This guide takes you from a fresh install to a published, spam-protected contact form. If you haven’t installed the plugin yet, start with the Installation page.
Step 1: Add the Form block
- Edit the post or page where the form should appear. A Contact page is the usual choice. You can also go to Forming → Forms → Add new form, which opens a new page with a Form block already in it.
- Click the inserter (+), search for Form, and insert it. You’ll find it under the Forming Form Builder category.
The block arrives as a working contact form: a required Name text field, a required Email field, a Message textarea and a Send button. If that’s all you need, skip to Step 3.
Step 2: Build your fields
Everything inside the Form block is a normal block, so the usual moves work:
- Add a field: click the inserter inside the form. Only field blocks are offered (plus Pro fields, if you have Forming Pro).
- Reorder: drag fields, or use the up/down arrows in the toolbar.
- Remove: select a field and choose Delete from the toolbar’s options menu.
Select any field and open the sidebar to reach its Field Settings panel:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Label | The visible label above the field. |
| Name | The key used in the notification email and the stored entry. It’s generated from the label (Your Phone becomes your_phone) until you edit it. |
| Placeholder | Grey hint text inside the input. On a Select field it becomes the first, empty option. |
| Help text | A short note under the field, linked to the input for screen readers. |
| Required | Marks the field with an asterisk and enforces it in the browser and on the server. |
| Default value | Pre-fills the field, or pre-selects an option. |
| Width | Full, three quarters, two thirds, half, one third or one quarter: how much of the row the field takes. |
Most fields also have a Validation panel for lengths, patterns, dates, numbers and your own error messages. Set two fields to Half to put them side by side. Full details are on Field Blocks and Validation.
Tip: Keep a field’s Name stable once a form is live. Renaming it changes the key entries are stored under, so old and new entries no longer line up.
Step 3: Name the form and set notifications
Select the Form block itself (click its edge, or use the breadcrumb at the bottom of the editor).
In the Form panel, give it a Form name, such as “Contact form”. It’s how the form is labeled in the Forms list, the Entries inbox and exports.
Then open the Notifications panel:
- Recipient email(s): separate several addresses with commas. Leave it empty to use the default recipients from Forming → Settings, or your site’s admin email.
- Email subject: defaults to New form submission on {your site}.
- From name and From email: the identity the notification is sent from. Use an address on your own domain. The visitor’s address goes into
Reply-Toautomatically, so replying still reaches them.
To set recipients and From details once for every form, use Forming → Settings → General. See Email Notifications.
Step 4: Choose what happens after submit
In the After submit panel, pick one:
- Show a message: the form clears and your thank-you text appears. Leave it empty to use the default from Settings, or Thanks! Your submission has been received.
- Redirect to a URL: send visitors to a thank-you page, which is what you want if you track conversions in analytics.
Step 5: Check spam protection and storage
- Spam protection: the Honeypot field and Submission time-trap are on by default. Leave them on, because visitors never see either. If the form attracts persistent spam, set up a CAPTCHA provider under Forming → Settings → Spam protection, then turn on CAPTCHA here. See Spam Protection & CAPTCHA.
- Storage: Store submissions is on by default, saving each submission to Forming → Entries. Turn it off if you only want the email.
Step 6: Publish and test
Publish the page, open it as a visitor (a private window is ideal) and submit the form once for real.
You should see your success message or redirect, receive the notification email, and find a new unread entry under Forming → Entries. If the email doesn’t arrive, go to Forming → Dashboard and use the setup checklist’s Send test email button. The FAQ & Troubleshooting page covers the usual causes.
What visitors see: the form checks the answers before sending and points to the first problem. Submitting doesn’t reload the page. The form posts in the background, then shows the response message in place or performs the redirect.
Where to go next
- The Form Block: every form-level setting in detail.
- Field Blocks: every field type and its settings.
- Entries & Storage: reading, starring and exporting submissions.
- Forming Pro: signatures, ratings, repeaters and 13 more premium fields.