Why isn't my form sending emails?

Knowledge Base → Installation & Getting Started → Frequently Asked Questions → Why isn't my form sending emails?

This section is intended to help you understand why email issues occur and help determine where the issue may be coming from. Ultimately, Formidable doesn't have control over sending emails from your site, it simply passes the information to WordPress which then requests the server to send the email be on its behalf.

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The particulars of how the server handles PHP email requests are handled by your web host (unless you are using an SMTP plugin or you maintain your own mail server). Every host has their own policies and procedures for sending email from their servers, and since each host does things differently, your host may have helpful information. A host's mail logs can be examined and should be able to tell if mail is being sent, received by the destination server, certain reasons for failure, etc...

Even though Formidable only triggers the emails and your web server sends them, we have put together some steps to help you troubleshoot some of the more common emailing issues.

Check email notification settings
Check logs to ensure the email is sending
Install and set up an SMTP plugin

Check email notification settings

If some emails are being sent, either from other WordPress functions or from other forms, you will need to check your email form action.

Here are some common solutions that could prevent outgoing or incoming emails from being blocked:

Send email from an address that matches your domain. The FROM address MUST match the domain of your website. It is often best to set up a dedicated email for this, like noreply@mydomain.com.
Properly separate a list of multiple email addresses. Check the "TO" box. If sending to multiple recipients, make sure all email addresses are separated with a comma. Another way of doing this is to use the CC and BCC fields for additional recipients.
Use a different address for the TO and FROM emails. The TO address should never match to FROM address in the email form action. This looks unusual and can trigger spam deletion from email providers.
Send the email as plain text instead of HTML.
Send fewer emails in a short period of time. Many spam filters are triggered by too many recipients in one email. For large lists (50 or more recipients), consider a service like Sendgrid or SendInBlue. Many SMTP services also have a cap on the number of emails that can be sent (usually in the 100's per hour, though your host can clarify that number).
Don't let your content look like spam. Minimize the links you include since they may trigger spam filters.

If you see that some emails are being sent and others aren't, look at the mail that is getting through and compare it to the mail that isn't going through. Your hosting provider should be able to tell you if some mail is being blocked, and might be able to tell you why.

Check logs to ensure the email is sending

To check if your Formidable emails are being sent, you can install an email logging plugin such as WP Mail Logging.

Once you have installed the WP Mail Logging plugin, follow the steps below:

Go to your WordPress Dashboard and click 'WP Mail Log' from the navigation menu.
You will then see a list of all the emails being sent from your site. To view the details for each email, click the 'View' button under the 'Message' column.
You can then view the email content including the time the email was received, the receiver, and error logs (if any). If you see error logs, contact your host provider and send them the information. They may be able to provide more information as to why the email is not sending or is being blocked.

Install and set up an SMTP plugin

If you still can't get your site to send some or any emails, install an SMTP plugin. For more details about installing and setting up an SMTP plugin, please see our guide of recommended SMTP plugins such as WP Mail SMTP.

If you have installed an SMTP plugin and have verified that it is correctly sending emails but you are not receiving emails from your Formidable form, follow the steps below:

Go into your form's Email Notification.
Check the "To" box. Make sure all email addresses are separated with a comma.
Check the "From" box. Make sure the email address in the "From" box is the same address that is connected with the SMTP plugin.

Use a transactional email service

You can use SendGrid which is a transactional email service. SendGrid highlights the some of the benefits of using a transactional email service.

One of the main benefits of a transaction email service is that your emails will have a greater chance of being delivered. Another major benefit of using a service like SendGrid is email tracking. You can see how many people have opened your emails or clicked the links, and much more! If you would like to learn how to set up SendGrid, you can follow their instructions.

Need help with troubleshooting?

If you have gone through these steps and you are receiving emails from your site, but not from your Formidable forms, please open a new ticket with the results from steps 1-3 and any information that your hosting provider gave you. We will be happy to assist you.

Note: Some plugins that manage other plugin can restrict plugins usage to specific pages. If you use Plugin Organizer or another similar plugin, check that all necessary plugins are active on the page.