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Troubleshooting Missing MetForm Entries and Emails: Why Data Doesn't Save

32 threads Sep 9, 2025

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Why Are My MetForm Entries Missing or Incomplete?

If you're using MetForm – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, & Custom Form Builder for Elementor and finding that form entries are missing from your WordPress admin area or that emails are being sent with empty fields, you're not alone. This is a common issue reported by users that can have several root causes. This guide will walk you through the most common reasons and their solutions.

Common Causes and Their Solutions

1. The "Store Entries" Option is Disabled

The most straightforward reason entries might not be saving is that the feature is turned off for that specific form.

How to fix it:

  1. Edit your form in the Elementor editor.
  2. Click on the form's main widget (often the submit button or the form wrapper).
  3. Navigate to the Content tab in the Elementor panel.
  4. Find the Store Entries option and ensure it is set to "Yes".
  5. Save and update your page, then test a new form submission.

2. Duplicate or Invalid Field Names

This is a very frequent cause of missing data. If two fields in your form share the exact same Name attribute, data from one of the fields will not be saved. Furthermore, using names with spaces or special characters can prevent data from being stored or emailed correctly.

How to fix it:

  1. Carefully inspect every field in your form within the Elementor editor.
  2. Ensure each field's Name is completely unique.
  3. Avoid using spaces. Use underscores (e.g., first_name) or camelCase (e.g., firstName) instead.
  4. Avoid special characters like hyphens, apostrophes, or periods in the name attribute.
  5. If you discover duplicate names, delete the field and re-add it with a unique name. As noted in the community, this simple act of re-creating the field has resolved the issue for many users.

3. Plugin or Theme Conflicts

Sometimes, another plugin or your theme can interfere with how MetForm processes and stores data.

How to fix it:

  1. Clear all cache: Clear any server, plugin (e.g., WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache), and browser caches.
  2. Conflict Test: Temporarily deactivate all other plugins except Elementor and MetForm. If the problem is resolved, reactivate your plugins one by one to identify the culprit. Also, try temporarily switching to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Four to rule out a theme conflict.

4. Programmatically Pre-filled Fields

If you are using JavaScript (e.g., jQuery's .val() method) to pre-fill a field's value, MetForm may not recognize this data upon submission unless the user physically interacts with the field. The data must be passed using MetForm's specific jQuery hook.

How to fix it (Example Code):

To properly pre-fill a field, you should use the metform/after_form_load event. Add code similar to this to your theme's functions.php file or a custom code snippet plugin:

jQuery('.mf-form-wrapper').on('metform/after_form_load', function(e, data){
    data['your_field_name'] = 'Your Pre-filled Value';
    return data;
});

Replace your_field_name with the exact name attribute of your form field and Your Pre-filled Value with the value you want to insert.

Understanding How Entry IDs Work

It's also important to understand that the entry numbering in the admin area is based on the WordPress post ID for the entry. If you see gaps in the numbering (e.g., #420, #418, #398), this does not mean entries are missing. It simply means other post types (like pages, posts, or menu items) were created and used those intermediate post IDs. Your form entry data itself is intact.

When All Else Fails

If you have checked all of the above and the issue persists, it is a best practice to:

  1. Ensure your WordPress, Elementor, and MetForm are all updated to their latest versions.
  2. Document the issue with screenshots or a screen recording showing your form settings and the result.
  3. Check the official Trello board for MetForm to see if this is a known issue or a feature being developed.

By methodically working through these common causes, you should be able to resolve most issues related to missing MetForm entries and email data.

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