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Why Your Formidable Forms Aren't Sending Emails (And How to Fix It)

41 threads Sep 10, 2025

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Email delivery issues are one of the most common problems reported by users of the Formidable Forms plugin. A form can appear to work perfectly, showing a success message upon submission, yet the notification email never arrives in the inbox. This can be incredibly frustrating for website owners who rely on these forms for leads, inquiries, or other critical communications.

Based on extensive community reports and troubleshooting, this guide will walk you through the most common reasons for email failures and the proven steps to resolve them.

Why This Happens: It's Usually Not the Plugin

It's important to understand that the Formidable Forms plugin itself does not send emails. It composes the email message and then hands it off to the WordPress core wp_mail() function, which relies on your web hosting server's configuration to actually send the message. Therefore, the vast majority of email delivery issues are related to server settings, hosting environments, or external spam filters, not a bug in the Formidable Forms code.

Common triggers for these issues include:

  • Moving your site to a new web host.
  • Your web host updating their PHP version or mail server settings.
  • Email service providers (like Gmail, Outlook, etc.) tightening their spam filters.
  • Using an email address that matches your website's domain (e.g., [email protected]) when your host is not properly configured to send mail from that domain.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Guide

Follow these steps in order to diagnose and fix your email delivery problem.

1. Perform a Basic WordPress Email Test

First, you need to determine if the problem is specific to Formidable Forms or a global WordPress email issue.

  1. Install and activate the Check & Log Email or a similar test plugin.
  2. Go to Tools > Check Email in your WordPress dashboard.
  3. Send a test email to the same address you are using in your form notifications.

If the test email DOES NOT arrive: The problem is with your WordPress site's ability to send any email. This confirms the issue is at the server level. Proceed to Step 2.

If the test email DOES arrive: The problem is likely within your Formidable Forms email notification settings. Double-check the "To", "From", and subject line settings in your form's Settings > Emails tab. Ensure there are no typos and that the field shortcodes (e.g., [15]) are correct.

2. Install an SMTP Plugin (The Most Common Fix)

The default PHP mail() function used by WordPress is often unreliable because it lacks authentication. This makes emails look suspicious to spam filters. The single most effective solution is to use an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) plugin, which sends email through a authenticated, secure mail server—just like any regular email client (e.g., Outlook or Apple Mail).

  1. Install and activate an SMTP plugin. Popular and effective free options include:
  2. Configure the plugin with your email account's SMTP settings. You will need:
    • SMTP Host (e.g., smtp.gmail.com for Gmail)
    • SMTP Port (e.g., 587 for TLS)
    • Encryption (TLS or SSL)
    • Authentication: Turn ON and enter your full email address and password (or an app-specific password for Gmail).
  3. Send a test email from the SMTP plugin's settings page to confirm it works.
  4. Test your Formidable Form again.

Using SMTP successfully resolves the issue in the overwhelming majority of cases.

3. Check for Plugin Conflicts

Sometimes, other plugins can interfere with form submission or email delivery.

  1. Temporarily deactivate all plugins except Formidable Forms.
  2. Test your form to see if the email sends.
  3. If it works, reactivate your plugins one-by-one, testing after each activation, until you find the one causing the conflict. Plugins related to social media sharing, caching, or security can sometimes be the culprit.

4. Contact Your Web Host

If you've tried the steps above and are still not receiving emails, the issue likely requires intervention from your web hosting provider. Contact their support team and explain that your WordPress site cannot send emails using the PHP mail() function. They may need to:

  • Update the server's PHP version.
  • Check their local mail server for errors.
  • Investigate why emails to addresses on your own domain are being blocked (a common issue after changing hosts).

Other Specific Scenarios

  • Emails going to spam: This is almost always a problem with email authentication (which an SMTP plugin fixes) or spam filter rules. Using a "From" address that matches your website's domain can also help.
  • Receiving double emails: This is typically caused by a conflict with another plugin, often one that posts to social media, causing the page to load twice. Deactivate other plugins to find the conflict.
  • PHP warnings in form messages: Errors mentioning FrmNotification.php or pluggable.php are almost always server-related. Your host needs to resolve the underlying PHP configuration issue.

By methodically working through these steps, you can identify and resolve the root cause of your Formidable Forms email delivery issues and ensure your forms reliably reach your inbox.

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