Last Updated on December 25, 2020 by Neil Murray
CF7 Email Issues #
See <a href="https://contactform7.com/setting-up-mail/#Contact_Form_7_Email_Issues">If You Have Email Problems</a> – most people that work carefully through this list of email sending issues are able to solve their particular problems.
There are a series of links to an article I wrote at the bottom of that page (which is recommended by the CF7 plugin author, though I’m not allowed to link directly to it here), that covers this topic in detail.Styling CF7 forms #
This is likely due to styling included in your current WP theme or one of the plugins you are using.
See <a href="https://contactform7.com/styling-contact-form/">Styling Contact Form</a> – there is a link to an article I wrote at the bottom of that page (which is recommended by the CF7 plugin author, though I’m not allowed to link directly to it here), that covers this topic in detail.
<strong>Abbreviated Version</strong>
<ol>
<li>You need basic HTML & CSS skills</li>
<li>You need to know how to use <a href="https://developers.google.com/web/tools/chrome-devtools/css/">Chrome Dev Tools</a> or equivalent</li>
<li>Use Dev Tools to examine the CSS styling applied to your form in detail</li>
<li>Determine what CSS changes you need to make</li>
<li>Add custom CSS via <a href="https://www.proteusthemes.com/blog/additional-css-wordpress-customizer/">WP Customizer > Custom CSS</a>, <a href="http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/search.php?q=custom+css">custom CSS plugin</a> or <a href="http://wplift.com/customise-wordpress-child-theme">child theme</a>.</li>
</ol>
If you add a link to your CF7 form, others here may be able to offer more specific CSS advice.JavaScript Conflict #
This could be due to a JavaScript conflict with your WP theme or one of the other plugins you are using.
The spinning arrow is a common sign of a JavaScript conflict.
Switch temporarily (nothing will be lost when you switch back) to a WP default theme & disable all plugins other than Contact Form 7 to see if the problem goes away.
If it does you can switch back to your theme & re-activate each plugin one by one to see when the problem occurs.No problems using CF7 #
I’m using CF7 on many sites without problems – I get dozens of emails every day from these sites.
As CF7 has 5+ miilion active installs, you will usually see examples in this forum of other people having the same (or similar) problem as you most days.
I’m adding this comment here so that the hundreds of other people having similar problems with using Contact Form 7 today (CF7 has 5+ million active installs) see that there are simple solutions to their particular problems.Disable ALL #
This could be due to a conflict with your WP theme or one of the other plugins you are using.
This is a technique commonly used in WordPress to find what is actually causing a particular problem.
Switch temporarily (nothing will be lost when you switch back) to a WP default theme & disable all plugins other than Contact Form 7 to see if the problem goes away.
If it does you can switch back to your theme & re-activate each plugin one by one to see when the problem occurs.
CF7 Form Info #
Please supply all your input in the <strong>Form</strong> and <strong>Mail</strong> sections of the CF7 interface (add as `code` or include as link to screenshots).
This helps others to understand your actual problem and offer a possible solution.
Add as `code` like this:
`<div class=”form-flat”>
<label>Your Name</label>
[text* your-name]
etc.`Recaptcha Version 3 #
Refer <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/topic/recaptcha-version-3/">Recaptcha Version 3</a>CF7 Mail tag #
You need to add a corresponding <a href="https://contactform7.com/tag-syntax/#mail_tag">CF7 Mail tag</a> in the Mail tab for each field you want to use from the <a href="https://contactform7.com/admin-screen/">Form tab</a>.Field Size #
The overall size of form elements is now generally controlled by the CSS in your WordPress theme rather than the size option in the CF7 tag – this just limits the number of characters.
To change the style of your CF7 forms you would need to edit the CSS style sheets used by your WordPress theme.
See Styling Contact Form – there is a link to an article I wrote at the bottom of that page (which is recommended by the CF7 plugin author, though I’m not allowed to link directly to it here), that covers this topic in detail.
Your CF7 plugin install may not have updated correctly.
Delete the plugin folder at wp-content/plugins/contact-form-7/ using FTP (don’t use Delete option on Plugins page as this may erase all CF7 forms) and install the plugin again.Additional Headers #
You can do something like the following:
`To: any-valid-email-address@any-valid-domain.com
(use any valid email address on any valid domain)
From: valid-email-address@your-domain.com
(use a valid email address on the domain where your form is hosted)
Subject: Any text - [your-subject]
(adds extra text to ensure you still have a valid Subject when user does not supply a value)
Additional Headers: Reply-to: [your-name] <[your-email]>
(allows you to use Reply in your email application to reply
to the form users email address)`