. Incorrect Configuration: Incorrect settings in the form can prevent it from sending emails. For example, the “To” or “From” fields might not have valid or properly formatted email addresses.
2. Contact Form 7 Emails Going to Spam: Many users report that Contact Form 7 WordPress email not sent due to spam filters blocking the messages. This happens if the email address looks unverified or isn’t tied to your domain.
3. PHP Mail Function Disabled: Some hosting providers disable the PHP mail function, causing the WordPress contact form email not received issue.

How to fix WordPress Contact Form 7 not sending emails:

1. Ensure Correct Configuration: Navigate to Contact > Contact Forms in your WordPress dashboard. Edit your form and check the “Mail” settings. Confirm the “To” field has the correct recipient email and the “From” field uses an email tied to your domain (e.g., [email protected]).
2. Change the “From” Address: Using a free email provider like Gmail or Yahoo can lead to issues with spam filters. Switch to a domain-specific email (e.g., [email protected]) to reduce the risk of Contact Form 7 not submitting.
3. Install an SMTP Mail Plugin: To fix the WPForms not sending email issue, use an SMTP plugin like WP Mail SMTP. You should Install and activate the plugin and set it up with your email service provider’s SMTP credentials. Then choose a reliable service like Gmail, SendGrid, or Outlook. At the end test the plugin to confirm your emails are being sent properly.

Gravity Forms not sending email

Gravity Forms is a powerful WordPress plugin for creating advanced forms, but users often encounter the Gravity Forms not sending notifications issue. This can happen due to WordPress’s default mail function, conflicts with other plugins or themes, or incorrect email settings within Gravity Forms.

Common causes:

1. WordPress Default Mail Function: Gravity Forms relies on WordPress’s PHP mail function by default, which is often unreliable for sending emails, leading to issues like Gravity Forms email notification not sending.
2. Conflict with Other Plugins and Themes: Certain plugins or themes can interfere with Gravity Forms, causing email delivery failures.
3. Incorrect “From” Email Address: Using a non-domain-specific email address (e.g., [email protected]) in the “From” field can trigger spam filters and prevent emails from being delivered.

How to fix Gravity Forms not sending emails:

1. As mentioned above Install and Activate the Post SMTP Plugin: After activating the plugin configure it with your email service provider’s SMTP settings (e.g., Gmail, SendGrid, or Outlook).
2. Turn On Notifications in Gravity Forms: Go to Forms > Settings > Notifications in your WordPress dashboard. Ensure that notifications are enabled and configured for the correct email addresses.
3. Configure the “Send To” and “From” Email Addresses: In the notification settings, use a domain-specific email (e.g., [email protected]) for the “From” field. Double-check the “Send To” field to ensure the recipient’s email address is correct.

Ninja Forms Not Sending Email

Ninja Forms is a popular WordPress plugin for creating user-friendly forms, but it can sometimes fail to send emails. The Ninja Form not sending email issue usually stems from server misconfigurations, incorrect settings, or a lack of proper spam protection.

Common causes:

1. Incorrect Hosting Server Configuration: Many hosting servers are not set up to support email sending, leading to delivery failures.
2. Form and Form Settings: Misconfigured fields in your form, such as invalid recipient or sender email addresses, can stop emails from being sent.
3. Lack of Spam Protection: Without adequate spam protection, emails may be flagged or blocked by spam filters.
4. Not Sending Emails From the Same Address: Using a “From” address that doesn’t match your domain (e.g., [email protected] instead of [email protected]) increases the chances of emails being flagged as spam.

How to fix WordPress Ninja Forms Stuck On Processing Issue:

1. Test Your Contact Form: Use a form submission to see if emails are being sent. Conduct monitoring of form errors using form tracking tools.
2. Check Your Ninja Forms Settings: Go to Ninja Forms > Emails & Actions in your WordPress dashboard. Ensure the “To” field has the correct recipient email address. Verify that the “From” field uses a valid domain-specific email (e.g., [email protected]).
3. Test to Confirm That Ninja Forms Is Sending Emails: After making changes, submit another form entry to verify that emails are now being sent correctly. Check your spam folder and email logs to ensure successful delivery.

Formidable Forms Not Sending Email

If your Formidable Forms emails aren’t being sent, it could disrupt important communications like customer inquiries or notifications. This issue often arises from how WordPress handles emails or from errors in your form’s notification settings. Identifying these causes and applying targeted fixes will get your emails working properly again. Monitoring Form abandonment statistics can also help you identify patterns where users might be leaving forms incomplete, indirectly pointing to potential email notification issues.

Common causes:

1. WordPress Default Mail Functioning: The default PHP mail system in WordPress is prone to failures, especially if your hosting provider doesn’t support it.
2. Incorrect Formidable Forms Email Alerts: Errors in the form’s notification settings, such as wrong or missing email addresses, can stop the emails from being delivered.

How to fix Formidable Forms not sending email issue:

1. First, Test Your Contact Form: Submit a form to see if the email notifications are sent. Use form tracking tools to identify issues.
2. Look for Saved Contact Form Entries: Check the entries in Formidable > Entries to ensure form submissions are being recorded. If entries are missing, the issue may be with the form itself.

Email issues in WordPress can be frustrating but are usually easy to fix with the right approach. Whether it’s using an SMTP plugin, correcting form settings, or authenticating your domain, these steps ensure your emails are delivered reliably. Regular testing and proper configuration can help you avoid these problems in the future. With the solutions in this guide, your WordPress emails should work smoothly again.