Using the WPForms Setup Wizard 

Would you like some help setting up WPForms on a new site? Between connecting your license, making sure emails get delivered, and building your first form, it’s easy to miss a step.

The Setup Wizard walks you through the most important setup steps when you first install WPForms. In this guide, we’ll cover how to use the Setup Wizard to set up WPForms, along with the Setup Checklist that tracks your progress afterward.

---

Before you get started, it helps to know that the Setup Wizard has a companion. The wizard itself is a one-time guided flow that runs when you first activate WPForms. Afterward, the Setup Checklist page in your WordPress admin area picks up where the wizard leaves off and tracks your remaining setup steps. We’ll cover both in this guide.

What the Setup Wizard Does

The Setup Wizard walks you through the setup choices that matter most on a new site. Depending on your license level, it helps you with the following:

• License activation (paid licenses): Verify your license key so your addons and features unlock right away.
• Lite Connect (free version): Agree to back up your form entries and unlock WPForms AI.
• Email deliverability: Install WP Mail SMTP so your form notification emails reliably reach your inbox.
• Features: Choose the features you want to use, like payments, privacy compliance, or landing pages. The wizard installs anything your choices need.
• Payments: Connect your site to Stripe if you plan to accept payments.
• Integrations (paid licenses): Pick the marketing, CRM, and productivity services you’d like to connect to your forms.
• Entry backups (paid licenses): Restore form entries backed up by Lite Connect if you’re upgrading from the free version.
• Form import: If the wizard detects another form plugin on your site, like Contact Form 7, it offers to import your existing forms into WPForms.

Every step is optional. If you close the wizard, you’re able to finish setting up your site from the Setup Checklist instead.

Launching the Setup Wizard

On a new site, the Setup Wizard launches automatically as soon as you activate WPForms 2.0 or later. There’s nothing you need to click.

On an existing site, or if you closed the wizard and want to run it again, you’ll need to open it manually. To do so, log in to your WordPress admin area. Then add the following to the end of your site’s admin URL and press Enter:

https://yoursite.com/wp-admin/?wpforms_setup_wizard=1

Be sure to replace yoursite.com with your own site’s domain.

Completing the Setup Wizard Steps

The wizard guides you through its steps one screen at a time. Most steps include a Skip This Step link, so you’re able to move past anything you don’t need. Below, we’ll cover what each step does so you know what to expect.

Activating Your License (Paid Licenses)

If you’re setting up with a paid license, the first screen asks you to activate it. Enter your license key in the field. You’ll find your key in your WPForms account or in the purchase receipt that was emailed to you. Once the wizard verifies your license, click Set Up My Forms.

Welcome and Lite Connect (Free Version)

On the free version, the first screen welcomes you to WPForms and highlights what you’re able to do with it. At the bottom, a pre-checked agreement turns on Lite Connect, which securely backs up your form entries and unlocks WPForms AI. If you’d rather not use it, uncheck the box before continuing. You’re also able to turn it off any time in your WPForms settings.

To begin, click Set Up My Forms. To close the wizard instead, click Skip Guided Setup.

Restoring Entry Backups (Paid Licenses)

If you have a paid license and previously used the free version with Lite Connect turned on, the wizard offers to restore your backed up form entries right after you activate your license. This step only appears when you have backups available to restore.

Email Deliverability

On the Make Sure Form Emails Get Delivered screen, the wizard offers to install the free WP Mail SMTP plugin. WordPress sites often struggle to deliver email notifications, and WP Mail SMTP fixes that by sending your emails through a proper mailer. We strongly recommend this step. To learn more, see our guide to setting up SMTP with the WP Mail SMTP plugin.

Click Install and Continue to install the plugin and move on.

Choosing Features

On the Select Your Features screen, check the boxes for the features you plan to use, like accepting payments, privacy compliance, or landing pages. Some common features come pre-selected, and a note below the button tells you if your choices will install other plugins, like the free WPConsent plugin for privacy compliance. When you’re happy with your picks, click Save and Continue. The wizard installs everything your selections need.

On the free version, some feature cards show a PRO badge. You’re free to select them. Later in the flow, the wizard lists your paid picks in an upgrade prompt with the option to Upgrade to Pro. To continue with just the free features instead, click Maybe Later.

Connecting a Payment Gateway

If you selected a payments feature, the Start Accepting Payments Today screen offers to connect your site to Stripe. Click Connect with Stripe to link your account. On the free version, Stripe payments include a 3% platform fee, and upgrading to a paid license removes it.

WPForms also supports other payment gateways, like PayPal, Square, and Authorize.Net. You’re able to configure them later from your payment settings.

Choosing Integrations (Paid Licenses)

On the Connect Your Tools screen, pick the services you’d like to use with your forms. Search for a specific integration, or browse the categories, like Email Marketing, CRM, and Productivity & Data. Check the box on each integration you want, then click Save and Continue.

Installing and Finishing Up

After you’ve made your choices, the wizard installs your selected plugins and features. If it detects another form plugin on your site, like Contact Form 7, it also offers to import your existing forms into WPForms so you don’t have to rebuild them.

Once everything is installed, you’ll see the Ready to Build Your First Form screen. It confirms your setup is done and includes a short list of helpful tips for the form builder, like setting up notifications and adding spam protection. Click Create Your First Form to jump straight into the form builder, or see our guide to creating your first form.

Opening the Setup Checklist

After you complete or close the Setup Wizard, WPForms adds a Setup Checklist to your site. To open it, go to WPForms » Setup Checklist in your WordPress admin area.

The checklist organizes your remaining setup into sections: creating your first form, form compliance and protection, and connecting a payment gateway. Below those, you’ll also find optional sections highlighting addons, integrations, and other tools that work with WPForms.

If you went through the wizard, some items will already be checked off. Sections collapse automatically once everything in them is complete.

Completing Checklist Items

Checklist items complete themselves automatically. There are no boxes to check manually. WPForms detects the state of your site, and an item turns green only once it verifies the step is truly done. Each item also includes a button that takes you to the right place to complete it.

Here’s what each item needs before it’s marked complete:

• Create Your First Form: At least 1 form exists on your site. Importing forms from another plugin also completes this item.
• Enable Lite Connect (free version): The Lite Connect setting is turned on.
• Configure Email Deliverability: WP Mail SMTP is installed and a mailer is fully configured. Installing the plugin without setting up a mailer leaves this item unchecked.
• Enable Spam Protection: ActiveLayer is active, or a CAPTCHA is configured on at least 1 form. See our guide to preventing spam in WPForms for the available options.
• Customize Email Notifications: You’ve saved your email settings, like adding your logo, colors, and styles.
• Set Up Privacy Compliance: The WPConsent plugin is active.
• Connect to Payment Gateway: A Stripe account is connected, or another payment gateway is configured in your payment settings.

If you have a paid license and previously backed up entries with Lite Connect, you may also see a Restore Entry Backups item. It only appears when there are backups available to restore and a restore hasn’t already run.

Exploring Recommended Addons and Tools

Below the checklist items, the Setup Checklist page includes 3 more sections. There’s nothing to complete here. These sections highlight additional tools that work with WPForms, and each card shows an install or upgrade option based on your license level and what’s already on your site.

• Take Your Forms to the Next Level: WPForms addons that add features to your forms, like Form Abandonment Recovery, Surveys & Polls, and Conversational Forms. Click View All Features & Addons to see the full list.
• Streamline Your Workflow with Seamless Integrations: Popular services you’re able to connect to your forms, like Google Sheets, Mailchimp, and Zapier. WPForms includes over 30 native integrations, and clicking View All Integrations shows you everything available.
• Set Up Recommended Growth Tools: Other plugins from our team that improve the rest of your site, like AIOSEO for search rankings, Duplicator for backups and migrations, and MonsterInsights for website analytics.

Dismissing the Checklist

You don’t have to finish every item. To remove the checklist from your admin menu, scroll to the bottom of the Setup Checklist page and click Complete Setup Checklist. The link is always available, even before you’ve completed anything.

WPForms asks you to confirm your choice. To go ahead, click Yes, Dismiss.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below, we’ve addressed some of the most common questions about the Setup Wizard and Setup Checklist.

How do I run the Setup Wizard again?

Log in to your WordPress admin area, then visit https://yoursite.com/wp-admin/?wpforms_setup_wizard=1, replacing yoursite.com with your own domain. The wizard opens and walks you through the setup steps again. Steps you’ve already completed, like plugins that are already installed, are detected and skipped.

Why won’t the Setup Wizard open on my local or staging site?

The wizard runs as a hosted service and needs to communicate with your site over the public internet. A local development site, or a staging site behind a firewall or password protection, isn’t reachable, so the wizard shows an error instead of opening. On those sites, use the Setup Checklist at WPForms » Setup Checklist to complete your setup.

Why does the Setup Wizard say my session has expired?

For security, each Setup Wizard session only lasts a limited time. If you see the expired message, click Restart Wizard to begin a fresh session. Any steps you completed before the timeout, like plugin installs, are saved and skipped on the new run.

Why isn’t a checklist item marked as complete?

Checklist items only turn green when WPForms verifies the step is fully done, and some items need more than an installed plugin. For example, Configure Email Deliverability requires WP Mail SMTP to be installed and to have a mailer configured. Click the item’s button to go to the related settings and finish the remaining part of the step.

That’s it! You can now set up WPForms on a new site with the Setup Wizard and track the remaining steps with the Setup Checklist.

Next, ready to build something? Check out our guide to creating your first form to go from a blank site to a published form in a few minutes.