🛠️ How to Fix "There Was an Error Trying to Send Your Message" in Contact Form 7

Seeing the dreaded "There was an error trying to send your message. Please try again later." message on your WordPress website? You're not alone—and fortunately, you're not stuck.

This guide breaks down the 8 most common causes behind Contact Form 7 submission failures and how to fix them for good.

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🚩 Why This Error Happens

Contact Form 7 relies on your server’s ability to send emails. If that system fails—due to misconfiguration, plugin conflicts, or server restrictions—users get blocked from contacting you, and you miss valuable leads.

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🔍 Top 8 Causes and How to Fix Them

1. SMTP Authentication Issues (Most Common)

📌 Symptom: The form seems to submit but no emails arrive.
📌 Cause: WordPress uses wp_mail() which often fails on shared hosting.

✅ Fix: Set up SMTP with the WP Mail SMTP plugin:

• Choose Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or your hosting provider.

• Use app-specific passwords for secure login.

• Ensure you’re using TLS and Port 587 for encryption.

🔧 Gmail Example:

plaintext
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SMTP Host: smtp.gmail.com
Encryption: TLS
Username: your-email@gmail.com
Password: App-specific password

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2. PHP mail() Function Disabled

🚨 Many hosts disable mail() for spam prevention.

✅ Check by adding to functions.php:

php
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if(function_exists('mail')) { echo 'Mail function is available'; } else { echo 'NOT available'; }

✅ Solutions:

• Use SMTP as above

• Contact hosting to enable mail()

• Switch to a more WordPress-friendly host

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3. Invalid Email Settings in Form

💡 Mistake: Using free email addresses like Gmail in the “From” field.

✅ Correct Format:

makefile
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To: admin@yourdomain.com
From: noreply@yourdomain.com
Reply-To: [your-email]

❗ Use an email tied to your domain—this improves both delivery rates and trust.

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4. Plugin Conflicts

🤯 Certain plugins can break form submissions—especially:

• Security (Wordfence, Sucuri)

• Anti-spam (Akismet)

• Caching (W3 Total Cache)

• Email marketing (MailPoet)

✅ Solution:

• Deactivate all plugins except Contact Form 7

• Test form

• Reactivate plugins one by one

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5. Server Restrictions

🧱 Many shared hosts block or limit outgoing mail.

✅ What You Can Do:

• Contact support to whitelist your form

• Check if your IP is blacklisted

• Move to a managed WordPress host with email support

• Throttle form submissions (prevent abuse)

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6. Spam Filters and DNS Issues

📪 Even if your form sends properly, spam filters might reject the email.

✅ Fixes:

• Use domain-based From addresses

• Set up SPF and DKIM in DNS

• Avoid "spammy" subject lines

• Test on https://www.mail-tester.com/

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7. Contact Form 7 Misconfiguration

📝 Misused shortcodes or invalid markup will cause silent failures.

✅ Build a working form:

plaintext
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[text* your-name placeholder "Your Name"]
[email* your-email placeholder "Your Email"]
[textarea your-message placeholder "Your Message"]
[submit "Send Message"]

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8. WordPress Memory Limits

🐌 Symptoms: Submissions timeout or silently fail.

✅ Fix: Increase memory in wp-config.php:

php
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ini_set('memory_limit', '256M');

Or contact your host for performance upgrades.

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🧪 Advanced Troubleshooting Steps

Step 1: Enable Debugging

In wp-config.php:

php
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define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);

Step 2: Check Logs

Look at /wp-content/debug.log for form or plugin errors.

Step 3: Use a Test Plugin

Install Email Log or Check Email to track delivery attempts.

Step 4: Simplify Form

Test with just a name and email field to isolate causes.

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🔁 Prevention Best Practices

🛡️ Keep your forms functional with these habits:

• Use SMTP always

• Use domain-based sender emails

• Keep plugins updated

• Enable email logging

• Backup forms with Contact Form DB or Flamingo

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🔄 What If Contact Form 7 Still Fails?

Switch to a more modern, user-friendly form builder:

✅ WPForms – Drag-and-drop, SMTP integration
✅ Ninja Forms – Beginner-friendly, flexible
✅ Gravity Forms – Advanced features
✅ Formidable Forms – Complex conditional forms

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✅ Test, Then Test Again

After each fix:

1. Submit from a desktop and mobile

2. Check both inbox and spam folders

3. Confirm autoresponders work

4. Inspect response headers in browser dev tools

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🧰 Bonus Tools

Tool	Use Case
Mail-tester.com	Check spam score
Email Log	Log delivery attempts
WP Mail SMTP	Email sending
Hotjar / Analytics	Check form behavior

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🚀 Final Thoughts

This error message is annoying, but solving it makes your website more reliable, professional, and conversion-optimized. Start with SMTP authentication and work through the rest. Your inbox (and your customers) will thank you.