Few things are more frustrating for website owners than discovering that their WordPress contact forms have suddenly stopped sending emails — often without obvious explanation. A common culprit? Installing or changing email or SMTP plugin settings. While plugins like WP Mail SMTP or Easy WP SMTP aim to make email deliverability more reliable, misconfigurations or plugin conflicts can result in contact form submissions vanishing into the void — without a trace and without landing in the recipient’s inbox.
TL;DR
If your WordPress contact forms stopped sending emails after you installed or switched email/SMTP plugins, the issue is likely a misconfigured SMTP setup or a plugin conflict. Double-check your SMTP settings, ensure your chosen form plugin is still linked correctly, and disable or reset conflicting email plugins. We’ll walk you through the SMTP config that works and a simple checklist to identify and fix conflicts, so your emails start sending again reliably.
Understanding the Issue: What Went Wrong?
When WordPress fails to send emails, it’s typically not the fault of the form plugin itself (like Contact Form 7, WPForms, or Ninja Forms), but an issue with how the emails are being routed. By default, WordPress uses PHP mail(), which many hosting providers restrict — decreasing deliverability or blocking messages entirely.
To improve reliability, users install SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) plugins to route emails through a secure mail server like Gmail, Outlook, SendGrid, or a domain-specific SMTP. But here’s the catch: once these plugins are installed, even a minor misconfiguration can prevent *all* outgoing mail from being sent — including form submissions.
Steps to Fix WordPress Forms Not Sending Emails After SMTP Plugin Installation
Let’s go step-by-step through a tested configuration and reset process that helped hundreds of site owners resolve email sending issues.
1. Verify SMTP Settings
After switching to an SMTP plugin, it is critical to make sure the correct SMTP settings are being used. Every email provider (Gmail, Outlook, Zoho, etc.) requires different port numbers, authentication types, and security protocols.
Typical SMTP settings for Gmail:
- SMTP Host: smtp.gmail.com
- SMTP Port: 465 (SSL) or 587 (TLS)
- Encryption: SSL/TLS
- Authentication: Yes
- Username: Your full Gmail email address
- Password: App-specific password (not your Gmail login)
If you’re using another provider like SendGrid or Outlook, check their documentation for the required SMTP configuration. Validate these settings under the SMTP plugin settings page (e.g., WP Mail SMTP settings).
Tip: Most SMTP plugins offer a test email feature — use it to test deliverability before diving deeper.
2. Reset Conflicting Email Plugins
One common problem is multiple email-related plugins fighting for control over WordPress mail functions. Some might override settings or intercept PHPMailer functions that WordPress uses internally.
Follow these steps to reset conflicts:
- Temporarily deactivate all SMTP or email-related plugins (e.g., WP Mail SMTP, Easy WP SMTP, Post SMTP).
- Delete any unnecessary or duplicate email plugins that may interfere or conflict.
- Reactivate only your primary SMTP plugin — the one you intend to configure and use.
- Re-enter your SMTP credentials carefully.
After this reset process, run a test again to determine if form emails are now sending.
3. Check the “From” Email and Domain Consistency
Email deliverability often hinges on the consistency between the “from” email address and the domain of your website. For example, if your domain is mywebsite.com, using a “from” email like contact@mywebsite.com helps improve authenticity and reduces the chance the message gets flagged as spam.
Set your SMTP plugin’s “from” email and enforce this globally. Most plugins have an option that says “Force From Email” or “Force From Name” — enable this!
Also, ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly added to your domain’s DNS settings if you’re using a third-party SMTP provider. This proves your WordPress site is authorized to send emails on that domain’s behalf, vastly improving deliverability.
4. Test the Contact Form Plugin
At this point, it’s important to test the form plugin itself:
- Send a live message through the contact form. Do not rely solely on the plugin test email feature.
- Install a plugin like WP Mail Logging to log all outgoing emails. This helps verify whether WordPress is even attempting to send the message.
- Switch to a basic theme (like Twenty Twenty-Three) temporarily to rule out a theme conflict.
5. Check Form Plugin-Specific Email Settings
Some form plugins (especially WPForms and Ninja Forms) have their own email configuration separate from the SMTP plugin. Double-check those settings:
- Ensure the “Send To Email Address” is correct.
- Make sure the “From Name” and “From Email” match your SMTP settings.
- Avoid using dynamic tags like
{email}in the “from” field, as these can cause deliverability issues.
Save your changes and test once again.
6. Clear Caches and Plugin Interference
If you’re running a caching plugin (like WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, or SiteGround Optimizer), clear all caches, including browser and site cache. Sometimes, outdated cache files can cause forms to behave erratically.
Also, temporarily disable any security plugins (like Wordfence or iThemes Security) to test whether they are blocking outbound email connections to the SMTP mail server.
Pro Tip: Some hosts (like GoDaddy and Bluehost) block default SMTP ports, which may require requesting port access or using alternate ports like 2525 or 587 when 465 fails.
7. Try a Known Working Configuration
If all else fails, try this working configuration that’s known to resolve 90% of form email delivery issues:
Using WP Mail SMTP + Gmail
- Install WP Mail SMTP.
- Choose Gmail as mailer and create a Google App using OAuth credentials (step-by-step instructions are in the plugin documentation).
- Set the from email to you@domain.com.
- Verify domain SPF and DKIM records using your web host’s DNS dashboard.
- Be sure to enable “Force From Name” and “Force From Email.”
Once everything is configured, test again using your contact form and cross-verify through your SMTP plugin’s test tool and mail logging plugin.
Conclusion: Bring Your WordPress Emails Back to Life
WordPress form emails not sending can be incredibly disruptive, especially if you’re relying on them for customer inquiries, lead generation, or service requests. The combination of proper SMTP configuration and removal of plugin conflicts is the key to reliable email delivery.
Don’t leave email up to chance — proactively test your setup on a regular basis, use a robust SMTP plugin backed by OAuth where possible, and keep your DNS records in check. It’s worth the time investment to ensure your communication channels are always open for business.
Feel free to bookmark this guide as your go-to email fix checklist — because at some point, almost every WordPress site hits this wall.
