How to Set Up Email Notifications for WordPress Forms

What Email Notifications Can Do

Auto Form Builder supports two types of email per form:

• Admin notification email — sent to you (or your team) when someone submits the form, with all submission details included.
• User confirmation email — sent to the person who submitted the form as a thank-you or receipt.

Both email types are configured per form, so your contact form, support form, and newsletter signup can each have different recipients, subjects, and messages. Submissions are also stored in your Submissions inbox regardless of email settings — email is an instant alert on top of your stored records.

Where to Configure Email Notifications

1. Log in to your WordPress admin area.
2. Go to Auto Form Builder → Forms.
3. Open the form you want to configure (or create a new one).
4. Click the Settings tab in the form builder.
5. Expand the Email Notifications section.

Note: Save your form first before configuring settings. If the form has not been saved yet, you will be prompted to save it before email options become available.

When you are done, click Save Form to store your notification settings.

Step 1: Enable Admin Notification Emails

Admin notifications alert you the moment a form is submitted.

1. In the Email Notifications section, check Send email notification when form is submitted.
2. Enter your Notification Email address — the inbox where alerts should arrive.
3. Set the Email Subject (default: “New form submission”).
4. Choose an Email Format: Styled (HTML) or Plain text.
5. Click Save Form.

Send to Multiple Recipients

Enter multiple email addresses separated by commas in the Notification Email field. For example:

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

All listed addresses receive the same notification when the form is submitted.

Default Email Layout

If you leave the Custom Message field empty, Auto Form Builder sends a styled HTML email with:

• A “New Form Submission” heading
• Form name and submission date/time
• A formatted table of all submitted field values
• A footer link to your site

Plain text format sends the same data as simple Label: value lines — no colors or tables.

Step 2: Customize the Notification Message

For more control over what appears in your inbox, use the Custom Message (Optional) field. Write your own email body and insert dynamic placeholders that are replaced with real submission data when the email is sent.

Available Placeholders

• {form_name} — the name of your form
• {site_name} — your WordPress site name
• {date} — submission date
• {time} — submission time
• {entry_id} — the submission entry ID (when submission storage is enabled)
• {submission_data} — a formatted table (HTML) or label/value lines (plain text) with all submitted fields
• {field_id} or {field_name} — individual field values (use your field’s ID or name)

Example Custom Message

You have a new contact request from {form_name}. Details: {submission_data}

Dynamic Subject Lines

Placeholders also work in the Email Subject field. For example:

New lead from {full_name} — {form_name}

CAPTCHA and security token fields are automatically excluded from email content.

Step 3: Set Reply-To to the Submitter’s Email

By default, clicking “Reply” on a notification email replies to your WordPress site’s email address — not the person who submitted the form. Auto Form Builder lets you fix this with one setting.

1. Make sure your form includes an Email field where visitors enter their address.
2. In Email Notifications, check Use submitter’s email as Reply-To.
3. Select the email field from the Reply-To Email Field dropdown.
4. Save the form.

When enabled, clicking “Reply” in your email client sends your response directly to the visitor. The From address stays as your site’s admin email to preserve SPF/DKIM/DMARC deliverability — only the Reply-To header changes.

Step 4: Send User Confirmation Emails

Confirmation emails let visitors know their submission was received — useful for contact forms, support requests, registrations, and any form where you want to set expectations.

1. In Form Settings, expand User Confirmation Email.
2. Check Send confirmation email to user.
3. Select the form’s Email Field — the field containing the visitor’s email address.
4. Set the Email Subject (default: “Thank you for your submission”).
5. Choose Styled (HTML) or Plain text format.
6. Optionally write a Custom Message using the same placeholders as admin notifications.
7. Optionally set a From Name (defaults to your site name) and Reply-To Email for when users reply to the confirmation.
8. Save the form.

Default Confirmation Email

With an empty custom message, users receive a styled email with a thank-you heading, form name, submission timestamp, and a table of their submitted data.

Example Confirmation Custom Message

Hi, thank you for contacting {site_name}! We received your message on {date} and will respond within 24 hours. Here is a copy of your submission: {submission_data}

Step 5: Customize Email Branding (Optional)

When either admin notifications or user confirmation emails are enabled, an Email Branding section appears in Form Settings. Customize three colors per form:

• Accent Color — table headers and links inside the email
• Heading & Text Color — main headings and body text
• Page Background Color — the outer background around the email card

Defaults match the original email design, so existing forms look the same until you change the colors. The email card itself stays white for readability.

Step 6: Conditional Email Rules (Optional)

Send different emails — or no email at all — based on what the visitor submitted. Both admin notifications and user confirmation emails support conditional rules.

Admin Notification Rules

Under Conditional Notification Rules, add rules with conditions (for example, “Department equals Sales”) and choose an outcome:

• Send the notification — optionally override the recipient, subject, and custom message
• Do not send the notification — skip the email entirely for matching submissions

The first matching rule wins. If no rule matches, your default notification settings apply.

User Confirmation Email Rules

Under Conditional Confirmation Email Rules, you can skip the confirmation email or send a different subject and message based on the visitor’s answers — using the same first-match logic.

Example Use Cases

• Route support tickets to [email protected] and sales inquiries to [email protected]
• Skip admin notifications for spam-flagged or test submissions
• Send a different thank-you message when a user selects “Enterprise” vs. “Individual” plan

Make Sure Emails Actually Arrive

Auto Form Builder sends emails through WordPress’s built-in wp_mail() function, which uses your hosting server’s mail by default. Many hosts deliver these emails inconsistently — they may land in spam or not arrive at all.