Plugin or Theme Conflicts

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Last Updated on December 9, 2013 by Neil Murray

Plugin and theme conflicts are unfortunately a fact of life with WordPress. As one of the most popular plugins in the WordPress Repository, it’s reasonable to assume that CF7 is written so that it does not cause conflicts with other plugins and themes.

However there are many plugins and themes that are not so well written. Like many other popular plugins, CF7 is frequently reported as not working in the WordPress Forums (particularly by users with limited WordPress skill and experience) when the real cause is conflict from another theme or plugin – see http://wiki.simple-press.com/installation/troubleshooting/theme-conflicts/.

Step by step approach to finding Plugin & Theme Conflicts

1.) Disable all plugins other than CF7
a.) Does it work now? – Turn back on plugins one by one until you find the conflict
b.) You may need to clear the browser cache between each one
2.) Disable your current theme and load one of the WordPress Default themes
a.) Does it work now? – The problem is with your current selected theme
3.) With everything disabled, try (if you can) to correct the problem by reinstalling elements that may have become corrupted.

You may need to :
1.) Deactivate Contact Form 7 and completely delete it. Then re-install it into your WordPress instance.
2.) Reinstall your theme.
3.) Delete and reinstall the plugin causing the conflict.
4.) Re-upload your wp-content folder with a fresh copy.

Note: Any plugin that uses wp_mail and does not reset wp_mail_content_type back to ‘text/plain’ after sending a message can lead to unexpected problems with e-mails from WordPress.

Use Firebug or Chrome Dev Tools

You can use Firebug or Chrome Dev Tools to try to find the cause of plugin and theme conflicts with Contact Form 7. See Using Firebug or Chrome Dev Tools to examine your website for possible Plugin or Theme Conflicts.

Contact the developer of the plugin or theme developer causing the conflict

If you identify a conflict with a particular plugin or theme, you could write to the plugin or theme developer and suggest they might have a possible conflict with CF7.

CF7 is one of the most popular plugins in the WordPress Repository, so it makes sense for developers to deal with any potential conflicts.

Also if a plugin or theme conflicts with CF7, it probably also conflicts with many other plugins. It’s generally a sign of a poorly coded theme or plugin and one that people should avoid using.