Forms do not work or send emails

When submitting a form on your site, you see an error message (or error page), indicating that the server didn't receive your submission:

There are a lot of possible causes for this problem, but here are a few simple things you can try:

1. Try disabling plugins
   It could be that a WordPress plugin is causing the problem. Try disabling plugins to see if you still have the same trouble.
2. Update WordPress and plugins
   It's a good idea to keep WordPress and plugins updated - if you have any updates waiting, you'll find them in the "Dashboard > Updates" screen. Update everything you can and try submitting again.
3. Try other browsers
   Before reaching us for help, see if you notice that the problem is limited to specific web browsers or devices.

If none of these fixes work, contact us directly and we will be happy to take a look.

When a form has been submitted, two things happen: first, ProPhoto stores a copy of the message in your Form Log screen so you never miss a message that has come in. Second, ProPhoto tells the server to generate and send an email message to the address specified.

So if you are not receiving email messages from your form, it either means that the server is not sending out the email messages like it should (unlikely), or, your email server is not allowing the email messages through for some reason.

As a result, a few things to check...

You can always check your form log for messages, and we recommend checking this screen regularly until you can sort out the problem. But here are some things to check:

1. Update WordPress and your plugins.
2. Check spam (or other email) folders
   You've probably already looked in your spam folder, but some people forget. Messages sent by your website should come in from an address like "wordpress@yourdomainname.com". By default, forms come in with a subject line like Form submission on August 24, 2024 at 6:25 pm so you could try searching for 'form submission' as an example.
3. Setup a custom subject line
   The default subject line can be viewed by some emails servers as indicative of spam, so we have had some success with a custom subject. Learn how to do that in the custom email submission format guide.
4. Verify the correct email address
   There are a few locations you can fill in an email address for forms. Check each of these areas to make sure that any address you have filled in is correct, and has no extra spaces or characters that do not belong:

    

   • "Settings > General > Email address" in WordPress
   • "ProPhoto > Settings > Forms > Email options"
   • Visit the page with your contact form then click "Customize" > Edit the form module > "Submission > Custom Email Subject"

Workarounds

So, you've checked out the stuff above and everything appears to check out. Email still isn't being received. There are some workarounds you can try to get email from your forms:

1. Enable remote sending in ProPhoto
   Enabling this option means that in addition to having your website server generate an email, ProPhoto will also prompt our own server to generate an email as well. Because this secondary email is coming from a different server than the first, it's possible your email server may treat it differently and allow it to come through.
   
   To use this, go to the Contact form troubleshooting area and enable the remote sending option at the bottom of the screen. If new form submissions begin coming through, leave this option checked, and you'll be all set!
   
   
   

   
   If you start receiving duplicate form submission emails, then it means this option is not necessary (since the original email sending option is working), in which case you will want to disable.

2. Setup an SMTP plugin in WordPress
   If none of the above is working and you aren't receiving any email from your WordPress system or ProPhoto forms, you will want to use an SMTP plugin for WordPress. When using an SMTP plugin, email will no longer be sent from your site's server, but will instead be routed directly through an email account that you own.
   
   There are many plugins out there, although WP Mail SMTP is probably one of the most popular. So you can check into that one first.

Still stuck? We can help diagnose the problem. Contact us and let us know your results from the testing steps above. Be sure to provide us with your WordPress login info and a link to your form so we can test.