Troubleshooting Common Contact Form 7 Submission and Display Issues

Why Your Contact Form 7 Form Isn't Working Properly

Contact Form 7 is one of the most popular WordPress form plugins, but like any complex tool, it can sometimes run into issues. Based on community reports, several common problems can prevent forms from submitting correctly or displaying properly. This guide covers the most frequent issues and their solutions.

Common Submission Problems

1. Form Refused to Submit (403 Forbidden Errors)

Some users report seeing errors in their browser console like "wpcf7_forbidden" with a 403 status. This typically indicates a permissions or security conflict.

• Check Security Plugins: Temporarily disable security plugins to see if they're blocking the form's API endpoints
• Verify Form ID: Ensure the form shortcode on your page matches the actual form ID in your dashboard
• Server Configuration: Some server configurations may block REST API requests - check with your hosting provider

2. Forms Not Submitting with Specific Field Types

Several users reported forms failing to submit when containing dropdown menus, radio buttons, or checkboxes. This often relates to validation issues.

• Validation Conflicts: The built-in schema validation may conflict with dynamically added options. You may need to modify validation rules using appropriate filters
• JavaScript Errors: Check your browser console for errors that might prevent form processing
• Field Configuration: Ensure all required fields have proper markup and validation rules

3. Emails Not Sending Despite Successful Submission

This is one of the most reported issues - the form shows success but emails never arrive.

• SMTP Configuration: Even if other plugins send mail successfully, Contact Form 7 may have specific requirements. Consider using a dedicated SMTP plugin
• Email Headers: Check your form's mail settings for proper From/To addresses and headers
• Spam Filters: Test with different email providers to rule out spam filtering issues

Display and Styling Issues

1. Unwanted Rectangular Boxes Appearing

Some themes may add unexpected styling to form elements. The extra boxes often come from theme CSS conflicts.

• Theme Inspection: Use browser developer tools to identify which CSS rule is creating the box
• CSS Overrides: Add specific CSS rules to target and remove unwanted styling
• Container Classes: Ensure your form wrapper classes don't conflict with theme styles

2. CSS Not Applying to Submit Buttons

When custom CSS doesn't affect submit buttons, it's usually a specificity issue.

• Increase Specificity: Use more specific selectors like form.wpcf7-form input[type="submit"]
• !important Declaration: Temporarily add !important to test if specificity is the issue
• Cache Clearing: Ensure you're clearing any caching mechanisms after CSS changes

3. Background Colors Applying to Both Labels and Inputs

When a background color applied to labels also affects input fields, it indicates incorrect CSS targeting.

• Specific Selectors: Use .wpcf7-form-control to target only input elements
• Child Combinators: Use label > .wpcf7-form-control for more precise targeting
• Inspect Elements: Use browser tools to verify which elements your CSS is actually affecting

Integration-Specific Problems

1. Turnstile/reCAPTCHA Issues in Popups

CAPTCHA services may not load properly in modal popups or lightboxes.

• Manual Refresh: Trigger a refresh of the CAPTCHA widget when the popup opens
• Delay Loading: Load the CAPTCHA script after the popup is fully visible
• Theme Conflicts: Some themes handle modal scripts differently - check with your theme's documentation

2. Dropdowns Not Working in Elementor Popups

Dropdown fields may not function correctly when forms are loaded dynamically.

• Reinitialization: Contact Form 7 may need to reinitialize its JavaScript when forms are loaded in popups
• Event Delegation: Use event delegation or trigger form refresh after the popup loads
• Testing: Test the same form outside the popup to isolate the issue

General Troubleshooting Steps

1. Conflict Testing: Temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme and disable other plugins to identify conflicts
2. Browser Console: Always check your browser's developer console for JavaScript errors
3. Form Validation: Use Contact Form 7's built-in validation messages to identify field-specific issues
4. Plugin Updates: Ensure both WordPress and Contact Form 7 are updated to the latest versions

Most Contact Form 7 issues can be resolved through systematic troubleshooting. Start with the simplest solutions first, and test after each change to identify what resolves your specific problem.