Website contact form emails not arriving? Here's the fix.
Your website is probably trying to send those messages by itself, and email providers don’t trust mail that comes straight from a website. So the messages get dropped or sent to junk before you ever see them. The fix is to have your website send through a proper email service, and to make sure the form sends to the right address.
Check your own email first. Free, about 90 seconds. You get a grade and a plain-English list of what's working and what isn't.
Why this happens
A lot of websites, WordPress sites especially, send form messages from the computer the website lives on. That computer isn’t approved to send email for your business. Some forms also make the message look like it came from the visitor’s own address, say a Gmail address, which looks forged to Gmail. Either way, the message looks suspicious and gets filtered.
What to do
- Check where the form sends. In your website’s form settings, look for “Send to”, “Notification email” or “Admin email”. An old staff address is a common reason messages vanish.
- Check your junk folder for form messages, and search your email for your website’s name.
- Send yourself a test through your own form, using a different email address from the one the form sends to.
- Look for a list of past messages in your website’s dashboard. Many form tools keep a copy of every submission, so you can catch up on anything you missed.
- On WordPress, add a mail plugin such as WP Mail SMTP, and connect it to your email (Google or Microsoft 365) or a sending service like Brevo or Mailgun. Some options need the plugin’s paid version.
If that didn’t work
If you use a website builder like Squarespace or Wix, the builder sends the form messages for you. When those go missing, the cause is more often the wrong address in the form or your own junk folder. If both look right, contact the builder’s support with the date and time of your test message.
What this guide can’t do for you
It covers the common causes. It can’t tell you which of your tools is the one that’s failing, or give you the exact settings for your business and the company that manages your domain. That’s what the Email Fix does. We check every tool that sends email for you and give you steps written for your setup. If we can't find what's wrong with your email settings, you get your $299 back. The guarantee covers your email settings. No settings can fix email sent to people who didn't ask for it, like bought lists or mass emails.
See what's wrong with your email, free
Type in your business's web address (the part after the @ in your email). You'll get a plain-English answer: what's working, what isn't, and what to do next.
Common questions
Why did my form stop working when nothing changed?
Email providers have tightened their rules, so forms that used to get through now get filtered. A host change or a plugin update can also switch how your site sends email.
Have I lost the messages that never arrived?
Maybe not. Many form tools keep every submission in your website's dashboard. If yours doesn't, those messages are probably gone, so it's worth turning that option on.
Should I have the form send to my Gmail instead?
Send it to whichever address you check most. Changing the address alone won't fix it if the website is still sending the messages itself.
For your IT person or web developer
You can forward this page as it is. Everything below is written so someone who doesn't work with email settings every day can follow it.
Form notifications from the site aren't arriving. On WordPress, wp_mail() uses PHP mail through the web server by default, which isn't authenticated for the domain. Route it through a real mail service instead.
1. Install WP Mail SMTP
In WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New Plugin (older versions say Add New), search for WP Mail SMTP, click Install Now, then Activate. The setup wizard opens.
2. Pick a mailer and connect it
Choose the service the business already uses if possible: Google Workspace / Gmail, or Microsoft 365 / Outlook (Microsoft 365 needs the Pro version). For a busy site, use a sending service like SendLayer, Brevo or Mailgun. Follow the plugin's guide for that mailer to get the login details or API key, and paste them into the wizard.
3. Set the From address
Set From Email to an address on the business's own domain that the mailer is allowed to send for, and turn on Force From Email so every plugin uses it. In the form plugin's notification settings, put the visitor's email field in Reply-To, not in From.
4. Authorize the mailer on the domain
If you used a sending service, complete its domain verification so it's included in SPF and signs with DKIM for the domain. Step-by-step DNS instructions are in the business email going to spam guide.
5. Test it
Go to WP Mail SMTP → Tools → Email Test and send a test. Then submit the real form and confirm the notification arrives in the inbox.
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Written by the SenderFix team. Last updated .