### [How to Create a Simple Contact Form in WordPress (Easily)](https://wpforms.com/how-to-create-a-simple-contact-form-in-wordpress/)

**Published:** September 4, 2020
**Author:** Hamza Shahid

**Excerpt:** Most WordPress sites need a contact form from day one. 

Visitors expect a way to reach you, and without a form, you're either pasting your email address on the page (hello, spam bots) or losing leads to whoever made it easier to get in touch.

The catch is that WordPress doesn't include a contact form out of the box. So let me walk you through how to create a simple contact form in WordPress using WPForms, the form plugin I reach for every time.

**Content:**

Most WordPress sites need a contact form from day one.

Visitors expect a way to reach you, and without a form, you’re either pasting your email address on the page (hello, spam bots) or losing leads to whoever made it easier to get in touch.

The catch is that WordPress doesn’t include a contact form out of the box. So let me walk you through how to create a simple contact form in WordPress using WPForms, the form plugin I reach for every time.

[Build Your WordPress Form Now](https://wpforms.com/pricing/)

## How to Create a WordPress Contact Form

To prove just how easy it is to use WPForms to make a contact form in WordPress, we’ve made the WPForms Challenge. This fun and user-friendly Setup Wizard walks you through everything you need to do to create your first form a.

You have 5 minutes to complete it. But we think you’ll have a finished form even sooner than that. The WPForms Challenge is just for fun, and it only appears the first time you make a form.

If you’re using Elementor, you might want to check out this alternative guide to making an [Elementor contact form](https://wpforms.com/how-to-elementor-contact-form/) with WPForms. Ready to start? Let’s begin!

- [Step 1: Install the WPForms Lite Plugin](#step-1-install-the-wpforms-lite-plugin)
- [Step 2: Select the Simple Contact Form Template](#step-2-select-the-simple-contact-form-template)
- [Step 3: Customize Your First Contact Form](#step-3-customize-your-first-contact-form)
- [Step 4: Check Contact Form Notification Settings](#step-4-check-contact-form-notification-settings)
- [Step 5: Embed Your Simple Contact Form on a WordPress Page](#step-5-embed-your-simple-contact-form-on-a-wordpress-page)

### Step 1: Install the WPForms Lite Plugin

The first thing you’ll need to do is install and activate the [WPForms plugin](https://wpforms.com/pricing/). WPForms is rated as the best WordPress form plugin, and it’s the ideal solution for building contact forms.

What I like most about WPForms for contact forms is the Simple Contact Form template. It comes pre-loaded with the fields most sites actually need (Name, Email, Subject, Message), so for a basic contact form, you can install, drop in the template, embed it on a page, and be done.

To get started, download WPForms Lite from WordPress.org or buy a paid license. If you need help installing a plugin, follow this step-by-step guide on [how to install a plugin in WordPress](http://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/step-by-step-guide-to-install-a-wordpress-plugin-for-beginners/).

Once activated, you’ll see the WPForms Setup Wizard display the option to take the WPForms Challenge. By the time you’re done with this challenge, you’ll have your first form ready and will be able to create a contact us page in WordPress. Click **Start the WPForms Challenge** to get started.

![WPForms challenge](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/begin-the-wpforms-challenge.png)[Try WPForms for Free](https://wordpress.org/plugins/wpforms-lite/)

### Step 2: Select the Simple Contact Form Template

After you click **Start the WPForms Challenge**, you land on the form setup screen. This is where you name your form and pick a template to start from. Click **Let’s Go** to proceed.

![Clicking the Let's Go button to start building your first form](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/click-lets-go-button.png)Give your form a name. I usually go with something obvious like “Contact Form” or “Get In Touch” so it’s easy to find later in **WPForms » All Forms**. Click **Done** to continue.

![Name your form](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/name-your-form-field-1.png)Next, you’ll pick a template. WPForms has [2,100+ form templates](https://wpforms.com/templates/ "2,100+ form templates") covering everything from event registrations to surveys to job applications, but for a contact form, you only need one.

Select the **Simple Contact Form** template. That puts you inside the form builder with the template already loaded. You’ll see the Name, Email, Subject, and Message fields ready to go.

![Selecting a template as part of the WPForms Challenge](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/select-a-template-step.png)If you’d rather skip the template browsing entirely, you can use [WPForms AI](https://wpforms.com/features/wpforms-ai/) to generate a custom form by describing what you want in plain English.

### Step 3: Customize Your First Contact Form

Once you’re inside the form builder, you’ll see a popup message instructing you about the next step:

![Adding fields to a form during the WPForms Challenge](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/add-additional-fields-to-a-form.png)Customizing form fields in WordPress is really easy using the WPForms drag and drop form builder. You can add new fields to your contact form by dragging them from the left-hand panel to the right-hand panel.

![Adding a form field during the WPForms Challenge](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/click-and-drag-form-field.gif)The Simple Contact Form template starts with four fields, and for most use cases, that’s all you need. If you want to add more, here’s what I typically reach for and when:

- **Phone field:** For sales-oriented contact forms where you want the option to follow up by phone. Available in Basic and above.
- **Address field:** For service-based businesses (plumbers, designers, anyone who travels to the customer). Available in Basic and above.
- **File Upload:** For support inquiries where someone needs to attach a screenshot or document. Available in Basic and above.
- **Dropdown:** Useful for letting people pick a department or topic. Available in all tiers, including Lite.

**Keep your form short**

Every extra field reduces your submission rate. For a contact page, four fields is plenty. If you’re seeing visitors arrive but no form submissions, the field count is usually the first thing to trim.

For inspiration, take a look at these [contact us page examples](https://wpforms.com/how-to-make-an-outstanding-contact-us-page-with-8-examples/) to see what other sites include in their forms.

You can also dig into advanced field types like conditional logic, calculations, and payment fields, but those require the Pro tier and aren’t necessary for a basic contact form.

When your form is set up the way you want it, click **Done**.

### Step 4: Check Contact Form Notification Settings

The next step in the WPForms Challenge deals with your form’s notification settings. Most beginners gloss over notification settings, then wonder why they aren’t getting emails.

![Checking notifications settings during the WPForms Challenge](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/check-notification-settings-step.png)By default, WPForms sends a notification email to your WordPress admin email address every time someone submits the form. The email contains the full entry, and only one recipient gets it.

But what if you also want to send email notifications to the person submitting the form?

That’s easy to care of. In WPForms, you can [create multiple form notifications](https://wpforms.com/how-to-create-multiple-form-notifications-in-wordpress-forms/) and send them to different members of your team as well as your customers upon form submission.

Adding to this, if you want to keep branding across your emails consistent, you can check out this guide on [adding a custom header to your email template](https://wpforms.com/docs/how-to-add-custom-header-image-in-your-wpforms-email-template/).

![WPforms submitted](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Email-Header-in-Notification.png)WordPress’s default mail function (PHP mail) is unreliable on a lot of hosts, which is why some form notifications never arrive. If your test email in Step 6 doesn’t show up, the FAQ at the bottom has the fix.

When notifications are set up the way you want them, click **Save** and move on.

### Step 5: Embed Your Simple Contact Form on a WordPress Page

You’re now ready to add a contact us page to your WordPress website. The embed functionality is super beginner-friendly as it doesn’t require using shortcodes directly.

To start, click on the **Embed** button at the top of the form builder.

![Embed form](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Embed-File-Upload-Form-.png)You can click **Select Existing Page**, or **Create New Page**. Let’s go ahead and create a new page here.

![The Embed in Page options](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/embed-in-page-options.png)Now, you’ll need to type in a name for your page. We called our page Contact.

![Embedding a contact form in a new page](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/embed-in-new-page.png)Now WPForms will place your form right on the page. Here, you can also style your form fields, labels, and submit buttons using simple color pickers and style settings.

See our guide on [styling contact forms](https://wpforms.com/how-to-style-contact-forms-in-wordpress/) for more details. Just don’t forget, you’ll need to click **Publish** for your form to go live on your site.

![The success message for completing the WPForms Challenge](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/WPForms-challenge-success-message.png)And you’re done! You can see the time it took to create your form at the bottom-right. You can also embed your[ contact form in the sidebar](https://wpforms.com/how-to-add-a-contact-form-in-wordpress-sidebar-widget/) of your site.

And there you have it! You now know how to create a simple WordPress contact form.

**Email troubleshooting**

If your test notification doesn’t arrive within a few minutes, your host is probably dropping the email. The fix is to install [WP Mail SMTP and connect it to a proper email service](https://wpforms.com/how-to-fix-wordpress-contact-form-not-sending-email-issue/ "WP Mail SMTP and connect it to a proper email service"). The FAQ below has the full walkthrough.

### FAQs on Creating Simple Contact Forms in WordPress

These are the most common questions I get from people creating a simple contact form in WordPress, plus the ones I see asked most often online.

#### Does WordPress have a built-in contact form?

WordPress.org (the self-hosted version that runs most websites) does not include a built-in contact form. You’ll need a plugin like WPForms to add one.

WordPress.com (the hosted version) does include a basic Form block in its block editor, but it’s limited compared to a dedicated plugin and isn’t available to self-hosted WordPress.org sites.

For most contact form needs, a plugin is the better path. If you’re considering older free options, [WPForms vs Contact Form 7](https://wpforms.com/wpforms-vs-contact-form-7-which-is-the-better-option/) covers the main differences.

#### What’s the easiest way to create a contact form in WordPress?

The easiest way is to install WPForms Lite (free), open the form builder, pick the Simple Contact Form template, and embed the form on a page. The whole thing takes about five minutes and requires no code.

#### Can I create a contact form in WordPress for free?

Yes. WPForms Lite is free and gives you the Simple Contact Form template, all standard field types, basic spam protection, and one email notification per form. It’s at the top of our roundup of the [best free WordPress contact form plugins](https://wpforms.com/best-free-wordpress-contact-form-plugins/).

#### What are the essential fields to include in a contact form?

For most sites, four fields are enough. The standard set is Name, Email, Subject, and Message. The WPForms Simple Contact Form template includes these by default, so you don’t need to add anything.

If your form is for a specific purpose (sales lead capture, support request, booking inquiry), you might add a phone field, a dropdown for topic selection, or a file upload field, but resist the urge to ask for everything up front. Shorter forms convert better.

#### What if I’m not receiving email notifications from my contact form?

This is the single most common contact form issue, and the cause is almost always WordPress’s built-in mail function (PHP mail) being blocked or dropped by your hosting provider.

The fix is to install WP Mail SMTP and connect it to a proper email service like SendLayer, Gmail, or Outlook. WPForms has a step-by-step walkthrough on [how to fix WordPress contact form not sending email](https://wpforms.com/how-to-fix-wordpress-contact-form-not-sending-email-issue/) that covers this exact scenario.

#### How do I add spam protection to my WordPress contact form?

WPForms Lite includes a built-in anti-spam honeypot that catches most basic bot submissions.

For more protection, you can add reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, Cloudflare Turnstile, or a custom CAPTCHA field at the Basic tier or above. Akismet integration is also available.

For the full setup, see [how to build spam-free WordPress contact forms](https://wpforms.com/how-to-build-spam-free-wordpress-contact-forms-the-ultimate-guide/).

#### Is it possible to track and manage contact form submissions?

Yes. With WPForms Pro and above, every submission is stored in your WordPress dashboard under **WPForms » Entries**. You can view, search, export, and reply to entries from one place.

With WPForms Lite (free), submissions are sent to your inbox via email notifications, but they aren’t stored inside WordPress.

#### How can I back up and export contact form data?

The cleanest way is to connect your form to a spreadsheet. WPForms Pro includes a native [Google Sheets integration](https://wpforms.com/save-contacts-from-wordpress-form-to-google-sheet/) that automatically adds every new submission to a Google Sheet in real time.

You can also manually export entries from the WordPress dashboard as CSV, Excel, or PDF at any time.

### Next, Style and Customize Your WordPress Contact Form

With your form live, you’re ready to make it look at home on your site.

To give the form a polished, on-brand appearance that matches the rest of your design, check out the guide on [styling contact forms in WordPress](https://wpforms.com/how-to-style-contact-forms-in-wordpress/).

If you want to take your forms further, learn how to build a [multi-step form](https://wpforms.com/how-to-create-a-multi-part-form-in-wordpress/) to break long forms into bite-sized pages.

[Create Your WordPress Contact Form Now](https://wpforms.com/pricing/)

Ready to build your form? Get started today with the easiest WordPress form builder plugin. [WPForms Pro](https://wpforms.com/pricing) includes lots of free templates and offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.

If this article helped you out, please follow us on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/wpforms) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/easywpforms) for more free WordPress tutorials and guides.

**Categories:** WordPress Tutorials

**Tags:** contact form, form notification, GDPR Form Field, wordpress form

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