Which free plugin should you install?
A contact form plugin supplies the fields, the submit button, and the mail settings. A normal enquiry form does not need custom PHP in the theme.
| Plugin | Free tier | What you still add |
|---|---|---|
| Contact Form 7 | Form tags and the Mail tab. No saved entries. | Flamingo, or another store, if you want a copy when mail fails. |
| WP Forms Lite | Simple contact template and a page block. | Entry storage and multi-page forms sit on the paid plugin. |
| Fluent Forms | Drag-and-drop builder and an entries table. | Payment and CRM connectors are mostly paid add-ons. |
Contact Form 7 plugins stay small, which suits a brochure site. WP Forms Lite is the WP contact form plugin with the shortest wizard. Fluent Forms already stores each submission. None of these is an ERP form: they email a message, they do not post orders into accounting software.
How do you create the form and put it on a page?
Do this in wp-admin. Stop when a private window shows the fields and a submit button.
- Open Plugins, then Add New. Search Contact Form 7, WPForms, or Fluent Forms. Click Install Now, then Activate. The new menu on the left means the plugin is on.
- For Contact Form 7, open Contact, then Add New. Keep the name, email, subject, and message tags. On the Mail tab, replace To with the inbox that should receive messages. Set From to an address on your own domain. Click Save and copy the shortcode.
- For WP Forms Lite or Fluent Forms, open the plugin menu, choose Add New, and start from the simple contact template. Keep name, email, and message, then save. Copy the shortcode, or note the form name for the block.
- Edit the Contact page, or open Pages, then Add New. Use the block inserter, search the plugin name, and select the form. If there is no block, add a Shortcode block and paste the shortcode. How shortcodes work if the brackets are new to you.
- Click Publish or Update. Open the page in a private window. You should see the fields, not the shortcode text.
Why does the form say it sent, but no email arrives?
The thank-you on screen only means the form accepted the click. WordPress then calls wp_mail(), and many shared servers drop that mail before it leaves.
Send with an SMTP plugin instead. Use port 587 with STARTTLS, or port 465 with SSL, and sign in with the full mailbox address. What SMTP is covers the ports if the mailbox is new.
From has to be that same mailbox. A From address on a free webmail domain, while the site is on yours, is a common reason the host or the recipient rejects the message. Send one test. If it is missing, check spam, then the SMTP plugin log.
How do you stop contact form spam?
Bots post the day the page is public. Turn on the plugin honeypot first: a hidden field people never fill and scripts do. Add reCAPTCHA or hCaptcha only if junk still arrives, because a puzzle makes real visitors leave. Akismet can score some form mail, but it is built for comments.
Contact Form 7 does not keep a copy. If the email fails, the message is gone. Store entries with Flamingo, or use Fluent Forms, which keeps a table on the free plan. WP Forms Lite does not store entries. Comment spam is a separate queue.
How do you know the form works?
- The public page shows fields, not square brackets.
- A test from your phone lands in the To inbox.
- The SMTP log says sent, not a connection error.
- A junk test is held or dropped by the honeypot or captcha.
If the block shows the wrong form, pick the saved form again and update the page. If the shortcode prints as text, it is in a paragraph, not a Shortcode block.
The plugin needs an ordinary WordPress site that is allowed to send mail. What the host includes is on WordPress hosting.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I insert a contact form in WordPress?
Install and activate a form plugin, create the form, then add its block or shortcode on the page and publish. Open the page while logged out and confirm the fields show.
How do I create a contact form?
In the plugin, add name, email, and message, set Mail To to your inbox, and save. Three to five fields is enough. Add more questions only after a test message arrives.
How do I embed a contact form?
In the block editor, insert the plugin form block and choose the saved form. Or add a Shortcode block and paste the shortcode shown beside the form, then update the page.
Why is my contact form not working on WordPress?
If the form is missing, the block or shortcode was not published on that page. If it submits and no email arrives, SMTP is off or the From address is not on your domain. If you see the shortcode as text, it is in the wrong block.
Can I add a contact form without a plugin?
You can paste HTML and handle it in the theme, but every field needs sanitizing and mail still needs SMTP. Use a free plugin unless you already maintain that PHP.
Where do Contact Form 7 messages go?
They go only to the Mail To address. Contact Form 7 does not store them. Flamingo or Fluent Forms keeps a copy in the dashboard. WP Forms Lite stores entries only on a paid plan.